2 Kings 23:25 “Before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him.”

LEGACY

You really need to read 2 Kings 23:1-24 to get a clear picture of all that Josiah did as king.  He cleaned house!  He didn’t just clean house in Judah.  He even went into Israel, who had been carried into exile, and cleaned out the evil altars and high places.  He re-established the worship of Jehovah God throughout the country.  He even held the first Passover that had been celebrated for decades. Continue reading →

2 Kings 22:11 “When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.” 

SORROW

Josiah was the first good king of Judah in three generations. His great grandfather Hezekiah had ruled well, but his grandfather Manasseh and his father Amon were wicked.  The people of the land had forgotten the Lord.  When the Word was found in the temple and read to him, he was so overtaken with grief and humiliation before the Lord that he tore his clothes as a sign of repentance.

Now, don’t lose sight of the fact that Josiah was only about 26 years old at this time.  He wasn’t some old man.  But he was a humble young king who wanted to serve his people and his Lord well.  Humility is a leadership trait that we don’t see much anymore.  But is probably the one trait that the Lord will bless the most.  The Word does say He will exalt the humble and humble he exalted.

TEACHING MOMENT

Today parents are so concerned with building up their child’s self-image that they make them into little monsters.  There is no humility.  Little Johnny or Susie can do no wrong.  “I can’t tell them no because that might hurt their feelings.”  What?!  Humility is a trait that you can’t teach, only model.  But we can ensure that our children are given enough opportunities to learn humility.

They need to see us deflect praise of something we have done toward others.  They need to see us lower ourselves to serve someone others may just pass by.  They need to hear us pray to the Lord, asking for forgiveness.  We do NOT need to confess our sins before our children, but they do need to know that we mess up and need forgiveness, just like them.

Perhaps today, you need to “tear your clothes” in sorrow and humility before your God.  Are you reading His Word daily?  How do you deal with those commandments that you know you aren’t following?  Do you just ignore them?  Or do they convict you?  Bow your knee right now and confess your disobedience before a holy God.

O Father, forgive me!  Give me the same brokenness Josiah felt when he heard Your Words and realized the people were not living in obedience to You.  Help me lead my family in a way that honors You and teaches them to obey.

2 Kings 19:35 “Then it happened that night that the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead.”

ONE ANGEL

God’s power is amazing.  In this passage today Sennacherib, king of Assyria, was threatening to destroy Jerusalem.  Worse yet, he was mocking the God of Israel.  Isaiah tells Hezekiah not to worry.  God was going to fight for him.  So, God sends ONE angel (I believe this “angel of the Lord” was Jesus) to destroy Sennacherib’s army. 185,000 were killed in one night.  Wow!

So, let me ask you a question.  Why do you think that same God can’t defend you against your enemies?  He still has “the angel of the Lord” to send to fight for you.  He still has the same power He had back then.  He can snap His fingers and bring any enemy we face to their knees.

TEACHING MOMENT

This is a wonderful story to share with your children when they are scared.  The people in Jerusalem were scared.  This was a great army that was threatening them.  But their wise king reached out to the Lord, and the Lord came to their defense.

Our children need to know that the Lord is that close.  He has His ear bent toward earth for them also.  He longs to be involved in their daily lives, but they must let Him in.  When they are scared, teach them to call on His name.  When they cry out in the night, go to them and immediately call on the Lord to give them peace.

Are you scared right now about something?  What are you facing right now that sends chills up your spine?  Lay it down.  Lay it at the feet of Jesus.  That “angel of the Lord” loves you and will defend you.  He will rescue your heart from fear.  Allow Him to soothe your spirit and give you rest.

O precious Lord and Savior, thank you for being my defender.  Thank you for coming to my aid in the midst of uncertain times.

2 Kings 17:7-8 “7 Now this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and they had feared other gods 8 and walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the sons of Israel, and in the customs of the kings of Israel which they had introduced.” 

JUDGMENT

As I read this passage in 2 Kings I couldn’t help but think about my country, the United States of America.  Ours is a country which was built on strong Judeo-Christian principles. Our founding fathers came here originally to escape religious persecution in Europe.  We stood proudly for generations as a Christian nation. Continue reading →

2 Kings 13:20-21 “20 Elisha died, and they buried him. Now the bands of the Moabites would invade the land in the spring of the year. 21 As they were burying a man, behold, they saw a marauding band; and they cast the man into the grave of Elisha. And when the man touched the bones of Elisha he revived and stood up on his feet.”

EVEN IN DEATH

Pardon me, but I find a little humor in this last story about Elisha.  All Elisha is doing is lying there in his grave.  He’s dead.  But God’s power was still evident.  What do you think those men thought when the guy they just threw in the grave jumped up on his feet?  That must a little bit surprising.  And how about the dead man?  What do you think he thought?  He had no idea what just happened. Continue reading →

2 Kings 11:21 “Jehoash was seven years old when he became king.”

Could you imagine your child becoming President at age 7?  Probably not!  But Jehoash was crowned king at age 7 after hiding for 6 years in the temple from the Queen Mother who had killed all the other sons.  The priest Jehoiada was the one who cared for him and prepared him to be one of the great kings of Judah. Continue reading →

2 Kings 8:19 “However, the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David His servant, since He had promised him to give a lamp to him through his sons always.”

ONLY GOD

There is only one true Promise Keeper – The Lord.  Try as we may, we are likely to break a promise to someone along the way.  Sometimes we make rash promises that we KNOW we cannot keep.  Other times the promises are made with the best of intentions, but things happen that bring change and can cause us to not keep that promise. Continue reading →

2 Kings 5:13 “Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, ‘My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, “Wash, and be clean’?”’”

FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS

Probably one of the most frustrating things on earth is putting together a child’s toy on Christmas eve.  Am I right?  I remember putting together a Power Wheel jeep for my son one year.  We didn’t have anywhere to hide it before Christmas, so I had to wait until the night before to put it all together.  There must have been 1,000 parts (I am exaggerating a little, lol).  Continue reading →

2 Kings 3:14 “Elisha said, ‘As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you.’”

REPUTATION

Jehoram, king of Israel, wasn’t exactly a godly king.  When he came, along with Jehoshaphat, to ask Elisha’s counsel, Elisha said these words which are here in verse 14.  Elisha would not have even talked to Jehoram, except for the presence of Jehoshaphat.  Elisha was quick to exact punishment on others.  Jehoram knew that.  That is probably why he took Jehoshaphat with him. Continue reading →

1 Kings 22:14 “But Micaiah said, ‘As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I shall speak.’”

SPEAK THE TRUTH

As a Pastor, when I preach I have to be so careful to speak only what the Lord would have me to say.  As I prepare my message I pray that the Lord will give me the words to say.  I don’t want to espouse my words. I only want His.  Micaiah had been asked by the other prophets to agree with them and speak similar words.  But he knew he had to be true to the Lord and speak only what the Lord said, no matter the consequence. Continue reading →