Josiah

"Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did--with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Laws of Moses." 2 Kings 23:25

Old Testament reading is resplendent with rich stories of men and women seemingly larger than life to us. Josiah was one such man. Reading Kings and Chronicles can be a bit on the depressing side. As the history of the Kings of Israel and Judah are detailed in these wonderful pages in the Bible, it is disheartening sometimes to read the phrase "...he did evil in the eyes of the Lord..." over and over and over again.

But then someone like Josiah comes along and on reading through what he did during his reign, something inside just wants to bust out in a cheer! Seriously. Just as your heart grows weary with reading the evil the kings before him did, your heart lightens up and becomes filled with hope as you read how Josiah tears down every evil thing those kings and their people had constructed as a substitute for God.

Josiah became king at the age of 8 and reigned for 31 years - I wonder how many it took to tear down the evil that had built up over years and years and years? This man was a man of authority, focus and action, and he applied those traits to completing the tasks he had been divinely given. He appears to be driven to complete the destruction of evil within his kingdom and leads his people by his own example to be holy and personally accountable for their actions.

At 39 years of age, Josiah was killed by the Pharoah Necho king of Egypt. There is no indication of any wrongdoing on Josiah's part - in fact, the Bible indicates Josiah did not stray from doing right in the eyes of the Lord. And yet, he suffered a much earlier death than most.

It seems sometimes as if serving the Lord doesn't guarantee a long life on this earth.....but does guarantee the best life - one filled with purpose and communion with Him.