April 28 - 2 Kings 20-22: The King and I

Hezekiah. Manasseh. Amon. Josiah.

These chapters feel like a roller coaster ride with major dips and turns. Hezekiah seems like a good king, but his last words are selfish and puzzling. (20:19) Manasseh is just a bad guy, leading Judah to practices of evil even exceeding the evil of the pagan nations that God had earlier destroyed. (21:9) Amon was like his father, Manasseh, and was killed by conspirators only two years into his reign. (21:23) Then eight-year-old Josiah becomes king.

He lived the way God wanted. He kept straight on the path blazed by his ancestor David, not one step to either left or right. (22:2)

And when Josiah was 26 years old, the high priest found the Book of God's Revelation, and it was read to Josiah. His response was to rip his robes and to order his aides to:

"Go and pray for me and for this people - for all Judah!...God's anger must be burning furiously against us - our ancestors haven't obeyed a thing written in this book, followed none of the instructions directed at us." (22:11-13)

But it was too late for Judah. God's patience with them had run out. Through Huldah the prophetess, God confirmed his judgment of Judah, and He had some words for Josiah:

And also tell the king of Judah..."Because you took seriously the doom of judgment I spoke against this place and people, and because you responded in humble repentance, tearing your robe in dismay and weeping before me, I'm taking you seriously. God's word: I'll take care of you." (22:17-20)

"Reform didn't start with fiery invectives or moral imperatives hurled at the people, whether by a political figure or by a prophetic figure. It started with revelation...The reform of Josiah's time was rooted in the rediscovery of the Scriptures. Deuteronomy was the book that was discovered." Eugene Peterson, Conversations, pg. 566

It's amazing how convicting the Word of God is to each and every generation, how convicting it is to ME!

I was recently telling Harry how much I'm realizing that I need to be in God's Word. It's not just that I want to or think I should. I find that my thoughts drift so quickly when I prioritize other things ahead of my daily time with God. My attitude suffers. My courage withers. My eternal perspective all but disappears as I focus on what's in front of my face.

But when I immerse myself in God's Story, everything else takes a back seat. I am able to put my challenges and disappointments into better perspective and can more easily remember that God is in control, that this is HIS story.

The discipline of being in the Word and the accountability through this blog this year have been a blessing. Even when I don't necessarily feel like it, I have to keep up with the reading and ask God to reveal Himself to me. As a result, the biblical narrative is on my mind constantly, and everyday it seems there are applications to my life. The Scriptures are coming alive to me in ways they never have before.

But I wonder if I'm responding the way Josiah did. God commended Josiah for taking His Word seriously and for responding in humble repentance. I have to keep asking myself if I'm merely taking in the information I read or if I'm actually taking it to heart, repenting, and allowing God to transform my heart and mind. In my perfectionist leaning, I want to see more and quicker change in me and to have all of my sin patterns dissolve before my eyes. (Unrealistic, I know.) But I'm grateful for the small changes that I do see and for God continuing to show me my sin and convict me of my unholiness. My God is taking care of me!

Overall though, it's fascinating to me that I can actually relate to Josiah, a king of Judah who lived thousands of years ago, through our similar responses to the living and active Word of God.

"The excitement was that the Word of God, as ancient as it was, had words that could bring resurrection to the most lifeless of circumstances. If some of your life is dead - your spiritual life, a friendship, your marriage, your passion - a personal rediscovery of the Word of God will help. Read the Word and reacquaint yourself with this ancient text. Then wait and watch...and see what comes to life." Peterson