1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,960 Let's come to our Bibles now in Second Kings chapter 23. 2 00:00:04,920 --> 00:00:08,000 And as we turn there, I want to testify that the Lord encouraged 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,120 my heart earlier this week in a very unique way that made me 4 00:00:13,120 --> 00:00:16,360 even more excited to prepare for the very passage that we'll be 5 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:20,440 looking at. And before I even began 6 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:24,680 examining this text, I stumbled upon a headline of a major 7 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:28,600 secular news article that was titled The following 8 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:36,240 Archaeologist discovered the fingerprint of a biblical figure 9 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:42,040 from 2600 years ago. That's something you're going to 10 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:44,320 click on. And so I did. 11 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:49,600 And here was the summary of that report dated August 4th, 2025. 12 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:56,000 Archaeologist found a clay seal with the signature of an 13 00:00:56,000 --> 00:01:02,160 individual whose name is found in the scriptures and the type 14 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:07,120 of seal it was and the writing on it more specifically showed 15 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:12,240 that it dated during the first Temple period again 2020, 600 16 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:15,400 years ago. And the most exciting part about 17 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:19,760 that discovery was that expert believe that the name that was 18 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:27,920 on that seal was the son of Asahiu, one of King Josiah's top 19 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:31,200 officials. What is the name Asahi? 20 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:34,120 You appear in the study of Second Kings, while I told you 21 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:36,800 to turn to 2nd Kings 23. But look at chapter 22 verse 12 22 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:40,120 very briefly. We looked at this not too long 23 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:45,880 ago in Second Kings 2212. And the king commanded Hilkiah 24 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:50,640 the priest, and Ahihai the son of Shafan, and Akbar the son of 25 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:55,400 Micaiah and Shafan the secretary, and Asiah the King's 26 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:59,840 servant, saying it's that last name underline that Asaya, the 27 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:01,880 King's servant, isn't that amazing. 28 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:06,880 I encourage you after the service to look up that article 29 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:09,199 if you're interested in more details and the technical 30 00:02:09,199 --> 00:02:12,600 aspects of this amazing uncovering. 31 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:18,000 But I mentioned it briefly at the outset of this study because 32 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:21,920 when I read it earlier this week on Monday morning, it served as 33 00:02:21,920 --> 00:02:28,040 a providential nudge. A wonderful reminder of the 34 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:32,400 authenticity of the scriptures and the reliability of what you 35 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:34,720 and I love with all of our hearts. 36 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:38,920 Now, I'm always encouraged to see people come here on Friday 37 00:02:38,920 --> 00:02:43,680 nights, but I am not certain of the different levels of faith 38 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:47,280 that are represented here. And whatever the strength of 39 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:51,960 your faith may be, know this what we've been devoted to week 40 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:54,960 after week on Friday evenings, it's not. 41 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:59,080 It's not us building our convictions or learning lessons 42 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:02,720 from myths or allegorical stories. 43 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:09,160 No, we have been immersing ourselves in God's truth that He 44 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:13,080 has given us and has protected and preserved throughout the 45 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:18,840 ages and has never failed to be confirmed and uncovered and 46 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:24,920 realized in undeniable ways. And I praise the Lord for His 47 00:03:24,920 --> 00:03:28,320 ability to provide timely encouragement for our efforts 48 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:31,840 and studying God's Word, especially in this book as we 49 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:35,160 near its completion. That's right, we're almost 50 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:40,440 finished this book, and that will be especially more real to 51 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:44,160 us because we plan to finalize chapter 23 today. 52 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:47,440 And while there is much that occurs in the rest of this 53 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:52,600 chapter, there are three main events that are worth 54 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:57,840 highlighting this evening. And these events also provide a 55 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:01,080 wonderful way of organizing our observations and our 56 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:04,440 reflections. And they are easily identifiable 57 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:10,680 because they all start with the letter P, the Passover, the 58 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:15,960 passing, and the progeny. We'll be looking together at the 59 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:20,279 Passover that King Josiah charges the people of God to 60 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:24,120 celebrate. Moreover, we will look at the 61 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:29,040 passing of King Josiah, the report of his death, and 62 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:34,080 finally, we will consider the progeny, the descendants of 63 00:04:34,280 --> 00:04:38,560 Josiah, and unfortunately, how disappointing they are. 64 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:41,680 Shall we begin? We're looking at Second Kings 65 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:46,000 23, verse 21, and we will read down to verse 23. 66 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:48,720 And the king commanded all the people. 67 00:04:49,280 --> 00:04:52,720 Keep the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in 68 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:56,640 this book of the covenant. For no such Passover had been 69 00:04:56,640 --> 00:05:00,760 kept since the days of the judges who judge Israel, or 70 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:04,000 during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of 71 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:06,560 Judah. But in the 18th year of King 72 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:12,080 Josiah, this Passover was kept to the Lord in Jerusalem. 73 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:15,640 Let's pray. Well, we ask that you would help 74 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:20,320 us, guide us, illumine our hearts, enlighten our eyes that 75 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:28,080 we may behold the death of your wisdom, Jesus, who he is, what 76 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:30,440 he has to offer us, what it means to follow Him. 77 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:33,040 Lord, we want to know all that you have to say in this passage 78 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:37,720 and we we rely on your help to discover it for ourselves. 79 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:41,600 We give you thanks again for the eternal Word of God that is in 80 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:44,160 our hands. In Jesus name we pray. 81 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:46,800 Amen. Well, yet again we're being 82 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:53,160 reminded that King Josiah's efforts to reform the land, the 83 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:56,880 country, the nation has reached a new level in the 18th year of 84 00:05:56,880 --> 00:06:00,080 his reign. It was the word of God that was 85 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:04,520 the driving force for King Josiah to cleanse the land of 86 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:09,600 all its spiritual filth. And as effective and widespread 87 00:06:09,840 --> 00:06:14,480 as his efforts were, we learn here that it didn't cross 19 88 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:19,600 verses where good you've been here, second cross been here. 89 00:06:19,840 --> 00:06:23,000 Second Chronicles 35. And while we will not look at 90 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:28,200 every detail, we will look at key things that made this 91 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:33,000 moment, this feast, so distinguishable. 92 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:37,200 And through it we will learn the kind of worship that truly 93 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:39,840 pleases the Lord. So turn with me to Second 94 00:06:39,840 --> 00:06:45,160 Chronicles 35, verse one. The Spirit expounds on this in 95 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:48,320 19 verses, but we'll start here at the beginning. 96 00:06:48,840 --> 00:06:53,040 In Second Chronicles 35, verse one, we read Josiah kept a 97 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:56,800 Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered 98 00:06:56,800 --> 00:07:00,960 the Passover lamb on the 14th day of the first month. 99 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:05,080 So in this introduction alone, there are at least two things on 100 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:11,840 worth underscoring #1 notice that Josiah kept the Passover to 101 00:07:12,240 --> 00:07:20,000 the Lord, to the Lord. This reinforces what we heard 102 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:23,880 the past two weeks. The motive of Josiah's obedience 103 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:27,880 to God? It was for God and for God 104 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:31,800 alone. Everything that this man did was 105 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:36,880 stimulated by his sincere ambition to bring pleasure to 106 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:40,280 God, to honor God, to exalt the Lord. 107 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:44,480 And this is even shown in the the following 2 verses of this 108 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:46,440 chapter. Look more specifically at verse 109 00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:48,560 3. We read here that he commands 110 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:52,680 the Levites to do what? To return the ark to its 111 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:58,000 rightful place, to bring it back into the most holy place. 112 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:02,640 Now why is he doing that? Before he does anything, before 113 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:05,960 he places any Levite at any station, before he slaughters 114 00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:11,320 any animal, he wants to make sure that the ark is rightly 115 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:14,680 positioned. Why? 116 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:20,840 Because that ark is a symbol of God's earthly throne, and in 117 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:26,720 Josiah's mind, he did not see it valuable or profitable to 118 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:30,440 worship in the temple. If God is not seated where he's 119 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:34,720 supposed to be seated, if God is not exalted, if he's not the 120 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:38,320 center, why move forward with this feast? 121 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:43,200 And so his priority at this moment was bring the ark and 122 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:48,120 position it where God designated it to be, and everything would 123 00:08:48,120 --> 00:08:51,600 orbit around that. And this is yet another call to 124 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:56,560 remembrance about our worship. Is it motivated for God? 125 00:08:56,640 --> 00:09:00,120 Is it to the Lord? Is it for his smile? 126 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:04,320 Is it for his pleasure? That's the essence of worship. 127 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:09,320 But more than that, we see something else in verse one and 128 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:13,120 that is how the feast was performed at its designated 129 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:15,440 time. Did you notice how we're told 130 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:18,200 that it was celebrated on the 14th day of the first month? 131 00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:21,720 When I first read this I thought why mention it? 132 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:25,800 Why mention it when God had already said that this is when 133 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:27,400 it was supposed to be celebrated? 134 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:34,920 It seems unnecessary. Seems redundant unless that many 135 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:39,360 of the Passover's before this were not celebrated when God 136 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:43,360 said it should be celebrated. That's precisely why it's being 137 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:47,200 brought up. And the overarching lesson is 138 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:52,040 that Josiah was extremely mindful of the details of God's 139 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:55,000 Word. There is not one thing he was 140 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:56,480 relaxed on. There was not one thing he 141 00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:59,160 wanted to miss. Anything that God had prescribed 142 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:02,680 and mentioned, God wanted. Josiah wanted to honor and 143 00:10:02,680 --> 00:10:06,920 observe with all of his heart, even in the timing of the feast. 144 00:10:07,680 --> 00:10:11,240 And this is something that he longed to do and you see it 145 00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:13,280 throughout these verses. I mean, if you actually take the 146 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:17,000 time to look at Second Chronicles 35, you just you find 147 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:21,560 how meticulous and surgical Josiah was and we see it in one 148 00:10:21,560 --> 00:10:23,560 strong example. Just Scroll down again. 149 00:10:23,560 --> 00:10:24,720 We don't have the time to look at everything. 150 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:27,800 Look at verse 13 and what the Holy Spirit says. 151 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:32,720 After much organization happened, we read here and they 152 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:38,560 roasted the Passover lamb with fire according to the rule, and 153 00:10:38,560 --> 00:10:41,800 they boiled the holy offerings and pots and cauldrons and in 154 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:46,640 pans and carried them quickly to all the lay people. 155 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:50,840 I'm going to pause here and open it up for answers to this 156 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:53,400 question. What stands out to you from this 157 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:57,280 one verse? There should be things that 158 00:10:57,280 --> 00:10:58,800 stand out. We are students of the Hebrew 159 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:01,840 Scriptures. What stands out to you about 160 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:03,440 this commentary? Somebody said something. 161 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:06,800 OK, The generosity. That's one thing that we will 162 00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:09,840 consider at a moment. According to the rule. 163 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:11,840 Absolutely. That's emphasized over and over 164 00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:17,160 again. Anything else? 165 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:23,880 What do they do to the lamb? They roasted it. 166 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:27,600 Why is that important? Because when God had given His 167 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:31,080 original decree about the Passover after slaughtering the 168 00:11:31,080 --> 00:11:36,120 lamb in Exodus 12/8, they were instructed to roast the lamb. 169 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:39,680 Why? Because again, all of the 170 00:11:39,680 --> 00:11:43,960 Passover points to Christ, and people tend to just limit the 171 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:47,200 understanding of the Passover to Christ being our Passover lamb 172 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:51,280 in His sacrificial death. And it's a Tony work, yes, but 173 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:54,240 when the lamb was roasted, that's a picture of Christ 174 00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:56,560 enduring the fury of God's wrath. 175 00:11:56,560 --> 00:12:00,320 And so they didn't skip this part. 176 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:03,120 They didn't just slaughter the lamb and apply his blood. 177 00:12:03,320 --> 00:12:06,720 No, they even went to the point of roasting it. 178 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:10,800 We see something else in this one verse. 179 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:13,840 What else? This one's a little bit more 180 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:16,760 difficult to pinpoint, but it's equally important. 181 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:20,240 Look at it again. There's no rush. 182 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:25,200 Very, very good. Did you hear it? 183 00:12:25,680 --> 00:12:30,400 Look at the last part and carry them quickly to all the lay 184 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:33,360 people. Why is that important? 185 00:12:34,680 --> 00:12:39,200 Anybody have an idea? Well, because in Exodus 12, 186 00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:44,280 verse 11, listen to these words in this manner, You shall eat it 187 00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:47,480 with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your 188 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:51,040 staff in your hand, and you shall eat it in haste. 189 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:59,240 It is the Lord's Passover. Even the speed of the feast was 190 00:12:59,240 --> 00:13:01,160 honored by Josiah and his officials. 191 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:03,440 They were to eat in haste. What's that a picture of? 192 00:13:03,440 --> 00:13:04,640 Well, it's a picture of many things. 193 00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:08,680 One of my favorite applications of this truth is that it speaks 194 00:13:08,760 --> 00:13:13,520 about the readiness and the willingness of the one who has 195 00:13:13,520 --> 00:13:19,320 tasted of Christ to flee out of Egypt, to escape slavery and 196 00:13:19,320 --> 00:13:22,760 bondage, to run into the wilderness, to worship the Lord 197 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:25,880 in haste. Today is the day of salvation. 198 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:29,640 That's the picture. So you see, every single 199 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:32,880 ingredient and instruction points to an element of the 200 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:37,080 gospel. And Josiah honored every part he 201 00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:41,200 could. The roasting of the lamb, eating 202 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:44,120 it in haste. And when I meditated on Josiah 203 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:47,560 zeal and discipline not to deviate in the slightest from 204 00:13:47,560 --> 00:13:53,360 God's word, I was reminded of Jesus words and what He expects 205 00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:59,720 of us as worshippers, as obedient servants to Him. 206 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:05,720 This verse was opened to me many, many years ago and I 207 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:09,720 praise God for it because it transformed the way I view God's 208 00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:12,800 word and the way I apply it to my life. 209 00:14:13,680 --> 00:14:18,520 This is worth turning to in Matthew 5 and look at verse 19. 210 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:24,480 I pray that it makes an impact on your heart and even a greater 211 00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:29,680 impact than what it's done for me. 212 00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:33,760 Matthew 519. Jesus says, Therefore, whoever 213 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:37,560 relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches 214 00:14:37,560 --> 00:14:40,200 others to do the same will be called least in the Kingdom of 215 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:42,560 heaven. But whoever does them and 216 00:14:42,560 --> 00:14:45,080 teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of heaven, 217 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:50,680 not powerful. Whoever relaxes. 218 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:51,760 What does it mean to relax something? 219 00:14:51,760 --> 00:14:55,200 Ah, it's not a big deal. I don't take it too seriously. 220 00:14:57,240 --> 00:15:01,200 I don't get too caught up in the minutiae of God's word, of his 221 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:05,160 commands, of his instructions. Whoever relaxes one of these 222 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:08,440 commandments, the least of these commandments, what did Jesus 223 00:15:08,440 --> 00:15:09,800 say? They'll be called the least in 224 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:12,200 the Kingdom. I don't know about you. 225 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:13,640 I don't want to be called least in the Kingdom. 226 00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:17,160 You can call me the least in this world all you want, but 227 00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:21,280 when it comes to the eternal Kingdom of the Son of David, if 228 00:15:21,280 --> 00:15:26,000 there's a way to be commended by God beyond this, I'm pursuing 229 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:29,480 it. And one of the qualifications of 230 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:33,040 knowing excellence in the eyes of God is by looking at every 231 00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:37,160 detail on His Word and saying this is God's Word. 232 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:40,720 I'm not going to relax one element of it. 233 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:46,400 But whoever does them, notice the emphasis here. 234 00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:49,440 Notice the priority. Whoever does them and teaches 235 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:50,360 them. There are a lot of people who 236 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:57,000 want to teach but not do. Whoever does them first and then 237 00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:58,920 teaches them will be called great. 238 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:02,520 What is greatness in the eyes of Jesus? 239 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:06,760 Those who look at every part of his word and say, God, by your 240 00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:09,720 grace and strength, help me honor the least of these 241 00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:13,640 commandments. Josiah was such a man. 242 00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:17,000 And I'm sure you can see how we can linger here for a while. 243 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:20,280 But for the sake of time, let's consider one more trademark of 244 00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:22,880 this Passover. And somebody already alluded to 245 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:28,400 it, and it is the radical willingness and sacrifice it 246 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:34,000 took to carry it out. Second Chronicles 35, Look at 247 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:39,440 verse 7. Very quickly then, Josiah 248 00:16:39,440 --> 00:16:44,000 contributed to the lay people as Passover offerings for all who 249 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:47,960 are present, lambs and young goats from the flock to the 250 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:54,520 number of 30,000 and 3000 bulls. These were from the King's 251 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:58,840 possessions. This is remarkable. 252 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:06,160 So Josiah doesn't just instruct the people to honor this feast, 253 00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:11,440 he helps them honor it. This is impressive generosity on 254 00:17:11,440 --> 00:17:14,920 the King's part, and though the amount of the donation is 255 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:19,359 impressive, it's the reason why he is charitable that's more 256 00:17:19,359 --> 00:17:23,160 moving. It could be that many of these 257 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:27,079 people couldn't afford to give at the Passover. 258 00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:32,160 And so Josiah saw this need and because of that, he did what he 259 00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:36,000 could from a personal level to help people encounter God. 260 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:39,720 He didn't just enjoy this feast for himself. 261 00:17:39,960 --> 00:17:44,760 He sought to do what he could do to draw people to the Lord and 262 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:47,280 allow the Lord to make himself known to the people. 263 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:50,600 And here's what I took from this. 264 00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:56,040 What a change it would bring to our attitude in giving and our 265 00:17:56,040 --> 00:18:00,080 even even our experience in giving if we viewed it in a 266 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:05,160 similar way. I want to encourage you and I 267 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:10,280 want to encourage myself to view giving as a means to help people 268 00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:16,000 come into contact with Christ, to experience the Lord. 269 00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:23,080 I mean, is there any other way of knowing greater thrill in our 270 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:26,440 giving than that mission, than that purpose? 271 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:31,360 Here's Josiah reaching into his own possessions, his own 272 00:18:31,360 --> 00:18:36,360 resources, and doing what he can to ensure that as many people as 273 00:18:36,360 --> 00:18:44,640 possible can taste the lamb, can see their need for a Savior and 274 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:46,600 praise God. Even this day and age, there are 275 00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:50,760 many ministries that are working very hard to do just that. 276 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:55,760 And one of the ways that we can advance such a purpose is by 277 00:18:55,760 --> 00:19:01,280 doing what Josiah did, sacrificing, investing, thinking 278 00:19:01,640 --> 00:19:06,040 critically and eternally. How is it that I can help move 279 00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:09,280 forward the things of God? And what I love about Josiah is 280 00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:11,600 that his passionate priority was contagious. 281 00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:16,960 Look at verse 8 right after and his officials contributed 282 00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:21,240 willing to the people. Do you see that as soon as 283 00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:25,240 Josiah stepped out with his wholehearted commitment and 284 00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:30,320 radical worship, radical generosity, others saw and they 285 00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:33,440 said, we want to do it, sign us up. 286 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:36,560 Is there any other need? You know, sometimes it just 287 00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:39,960 takes one person to step out and do something for the Lord to 288 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:44,120 move others. And perhaps in your own circles, 289 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:46,520 you're looking around, you're wondering why aren't people 290 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:49,480 doing more, praying more, loving more, serving more, evangelizing 291 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:51,880 more? Will you ever consider you 292 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:56,160 stepping out and seeing what would happen out of your 293 00:19:56,160 --> 00:20:00,080 obedience? That's exactly what this man 294 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:02,560 does. His officials followed him and 295 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:06,400 it just became this infectious spirit. 296 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:11,840 Whatever this this amazing sense of inclusiveness and we find it 297 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:13,720 here in verse 18. I won't read it, but if there's 298 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:17,200 one more thing we can say about this unique Passover is how a 299 00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:21,560 united Judah and Israel. In a manner that the nation had 300 00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:25,400 never experienced in a long, long time. 301 00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:29,520 We see there that Israel, whoever was left after this year 302 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:34,920 in exile, joined Judah to celebrate this Passover. 303 00:20:36,080 --> 00:20:38,200 No wonder it stood out. If you want more reasons you 304 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:43,240 have, you have the permission to study it further and look into 305 00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:45,160 it. But we must move forward and 306 00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:47,760 look at the passing. Let's come back to Second Kings 307 00:20:47,760 --> 00:20:54,480 23, the passing of King Josiah. We read the first 3 verses of 308 00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:56,760 the section. Let's read on in verse 24. 309 00:20:56,760 --> 00:21:01,600 Moreover, Josiah put away the mediums and the necromancers and 310 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:04,360 the household gods and the idols and all the abominations that 311 00:21:04,360 --> 00:21:07,400 were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might 312 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:10,000 establish the words of the law that were written in the book 313 00:21:10,160 --> 00:21:13,200 that Hill Kai, the priest found in the House of the Lord before 314 00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:14,840 him. There was no king like him who 315 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:18,080 turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and 316 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:21,240 with all his might, according to all the law of Moses, nor did 317 00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:26,120 any like him arise after him. Still the Lord did not turn from 318 00:21:26,360 --> 00:21:30,240 the burning of his great wrath by which his anger was kindled 319 00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:34,280 against Judah because of all the provocations with which Manasseh 320 00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:36,640 had provoked him. And the Lord said, I will remove 321 00:21:36,640 --> 00:21:40,720 Judah also out of my sight as I've removed Israel, and I will 322 00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:44,520 cast off the city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the House 323 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:47,200 of which I said my name shall be there. 324 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:54,560 So Josiah's wonderful efforts did not change God's indictment 325 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:58,600 against Jerusalem and Judah. He knew this already. 326 00:21:58,720 --> 00:22:03,000 Hold of the prophetess assured him that nothing would alter 327 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:05,960 God's judgement and His wrath being poured out against his 328 00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:07,840 people. And we're being reminded of 329 00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:10,800 that. That is awesome as this Passover 330 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:13,600 was. It did not change God's mind. 331 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:19,440 It was sealed, and this is the main part now of the second 332 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:22,560 element of our study, verse 28. Now the rest of the acts of 333 00:22:22,600 --> 00:22:26,200 Josiah and all that he did, are they not written in the book of 334 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:27,840 the Chronicles of the kings of Judah? 335 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:32,600 In his days Pharaoh Nikko, king of Egypt, went up to the king of 336 00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:36,840 Assyria, to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet him and 337 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:40,960 Pharaoh Nikko killed him at Megiddo as soon as he saw him, 338 00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:44,360 and his servants carried him dead in a chariot from Megiddon, 339 00:22:44,360 --> 00:22:47,680 brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. 340 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:51,360 And the people of the Atlantic Joaz, the son of Josiah, and 341 00:22:51,360 --> 00:22:55,280 anointed him and made him king in his father's place. 342 00:22:56,760 --> 00:23:02,800 Oh, how I had hoped that Josiah's story would have ended 343 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:06,480 in that wonderful climax. Wouldn't a bit? 344 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:10,480 Wouldn't have been refreshing to just simply read that Josiah led 345 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:16,640 the people in exuberant praise, faithful worship, and then he 346 00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:19,720 died. That's not what we find. 347 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:28,200 Instead, we find Josiah dying in a very questionable manner. 348 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:32,520 There are a few questions you and I should have. 349 00:23:33,120 --> 00:23:37,480 The first one is why are we being told that the Pharaoh at 350 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:41,840 the time was making his way to meet with the king of Assyria? 351 00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:51,680 Second, why did King Josiah feel the need to intervene and try to 352 00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:55,880 impede this Egyptian advancement? 353 00:23:58,120 --> 00:24:04,720 And lastly, why was he killed the moment that Pharaoh saw him? 354 00:24:06,280 --> 00:24:08,080 Where do you think we're going to find our answers? 355 00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:11,920 You're right. So let's go there. 356 00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:17,200 In Second Chronicles, we're told in far greater detail exactly 357 00:24:17,200 --> 00:24:22,960 why this happened. Chapter 35, verse 20. 358 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:28,320 After all this, all what? The Passover after all that was 359 00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:32,480 done, all that was accomplished, all that was celebrated, when 360 00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:36,000 Josiah had prepared the temple, Nikko, king of Egypt, went to 361 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:40,560 fight at Carcamish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out 362 00:24:40,560 --> 00:24:43,320 to meet him. But he sent envoys to him, 363 00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:45,920 saying, What have we to do with each other? 364 00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:50,040 King of Judah, I am not coming against you this day, but 365 00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:54,080 against the house with which I am at war, and God has commanded 366 00:24:54,080 --> 00:24:57,480 me to hurry. Cease opposing God, who is with 367 00:24:57,480 --> 00:25:02,360 me, lest he destroy you. Interesting. 368 00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:09,440 So we already have more light. Egypt was moving forward because 369 00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:14,200 they were on the move for war. This is what's taking place. 370 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:18,720 But war with whom? If you just had Second Kings and 371 00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:20,400 Second Chronicles, you would think that he's going to war 372 00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:24,120 with Assyria. But when you look at Jeremiah in 373 00:25:24,120 --> 00:25:28,480 chapter 46, we discovered that Egypt was actually preparing to 374 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:34,760 go to war with gas Babylon, which means that he was meeting 375 00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:41,040 with Assyria to make an alliance to come against the rising power 376 00:25:41,080 --> 00:25:44,040 of Babylon. That's what's happening here. 377 00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:48,400 So we answer that. But the following question is 378 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:51,520 why is Josiah including himself in this? 379 00:25:51,520 --> 00:25:53,200 This has nothing to do with Judah. 380 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:57,720 There is no mention here whatsoever, no hint that Egypt 381 00:25:57,720 --> 00:26:02,640 or Seer or Babylon have Judah on the radar, and yet he he feels 382 00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:08,840 compelled to interject himself and to try to hinder Egypt. 383 00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:18,440 No explanation is given. Could it be though, that Josiah 384 00:26:20,280 --> 00:26:25,760 is looking at these geopolitical shifts and remembering hold of 385 00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:28,520 the prophetess and her word about the coming judgement 386 00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:33,160 against Judah, is seeing all of this as preparation for that 387 00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:37,160 prophecy to come to pass? And for whatever reason at this 388 00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:40,520 point he wants to try to prevent it from happening? 389 00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:45,680 That's just speculation. It's just a thought to consider. 390 00:26:46,360 --> 00:26:50,960 Nothing is told, nothing is explained plainly, but whatever 391 00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:55,840 the reason was, Josiah believes that stepping in in this way 392 00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:59,720 would somehow benefit the Kingdom of Judah, when in 393 00:26:59,720 --> 00:27:02,160 reality it would lead to his own demise. 394 00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:09,080 There are a few important truths from this that we need to apply. 395 00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:12,680 The first thing is how we as believers need to be very 396 00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:19,720 careful involving ourselves in squabbles that do not directly 397 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:25,680 involve us or God's Kingdom. The strongest example of this 398 00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:28,320 today is how many believers are investing most of their time and 399 00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:36,160 energy in things like cultural, political battles at the expense 400 00:27:37,520 --> 00:27:43,600 of them growing and investing in what truly matters, the gospel 401 00:27:45,120 --> 00:27:50,200 ministry, the Word of God. Now, I'm not suggesting at all 402 00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:54,200 that we should avoid or be passive from engaging in various 403 00:27:55,600 --> 00:27:58,720 aspects and spheres of society when opportunities arise to 404 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:00,600 promote righteousness or to denounce wickedness. 405 00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:03,680 That's what I'm saying. I'm talking about those who 406 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:10,040 identify more strongly, who are energized with greater thrill to 407 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:17,080 a political party than the church, or coming to a point 408 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:20,760 where they think that they should involve themselves in pop 409 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:25,440 cultural scandals discussed on podcast instead of knowing the 410 00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:27,560 promises of God and prophecies in scripture. 411 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:30,960 There are many Christians like this. 412 00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:34,040 In fact, we can even add this dimension. 413 00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:38,520 This is a wonderful example of being careful, of not getting 414 00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:44,360 ourselves sucked into trivial theological debates, Debates 415 00:28:44,360 --> 00:28:50,760 that are fruitless, UN Christ like, ego driven, unproductive. 416 00:28:52,640 --> 00:28:55,200 So many Christians are fighting the wrong battle. 417 00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:00,800 They're so preoccupied with things that don't truly matter. 418 00:29:01,960 --> 00:29:03,440 And Josiah is an example of that. 419 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:07,920 He steps outside of where he's supposed to be and into an arena 420 00:29:08,440 --> 00:29:10,800 that is going to be dangerous for him. 421 00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:13,800 And I'm afraid there are many Christians who are doing the 422 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:18,040 same to the detriment of their own spiritual vitality and 423 00:29:18,040 --> 00:29:22,320 growth, even to the tarnishing of their own testimonies. 424 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:27,160 Josiah shows us that even the most righteous and Bible 425 00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:31,320 obsessed believers can get distracted and lose focus and 426 00:29:34,240 --> 00:29:37,040 what God tells us to keep our eyes on. 427 00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:44,160 The second thing to notice how we can lose our sensitivity to 428 00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:47,480 God's counsel. One of the most remarkable 429 00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:51,280 things about the verses we just read was that when Pharaoh 430 00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:54,720 learned that Josiah was on his way to actually fight against 431 00:29:54,720 --> 00:29:59,680 them, he warns him. And how does he warn him? 432 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:03,960 God told me I'm supposed to do this, get out of the way. 433 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:08,680 And Josiah, if you don't get out of the way, you're going to be 434 00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:13,720 destroyed. There's debate here. 435 00:30:16,160 --> 00:30:23,480 Is Pharaoh lying? Is Pharaoh saying that Yahweh is 436 00:30:23,480 --> 00:30:26,960 the one who spoke to him? Or is he claiming that one of 437 00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:31,160 his own deities gave him this Commission? 438 00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:34,120 The answer is actually in verse 22. 439 00:30:34,920 --> 00:30:40,160 Look at the first part, more in the middle. 440 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:42,920 Nevertheless, Josiah did not turn away from him, but 441 00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:45,000 disguised himself in order to fight with him. 442 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:49,800 He did not listen to the words of Nico from the mouth of God. 443 00:30:51,160 --> 00:30:56,080 There's your answer. It was the real God, the true 444 00:30:56,080 --> 00:30:59,840 God, the only God that made this known to Pharaoh. 445 00:30:59,840 --> 00:31:06,840 And Pharaoh is telling Josiah. God told me to do this, so it 446 00:31:06,840 --> 00:31:09,680 must have been in the dream, or perhaps a prophetic word that he 447 00:31:09,680 --> 00:31:12,200 received. We're not given the explanation 448 00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:15,480 of how Pharaoh knew that God was the one who gave him this 449 00:31:15,480 --> 00:31:18,880 revelation, but the commentary is clear. 450 00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:22,680 God did tell him and Josiah chose to ignore him. 451 00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:24,200 And we can sympathize with Josiah. 452 00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:29,520 God told you Pharaoh, A Pagan king, to do this. 453 00:31:32,880 --> 00:31:36,480 However, there is something that Josiah could have done and 454 00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:40,880 should have done. The least that he could have 455 00:31:40,880 --> 00:31:45,720 done was take this very grave warning and bring it before the 456 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:50,240 Lord. Was there a king who received 457 00:31:50,240 --> 00:31:53,840 more than one letter? More specifically, a threat from 458 00:31:53,840 --> 00:31:57,360 a foreign king who claimed to speak on behalf of God? 459 00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:02,720 Yes, Hezekiah, you remember that right? 460 00:32:03,120 --> 00:32:07,040 Where the Syrian king on more than one occasion tried to 461 00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:11,640 persuade him that God told them to surround Jerusalem and to 462 00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:14,400 ransack them. But what did Hezekiah do with 463 00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:16,960 those threats? He didn't fold them in his 464 00:32:16,960 --> 00:32:19,360 pocket. He went to the temple of the 465 00:32:19,360 --> 00:32:22,200 Lord and laid it before the feet of God and say, Lord, what's 466 00:32:22,200 --> 00:32:25,640 this all about? What am I supposed to do with 467 00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:27,120 this? And God gave him a word. 468 00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:33,360 Josiah does no such thing. Pharaoh says God told me to do 469 00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:35,320 this and it didn't matter to him. 470 00:32:35,960 --> 00:32:38,360 He didn't stop and think, He didn't receive counsel. 471 00:32:38,920 --> 00:32:42,680 Instead, we realized that he disguises himself and goes ahead 472 00:32:42,680 --> 00:32:47,320 anyway. This seems so out of character 473 00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:51,440 for a man who was known for his tender heart and wisdom. 474 00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:58,280 In fact, it's even more startling than you think. 475 00:33:00,760 --> 00:33:05,560 I want you to see something in verse 20 to verse 23 and tell me 476 00:33:05,560 --> 00:33:11,120 if it sounds familiar. Nevertheless, Josiah did not 477 00:33:11,120 --> 00:33:14,040 turn away from him, but disguised himself in order to 478 00:33:14,040 --> 00:33:17,280 fight with him. He did not listen to the words 479 00:33:17,280 --> 00:33:21,080 of Nico from the mouth of God, but came to fight in a plane of 480 00:33:21,080 --> 00:33:26,000 Megiddo, and The Archers shot King Josiah, and the king said 481 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:30,040 to his servants, Take me away, for I am badly wounded. 482 00:33:32,520 --> 00:33:35,720 Does this sound familiar? Oh, I see a lot of heads 483 00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:37,440 nodding. What does it sound like? 484 00:33:39,080 --> 00:33:43,960 The way Ahab died in First Kings 22. 485 00:33:43,960 --> 00:33:47,680 Do you remember? Ahab received the prophetic word 486 00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:49,480 that if he were to go to battle, he was going to what? 487 00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:52,200 You're going to die? So what does he do? 488 00:33:53,040 --> 00:33:57,240 He disguises himself and once he's on the field, what 489 00:33:57,240 --> 00:34:00,120 happened? An arrow shot him. 490 00:34:00,640 --> 00:34:02,480 And once he was shot, what did he say? 491 00:34:02,720 --> 00:34:04,680 He made a request to the driver of the chariot. 492 00:34:04,720 --> 00:34:12,120 Take me back home. This is so intentional. 493 00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:18,520 What's the lesson that a man for most of his life who imitated 494 00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:24,000 the love and devotion of King David died the death similar to 495 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:30,120 wicked King Ahab? If it hasn't registered yet, 496 00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:32,639 hopefully Josiah will convince us. 497 00:34:34,320 --> 00:34:37,320 It's not how you start, it's how you finish. 498 00:34:37,320 --> 00:34:42,360 And no matter how strong your start is, if you're not 499 00:34:42,360 --> 00:34:50,920 dependent on the Lord daily, even men of such caliber can end 500 00:34:50,920 --> 00:34:56,520 in unthinkable ways. If you ever heard of a minister, 501 00:34:56,520 --> 00:35:00,240 a ministry crashing and burning, a thought to yourself, how did 502 00:35:00,240 --> 00:35:07,080 that happen? Here's Josiah, one of the most 503 00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:11,320 renowned praised individuals in all of redemptive history. 504 00:35:12,680 --> 00:35:18,440 And the Holy Spirit portrays his end and mirrors it to King Ahab. 505 00:35:20,640 --> 00:35:24,360 May God keep us. May you cling to the Lord. 506 00:35:25,320 --> 00:35:29,680 May I cling to the Lord. This is amazing to witness. 507 00:35:29,960 --> 00:35:33,080 The artistry of the Bible is astounding. 508 00:35:34,720 --> 00:35:36,960 So we find here something about the passing. 509 00:35:38,240 --> 00:35:40,040 But there is one more thing I'd like to mention before we go to 510 00:35:40,040 --> 00:35:44,080 the final part of our study. As we're still processing the 511 00:35:44,080 --> 00:35:47,640 passing of King Josiah, look at the intensity of the lament for 512 00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:51,000 this man in verse 25, Second Chronicles 35, verse 25, 513 00:35:51,600 --> 00:35:54,880 Jeremiah also uttered A lament for Josiah. 514 00:35:54,880 --> 00:35:58,800 Pause. That says something about Josiah 515 00:35:58,800 --> 00:36:02,520 for this prophet who denounced most of the nation throughout 516 00:36:02,520 --> 00:36:05,960 his ministry, that when Josiah died, he lamented for him. 517 00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:10,160 Josiah was a truly godly man. He had a lapse of faith. 518 00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:14,760 He did not finish in the most exemplary way, but that did not 519 00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:20,520 disqualify his walk with God. Jeremiah was broken. 520 00:36:20,520 --> 00:36:23,720 He grieved. Can you imagine the sight of 521 00:36:23,720 --> 00:36:26,840 Jeremiah not just weeping over the sins of the people, but 522 00:36:27,040 --> 00:36:32,680 weeping over this man of God? He was raised up in the 13th 523 00:36:32,680 --> 00:36:34,680 year of his reign. I wonder what kind of 524 00:36:34,680 --> 00:36:39,480 conversations they had. I wonder how they encouraged one 525 00:36:39,480 --> 00:36:44,680 another. This signals to me that Jeremiah 526 00:36:44,680 --> 00:36:47,440 surely knew Josiah and he understood that Josiah was a 527 00:36:47,440 --> 00:36:51,040 true man of God, and he lamented when he died. 528 00:36:51,360 --> 00:36:55,840 But it wasn't just him. We go on and all the singing men 529 00:36:55,840 --> 00:37:00,040 and singing women have spoken of Josiah in their laments to this 530 00:37:00,080 --> 00:37:04,640 day. They made these a rule in 531 00:37:04,640 --> 00:37:06,880 Israel. Behold, they are written in the 532 00:37:06,880 --> 00:37:08,480 laments, a book that we don't have today. 533 00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:13,400 So the grief over Josiah, the words that were spilled over 534 00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:16,320 him, the accolades, the acknowledgments, they were 535 00:37:16,320 --> 00:37:19,680 recorded and kept. That's how monumental this man 536 00:37:19,680 --> 00:37:22,560 was. That's the kind of impact he 537 00:37:22,560 --> 00:37:27,040 made in this Kingdom. And here's the most remarkable 538 00:37:27,040 --> 00:37:31,400 thing. So great was this lament that 539 00:37:31,400 --> 00:37:36,800 Zechariah the prophet used it to reference a future brokenness 540 00:37:36,880 --> 00:37:39,120 that will come to the people of Israel. 541 00:37:40,240 --> 00:37:46,200 In Zechariah 12 we learn of a time, a time to come, when 542 00:37:46,240 --> 00:37:50,760 Israel will look on him whom they have pierced, and they will 543 00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:54,320 mourn after him as one mourns after an only child. 544 00:37:55,760 --> 00:37:59,960 They will realize that Jesus Christ is their Messiah, that 545 00:37:59,960 --> 00:38:05,280 they did indeed reject him and Pierce him and kill him, but in 546 00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:09,920 one moment the nation as a whole will turn to him, repent, and 547 00:38:09,920 --> 00:38:14,840 crown him as their Messiah. And here's a reference that is 548 00:38:14,840 --> 00:38:19,240 made in Zechariah 12/11. On that day, the morning in 549 00:38:19,240 --> 00:38:22,680 Jerusalem will be as great as the morning of Haddad Ramon in 550 00:38:22,680 --> 00:38:28,440 the plain of Megiddo. So whatever's happening here in 551 00:38:28,440 --> 00:38:33,640 Second Kings 23 and Second Chronicles 35 has an element of 552 00:38:33,640 --> 00:38:38,400 prophecy to it, and it encourages us yet again to see 553 00:38:38,440 --> 00:38:43,360 Josiah as some type of a Christ. We've touched on this throughout 554 00:38:43,360 --> 00:38:46,680 our study in Josiah's life. And here's yet another one. 555 00:38:47,640 --> 00:38:51,120 What we find here is just as Josiah was killed after leading 556 00:38:51,120 --> 00:38:55,960 Israel, one of the greatest Passovers, the Lord Jesus, was 557 00:38:55,960 --> 00:38:58,600 pierced after celebrating the fulfillment of the Passover. 558 00:38:59,240 --> 00:39:05,000 Is that right? However, Josiah is different in 559 00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:09,120 this way, inferior, far more inferior than Jesus. 560 00:39:09,920 --> 00:39:12,800 He celebrates the Passover, then he's killed. 561 00:39:13,400 --> 00:39:16,520 Jesus celebrates the Passover. The fulfillment of the Passover 562 00:39:16,600 --> 00:39:19,520 inaugurates the New covenant. He is killed. 563 00:39:20,280 --> 00:39:24,440 What's the difference? Josiah walks to his death 564 00:39:24,960 --> 00:39:27,480 because of disobedience and stubbornness. 565 00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:33,520 Jesus walks to his death because of selfless love and total 566 00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:36,640 submission to the will of God. That's the difference. 567 00:39:39,960 --> 00:39:44,600 Let your heart enlarge in tonight to see how these 568 00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:51,120 passages are perfumed with prophecy pointing to the 569 00:39:51,120 --> 00:39:55,880 substance Jesus. This is the passing. 570 00:39:56,720 --> 00:39:58,840 Let's look at the final thing. That's the progeny, which is 571 00:39:58,840 --> 00:40:02,120 another word for descendants. Let's come back to Second Kings 572 00:40:02,120 --> 00:40:06,480 23 and let's read from verse 31 down to verse 37. 573 00:40:09,840 --> 00:40:14,440 Joe Has was 23 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 3 574 00:40:14,440 --> 00:40:18,120 months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamotel, 575 00:40:18,120 --> 00:40:19,880 the daughter of Jeremiah of Libna. 576 00:40:19,880 --> 00:40:23,240 And he did what was evil in the side of the Lord according to 577 00:40:23,240 --> 00:40:27,080 all that his father's had done. And Pharaoh Nico put him in 578 00:40:27,080 --> 00:40:31,600 bonds at Ribla in the land of Hamas, that he might not reign 579 00:40:31,600 --> 00:40:35,360 in Jerusalem, and laid on a land a tribute of 100 talents of 580 00:40:35,360 --> 00:40:39,800 silver and a talent of gold. And Pharaoh Nikko made Eliakim 581 00:40:39,800 --> 00:40:43,800 the son of Josiah king, in the place of Josiah his father, and 582 00:40:43,800 --> 00:40:48,320 changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jowaz away, and he 583 00:40:48,320 --> 00:40:53,000 came to Egypt and died there. And Jehoiakim gave the silver 584 00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:56,000 and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money 585 00:40:56,000 --> 00:40:57,480 according to the command of Pharaoh. 586 00:40:58,080 --> 00:41:01,760 He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land 587 00:41:02,160 --> 00:41:05,800 from everyone, according to his assessment, to give it to 588 00:41:05,800 --> 00:41:09,360 Pharaoh. Nikko Jehoiakim was 25 years old 589 00:41:09,360 --> 00:41:11,920 when he began to reign, and he reigned 11 years in Jerusalem. 590 00:41:12,160 --> 00:41:15,960 His mother name was Zebeda, the daughter of Padaya of Ruma. 591 00:41:15,960 --> 00:41:18,760 And he did what was evil in the side of the Lord, according to 592 00:41:18,760 --> 00:41:24,560 all that his father's had done. An unthinkable and tragic 593 00:41:24,560 --> 00:41:29,080 reversal just took place in the broader narrative. 594 00:41:29,080 --> 00:41:35,640 God's story, this crucial transition of power in the 595 00:41:35,640 --> 00:41:40,320 Kingdom of Judah is unlike anything that we've seen. 596 00:41:42,880 --> 00:41:46,440 Think about it this way. We just read how the king of 597 00:41:46,440 --> 00:41:49,760 Judah, including the northern part, all of Israel, celebrate 598 00:41:49,760 --> 00:41:51,280 the Passover. What's the Passover about? 599 00:41:52,280 --> 00:41:55,000 Recognizing and remembering their deliverance from bondage, 600 00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:58,200 from slavery, their original exodus. 601 00:41:58,560 --> 00:42:03,600 They commemorated that together. And once King Josiah dies and is 602 00:42:03,600 --> 00:42:11,320 replaced by his son, Pharaoh takes Josiah's successor and 603 00:42:11,320 --> 00:42:16,920 brings him back to Egypt. And then he takes Josiah's other 604 00:42:16,920 --> 00:42:20,400 son, places on the throne, gives him a new name, and then taxes 605 00:42:20,400 --> 00:42:21,800 him. And the people. 606 00:42:22,840 --> 00:42:27,600 What do you have here? In essence, the people of Israel 607 00:42:27,600 --> 00:42:35,720 going back to their bondage, to their original slavery, to who 608 00:42:35,720 --> 00:42:40,160 they were before God brought them out and made them a people. 609 00:42:40,960 --> 00:42:44,480 This is massive. This is the big picture. 610 00:42:44,480 --> 00:42:47,160 This is the overarching theme of this section. 611 00:42:48,280 --> 00:42:54,320 They're going back, and it's setting the stage for yet 612 00:42:54,320 --> 00:42:59,600 another massive turning point in God's grand story. 613 00:43:02,360 --> 00:43:04,440 But here's how we view it on a personal level. 614 00:43:06,160 --> 00:43:10,360 Why did Pharaoh, after just three months of Josiah's son 615 00:43:10,360 --> 00:43:17,480 becoming king in such a vicious way, arrest him, seize him, 616 00:43:17,640 --> 00:43:22,640 abduct him, and then supervise over the Kingdom of Judah? 617 00:43:24,080 --> 00:43:27,200 I think the best answer is the context that we just covered. 618 00:43:28,920 --> 00:43:35,960 Josiah poked the wrong bear. Josiah ignored God's word, made 619 00:43:35,960 --> 00:43:39,640 a move against Pharaoh, and it could be that Pharaoh, even 620 00:43:39,640 --> 00:43:43,440 after Josiah's death, thought that Josiah's descendants would 621 00:43:43,440 --> 00:43:47,280 potentially be a future threat. And so he acts early and he 622 00:43:47,280 --> 00:43:51,400 subdues them in this moment of transition and vulnerability. 623 00:43:54,120 --> 00:43:56,720 Here's what ran through my mind when I meditated on this earlier 624 00:43:56,720 --> 00:43:59,920 today. There are many here who aspire 625 00:43:59,920 --> 00:44:04,320 to be parents, many here who have become new parents. 626 00:44:05,400 --> 00:44:11,000 Wherever you are in that area of life, never forget Josiah's 627 00:44:11,000 --> 00:44:17,840 sobering example. A parent's willful disobedience, 628 00:44:19,320 --> 00:44:26,800 prayerless decisions, and hard headedness can even lead their 629 00:44:26,800 --> 00:44:35,240 children into bondage. Josiah's foolishness didn't just 630 00:44:35,240 --> 00:44:38,120 affect him, it affected his sons. 631 00:44:41,280 --> 00:44:45,840 Pharaoh didn't just go after Josiah, he went after his 632 00:44:45,840 --> 00:44:49,840 children. And I think there's a very 633 00:44:50,120 --> 00:44:55,720 practical illustration here that you and I, especially the men of 634 00:44:55,720 --> 00:45:01,480 this house, have to understand that your devotion to God does 635 00:45:01,480 --> 00:45:05,800 not just impact you. You can't do anything about 636 00:45:05,800 --> 00:45:10,440 that, by the way. It's inscribed in God's law. 637 00:45:11,440 --> 00:45:16,040 You're the head of the house. Your decisions or lack thereof, 638 00:45:18,000 --> 00:45:23,080 your walk with the Lord or lack thereof can have generational 639 00:45:23,080 --> 00:45:25,920 effect. Now, you can hear that and that 640 00:45:25,920 --> 00:45:28,080 scare you, or you can hear that and that excite you. 641 00:45:28,080 --> 00:45:31,720 And I hope it excites you because God has given us 642 00:45:31,720 --> 00:45:35,240 everything we need to be men of God. 643 00:45:37,120 --> 00:45:39,800 And that's what we find here, an unfortunate story of a man who 644 00:45:39,800 --> 00:45:42,400 was a remarkable king, but perhaps not the best dad. 645 00:45:44,960 --> 00:45:47,280 Oh, there's much more that we can say here, but I'll just end 646 00:45:47,280 --> 00:45:51,200 it on this point. We're never going to see a good 647 00:45:51,200 --> 00:45:55,320 king after Josiah. There will be a handful of kings 648 00:45:55,320 --> 00:46:01,120 after this, and it'll just be one big failure after another 649 00:46:01,840 --> 00:46:06,080 until the Lord brings Babylon to sweep up the place. 650 00:46:07,320 --> 00:46:11,680 And this will change our Bible study and a major way moving 651 00:46:11,680 --> 00:46:14,440 forward. We're not there yet. 652 00:46:16,000 --> 00:46:21,360 A cliffhanger, perhaps a couple of chapters left, but I think 653 00:46:21,360 --> 00:46:23,000 that's enough for us to meditate on. 654 00:46:23,920 --> 00:46:48,120 Let's pray and thank the Lord. Father, we've heard so much in a 655 00:46:48,120 --> 00:46:56,080 short amount of time. Thank you for these truths in 656 00:46:56,080 --> 00:46:58,440 the Passover, in the passing of this man, and even in the 657 00:46:58,440 --> 00:47:07,520 progeny of this king. Lord, what a great mistake it 658 00:47:07,520 --> 00:47:13,080 would be to hear these things and not use them to inspect our 659 00:47:13,080 --> 00:47:18,320 own hearts. Lord, we want to finish well. 660 00:47:19,320 --> 00:47:21,640 We've heard it over and over again in our study of kings, and 661 00:47:21,640 --> 00:47:23,120 there's a reason why you repeat it. 662 00:47:25,680 --> 00:47:28,440 Lord, help us not get involved in conflicts, battles, 663 00:47:28,440 --> 00:47:33,880 investments that you've not called us to will help us not 664 00:47:33,880 --> 00:47:36,680 lose our sensitivity to your counsel that when you speak, we 665 00:47:36,680 --> 00:47:39,240 would hear it. We would take heed that we would 666 00:47:39,240 --> 00:47:42,200 have enough discernment to see your providential interruptions. 667 00:47:45,320 --> 00:47:48,400 Oh Lord, we can't wait for the day when Israel will crown your 668 00:47:48,400 --> 00:47:52,240 Son Jesus as a Messiah. We pray for the nation of 669 00:47:52,240 --> 00:47:56,360 Israel. Help them, Lord, more 670 00:47:56,360 --> 00:47:59,880 importantly than anything else, we're not asking for political 671 00:47:59,880 --> 00:48:03,400 gain, military victories, We're not asking for any of that. 672 00:48:03,400 --> 00:48:05,920 We're asking for their eyes to be open to see the the gospel 673 00:48:06,840 --> 00:48:12,280 and how Christ is a fulfillment of what they are looking for. 674 00:48:15,600 --> 00:48:20,600 Well, we ask finally that we would see the joy of walking 675 00:48:20,600 --> 00:48:25,560 with you and that we would feel the weightiness of what it means 676 00:48:25,560 --> 00:48:27,960 to be your servant, especially if we are leaders in any 677 00:48:27,960 --> 00:48:30,960 capacity. Lord, give us the grace like 678 00:48:31,000 --> 00:48:34,800 Josiah in the beginning of this story, inspiring others to live 679 00:48:34,800 --> 00:48:40,040 for you, but help us do it where it matters most in the home and 680 00:48:40,040 --> 00:48:43,960 it for it to flow from there. Lord, with all that was said, 681 00:48:43,960 --> 00:48:47,240 help us retain it. Help us remember it, chain it 682 00:48:47,240 --> 00:48:50,280 around our hearts. We trust that you'll bring these 683 00:48:50,280 --> 00:48:53,280 things to remembrance and for that we say thank you. 684 00:48:54,160 --> 00:48:57,360 In Jesus name we pray, Amen and Amen. 685 00:48:58,080 --> 00:48:59,520 Why don't we stand and worship the Lord? 686 00:48:59,920 --> 00:49:05,280 Isn't his word wonderful? Oh, this is God's word.