00:00 Introduction and Personal Thoughts

00:31 The Value of Education in Adulthood

02:14 The Importance of Daily Bible Reading

04:14 Josiah's Reign and Reforms

11:23 Josiah's Legacy and Succession

14:08 Parallel Accounts in Chronicles

17:58 Conclusion and Prayer

Hey church.

2

Welcome back to another episode

of the daily Bible podcast.

3

It is Monday, August 5th, 2024.

4

And I was just thinking, because

school's right around the corner, right.

5

My kids, I think have maybe a week and

a half, two weeks left before their

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backing classes and back in school.

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And.

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Back into the routine and everything.

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And you know what.

10

Here's my argument.

11

Hear me out on this.

12

Okay.

13

This is deep thoughts with pastor PJ.

14

This is what happens, pastor.

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I was not here.

16

So I'm just going to tell

you what's on my mind.

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Uh, my wife is cringing right now.

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She's listening to this because she

doesn't know what's coming either.

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She's not here either.

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I think school is wasted

on the young I do.

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I think school is wasted on the youth

because here's hear me out on this.

22

Hear me out on this.

23

When you went to school as a child,

what was your, what, what was your

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number one thought if at least

if you were like the majority of

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civilization and in the majority of us.

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Your main thought was,

uh, when is my next brake?

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When can I get outta this?

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When is school over?

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When is recess?

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When is what?

31

When is summer?

32

When is Christmas?

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You didn't, you weren't focused on what

you were there to do, which is to learn

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and to be equipped, to go out and be

a contributing member of society now

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by God's grace, if you went through.

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School and you went to college and

in everything else, you learned

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enough to be able to become that

contributing member of, of society

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and, and praise God for that.

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But I'm just thinking.

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I think school's wasted on the young,

because here's, here's why when I went

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back and went to seminary, I had a totally

different appreciation for education.

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In fact, I had a desire to learn

and to actually pay attention

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to what I was being taught.

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And part of that was, Hey, this is

something that really interests me.

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Uh, in, in is part of what I want

to do with my career in my life

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and in just the natural maturing.

47

But.

48

But there it is.

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That's, that's my point.

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I feel like we carry

such a different mindset.

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The older we are when

we go back to education.

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So I'm curious, maybe that's you, maybe

you agree with me, maybe you're saying

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no, you're you're you're you're not right.

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And I'm not saying we should

not educate our children.

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Uh, man, who things are bad as it is.

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Can you imagine if we were just

like, let's not educate them?

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Uh, at all, uh, yeah, it would go from

bad to worse, to worse, to horrible.

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And maybe that's the end

of the world who knows.

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Uh, but I do think there's something

to the fact that as we grow older,

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we appreciate education more, which.

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Is one reason why.

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Uh, the daily Bible reading program is

so good for us because when we're little

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and we're taught, Hey, do your Bible

reading, do your homework due to this.

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When we're taught to, to read our Bible

from the time that we're young, if

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you grew up in a Christian home, it's

kind of just something that you do

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and, and like going to school, you do

it because you're supposed to do it.

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And some things are going to

stick and by God's grace, it does.

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And that's why we've got our kids

ministry program and they're being taught

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and they're being educated and they're

being, they're having a foundation

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laid of biblical knowledge and truth.

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And then when you see them reading

the Bible, when they're able to

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do that middle school, high school

age, Th th there things are going to

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stick, but then as we grow as adults,

now we're coming to the Bible with

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a different, hopefully a different

perspective, a different mindset.

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Now we're opening.

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God's word, really appreciating what it

is that we're able to learn about him.

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And that's, what's so important for

us to remember this book that we're

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reading is not just a history book

and we can lose sight of that in the

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old Testament, especially as we're

reading historical accounts and in

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prophecies about historical nations.

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It's.

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That's not all it is what the Bible

is is it's it's God's word to us.

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He is.

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Telling us, he's communicating through

his written word to us and wanting us

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to understand more about him, more about

his character, more about his desires,

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more about his likes, his dislikes

in order that we might grow closer to

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him through obedience, to his word.

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And so R w as a adult, hopefully we

approach, approach this with the mindset

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of, of that's different than what it

was when we were first starting out.

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And we approach the same mint.

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I want to know him.

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I want to learn from this more.

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It's not just an academic exercise.

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It's not just going through the

motions, but this is really,

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I see the benefit to this.

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And that's a, that's a perk to.

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Being older is, is being able to

understand the benefit that is, is

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there for us in not just education,

but, but more importantly in spending

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time in God's word on a daily basis.

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So there you go.

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That's my 2 cents deep

thoughts with pastor PJ.

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Over now let's get into what you

really came for, which is God's word.

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Second Kings 22 through 23 second

Chronicles, 34 through 35 second

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Kings 22 in second Kings 22.

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We have the, uh, the, the, the

advent, the, the Ascension.

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That's the word I was

looking for of Josiah.

107

Josiah such a good king.

108

Josiah is, is the one that does the right

in the eyes of the Lord for raining for,

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for 31 years over the people of Judah.

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And man, this guy is the last

really good king in Judah.

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And, uh, and he starts out so strong

verses three through seven Josiah.

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It gives orders that the

temple should be repaired.

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With the funds that have

been given by the people.

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Uh, verses eight through 20.

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Eh, in the midst of this, the

law of is discovered that, that

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there had been a time where the

people didn't have God's law.

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They didn't have the Torah,

they weren't reading it as they

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were commanded to in the law.

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They weren't.

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Abiding by the Kings.

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Didn't have it read to them as they were

supposed to have it read to them every

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year, because they'd misplaced the lock.

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Can you think of.

124

Imagine that.

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Uh, yeah, we know.

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The law it's somewhere it's yeah,

it's in the temple somewhere.

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You know what it says?

128

Yeah.

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God.

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He likes these animals.

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He doesn't like those animals.

132

Yeah, you get the gist of it.

133

It's over there.

134

Don't worry about it.

135

We'll just keep the, the sacrifices going.

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This would have been a time of just

talk about a spiritual desert, but

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all of a sudden the law is found.

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God's word is found.

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And even though I was, I was

just talking about a moment ago.

140

God's word has an impact on God's people.

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When God's people give their minds

and attention and hearts to it.

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And that's what happens here.

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Uh, the laws discovered and read

to the king who realizes how

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much trouble the people are in

because of their unrepentant sin.

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He realizes, oh man, God wants so much

more from us than just going through

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the motions of the sacrificial system.

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God wants so much more from us

than just, uh, Making these,

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these prayers to him on occasion.

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God wants our hearts.

150

God wants our lives.

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God wants us to be in

complete surrender to him.

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And man look how far we have drifted.

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And so after seeking guidance from the

Lord, he learns that that the wrath of

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God was indeed coming upon the people,

but God promised to sustain peace.

155

While he was still on the throne.

156

And, and so.

157

Similar to, to, to Hezekiah God promises

Josiah, Hey, you know what wrath is

158

coming, but because you've humbled

yourself and because you've sought me

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and because you've done all these things,

I'm not going to bring wrath upon you.

160

Uh, during the same period of time.

161

But Josiah, unlike Hezekiah, this is

what makes Josiah different than his.

162

Josiah.

163

It doesn't go great.

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It's not going to happen during my

lifetime and kind of kick his feet up and.

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Just relax and say, okay, I'm good.

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No, he gets to work.

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He's like, okay, well then, you know,

what, if, if judgment is coming,

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I want as many as possible to be.

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Spared from that judgment.

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And so he gets to work

and that's chapter 23.

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He's not content to live

out the rest of his days.

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No one disaster wasn't coming

for him, but reads the law to the

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people and establishes a covenant.

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It is the Texas to walk after the

Lord to keep his commandments and

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his testimonies and his statutes.

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With all his heart and all his soul and

to perform the words of the covenant.

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That were written in this book.

178

And so that's the kind of word

for word there in the text.

179

Uh, just, just, I called the

people at covenant with him to

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obey God's word, to obey the law.

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And the people respond to his leadership

by joining in the covenant with him.

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Josiah was a good leader.

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He stood up before the people who

have gotten said, this is what

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God's word says, we're not there.

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We're not doing it.

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Right.

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And listen, y'all we need to get back.

188

Uh, after to follow the law,

we need to covenant together,

189

agree together, commit together.

190

To obey God's word to obey the law.

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And so then verses four through 20.

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Just size reforms were thorough.

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I mean, you, you read through

this and you're going, okay,

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this guy, he went after it.

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He was, he was going to purge the

land of every vestige of idolatry and

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wickedness that he possibly could.

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And so that's what he does and he destroys

them and he destroys and defiles every

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high place or alters that would no longer

be used for the worship of false gods.

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He identifies every false priest who had

perpetuated these false religions and

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had them burned on the altars where they

led worship, defiling, those altars with

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the bones of the priest that led the

worship there, the idol worship there.

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I mean, these reforms even went as

far north as the Samaritan region.

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So he's going up into the region of

Beth Bethel, which was the heart of

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idolatry there in the Northern kingdom.

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And he's, he's pursuing.

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Th th the purification of the nation

in as far as he can reach there.

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And so this is, this is

Josiah going into full on.

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Reform mode by the way.

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Uh, note second Kings

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When he takes the bones out of the

tombs and he burns them on the altar.

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That's a fulfillment of a prophecy given

all the way back in first Kings 13 to.

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First Kings 13 to the man cried

against the altar by the word of the

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Lord and said, oh, alter altered.

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Thus says the Lord behold, a son

shall be born in the house of

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David Josiah by name right there.

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First Kings 13, Josiah by name.

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And he shall sacrifice on you.

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The priest of the high places

who make offerings to you and the

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human bones shall be burned on you.

220

Okay.

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That's what reading about here in second,

Kings 23, the fulfillment of that prophecy

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in first Kings 13, just kind of a cool.

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Uh, confirmation of God's word there.

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All right.

225

Second Kings 23, 21 through 25.

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Then after the purging,

after the purification.

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Just I re institutes the Passover.

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Which had again, been neglected

after Hezekiah is reformed

229

briefly brought it back.

230

So you remember, we read

under Hezekiah's ministry.

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He brought the Passover back.

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And it said there, man, nobody

since Solomon had, had led a

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Passover, like the Passovers.

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Uh, Hezekiah.

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Well, You're going to read

something similar in second

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Kings 23 verses 21 through 25.

237

You're going to read.

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Before him verse 25, there was no king

like him who turned to the Lord with all

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his heart, with all his soul, with all

his might, according to the law of Moses.

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But, but look back up in verse

22, no such Passover had been

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kept since the days of the judges.

242

Okay.

243

So we're talking to even before the Kings.

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Even before David, even before

Solomon, this Passover even

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exceeds the Passover of Hezekiah.

246

And I think it's it's by and large because

of the godliness of Josiah, because

247

he was consumed with the godliness.

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Of the nations.

249

So he brings back the Passover.

250

And this Passover was one that

had, had been unlike any that

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any had taken place, even during

the reigns of David and Solomon.

252

Surpassed has a Chi's Passover.

253

This was, he was saying,

let's go back to the law.

254

Let's do this the way that God wants us

to do this verses 26 through 27, though.

255

Still the sins of the people with

Manasseh being the straw that broke

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the camel's back, had to be dealt with.

257

So as good as these reforms

were, God is still going to bring

258

judgment because again, why?

259

Because the sins of the people

under Manasseh, which was kind of

260

the culmination of the rebellion

of the people against God.

261

And so Josiah.

262

Is looking not to stay God's hand of

judgment because he knows judgment

263

is coming, but he's looking to try

to, to, to bring as many faithful.

264

Through that judgment as he possibly can.

265

He wants to see as many people,

uh, following the load as possible.

266

And also he just wants God to be

honored by the people it's right.

267

Even with judgment coming.

268

The response was not.

269

Okay.

270

Well, gentlemen is coming so let's

continue to multiply our sin.

271

No, the response was,

God needs to be honored.

272

Even a judgment is coming.

273

Even if none of us survive, we

still need to honor the Lord because

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that's, what's good in right.

275

Versus 28 through 35.

276

You've got the succession of, uh, Josiah.

277

And so the next one up is Jehovah has.

278

Uh, Jehovah has takes the throne

after Josiah dies in battle with

279

Egypt, which we're going to find

out a little bit more about in

280

Chronicles, but Jehovah has his son.

281

He takes the throne and he.

282

He reigns for only three months

and does evil in the sight of

283

the Lord before Pharaoh, Nico.

284

Uh, it takes some captive and

replaces him with joy, Kim.

285

Uh, so just for context here.

286

Uh, the Assyrians were, were fading

fast in Babylon was growing in power.

287

That's what's happening right now.

288

The Assyrians are waning.

289

Babylon is growing.

290

And the Egyptians had a standing

Alliance with a Syria and didn't

291

want to see this new world power

eventually encroach on their territory.

292

So kind of the enemy and my enemy is,

is, is my or the, how does that phrase

293

go to the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

294

That's what it is.

295

Yeah.

296

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

297

And so Assyria and Babylon.

298

They want to work

together to try to stave.

299

Uh, Syria and Egypt, I'm sorry.

300

Uh, Syria and Egypt want to work together

to stave off Babylon because Babylon

301

is this growing new kid on the block,

and they're both worried about them.

302

And so the Egyptians send

help to aid the Assyrians.

303

That required them to pass through

McGill, which was part of Israel's

304

tribal land to the north of Jerusalem.

305

And so as Egypt is going

up to help the Assyrians.

306

Uh, that's something that Josiah

doesn't like here, because Josiah

307

is looking at the Assyrians and

remembering what the Assyrians

308

did to the, the Northern kingdom.

309

And he saying that's not good.

310

I don't want to see a

serious strengthened.

311

And so GSI is going to go out to stop

the Egyptians from helping the Assyrians.

312

And when he goes out to stop the

Egyptians from helping the Assyrians.

313

That's when Josiah dies in battle.

314

Well, from that point on until, uh,

in the future, when, when Babylon

315

really does come on the scene, But

for the next couple of Kings here.

316

Egypt exercises.

317

Uh, uh, Authority over Judah.

318

And so you have Jehovah

has take the throne.

319

Well then Pharaoh Nico comes and he takes

Jehovah has captive in, in his place.

320

He puts this king Jehovah, Kim.

321

Who has kind of Pharaoh's puppet there in

Judah and Pharaoh in Egypt are kind of,

322

kind of overrun in exercise authority.

323

Over the Judean kingdom during this time.

324

Uh, versus 36 through 37 though.

325

A second Kings 23 Jehovah, Kim.

326

Uh, was one of the final Kings of

Judah and he takes the throne after

327

being installed by Nico and he

reigns for 11 years in Jerusalem,

328

just doing more of wickedness,

more evil in the sight of the Lord.

329

So again, These two chapters and Kings

22, 23, Josiah is the last bright spot.

330

And so it's, it's with some sadness that

we read about this because as good as it

331

is, it's bittersweet because we know from

here, it's just going to go bad again.

332

And so praise God for Josiah

and his leadership and his

333

conviction to do what's right.

334

In a matter what's coming.

335

It's conviction.

336

We need to share as well.

337

Second Chronicles, 34 35.

338

Again is going to give parallel accounts

of this, but remember, don't just write

339

it off and go, oh, well I already know

this because I've already read this.

340

No give attention to it because we,

we learned different things there.

341

And so 34, 1 through seven Josiah

began his reforms even before

342

the book of the law was found.

343

And so we see that in second Chronicles,

34, he's beginning some of the purging.

344

And so that's only confirmed by

the discovery of the book of law.

345

That's something that we don't see as

clearly in second Kings chapter 22.

346

Uh, in second Kings chapter 22, he

begins the rebuilding of the temple,

347

but it's in second Chronicles, 34.

348

We see that he's already

beginning to be concerned about

349

the idolatry of the land here.

350

So we get a little bit

of a fuller picture.

351

He seeks the Lord from an early age

and begins to purge the land of the

352

idols when he's around 20 years old.

353

So just as a young godly man and

praise God for, for, for that image.

354

And that example that we have.

355

Second Chronicles 26.

356

Uh, eight.

357

He was 26 years old when that

the book of law was discovered.

358

Uh, during the temple repairs.

359

Sorry, not second Chronicles,

26 second Chronicles 34 8.

360

Uh, tells us that, that he was 26 years

old based on when he began to reign

361

when the book of the law was discovered.

362

And that's when he really goes

full bore into his reforms.

363

Chapter 35, then a second Chronicles,

the arc verse three, no longer

364

needed to be carried by the poles.

365

He commands the Ark to be propped,

but notice he says you don't

366

need to carry it by the poles.

367

That might sound puzzling to you because

you remember Uzzah who's, uh, reached

368

out to steady the Ark from the car and

he was struck dead well that's because

369

at that moment, the arc still represented

the dwelling place of the glory of God.

370

This is the place where

God met with his people.

371

Well, now in the temple, you

have that now in the, in the

372

holy of Holies within the temple.

373

That's where.

374

The, the dwelling place, that's where

the glory of God resided with his people.

375

And so over the course of

all the idolatry, the Ark was

376

removed from the holy of Holies.

377

It was brought out from there.

378

And such you're sizing

let's, let's bring it back.

379

Let's restore it, but, but you know what?

380

You don't need to go through the same

thing of carrying it by the poles, because

381

it's not the same vessel that it once was.

382

Uh, all of the Passover preparations also

appear in the Chronicles account here.

383

Uh, notice verse 18, again,

the greatest Passover.

384

This is, uh, this is

praising it to that super.

385

Level there.

386

This was one unlike any other.

387

And then second Chronicles, 35, 23, 27.

388

Again, Josiah's death is recorded,

but in greater detail than we

389

found back in second Kings 23.

390

Um, Pharaoh.

391

It's interesting tells Josiah

to go back and says that God.

392

Uh, I had spoke to him

and told him to do this.

393

And so the question should be

begged and hopefully you have

394

that question as you read this.

395

Did God really speak to Farah, Nico.

396

How do we understand this?

397

Well?

398

Uh, it, it, we don't know.

399

Um, second Chronicles, 35, 22.

400

May lend support to this idea because

in second Chronicles, 35 verse 22, the

401

next one, nevertheless, your side did

not turn away from him, but disguised

402

himself in order to fight with him.

403

He did not listen to the words

of Nico from the mouth of God.

404

Okay.

405

So the chronicler says, okay.

406

Yeah, God did speak to Pharaoh

here and say that he was doing

407

this and Josiah was disobedient.

408

Whether it was directly.

409

Yes.

410

This was God's speaking to Pharaoh or not.

411

What we do know is that in this account,

as you read it, Josiah does not seek the

412

Lord's counsel and going out to stop Nico.

413

So this is not the same as has a Kaia

at the end of his life going whatever.

414

It's not going to happen

during my lifetime and, and

415

kind of his downfall there.

416

This is not that, but this is

a glimpse of the fact that the

417

best of men are men at best.

418

Right?

419

And that's your side of here.

420

He makes a foolish decision that

ultimately results in his death.

421

He disguises himself.

422

He struck in battle.

423

He ends up dying.

424

And, and brought back and just that

his death had such a profound impact

425

on the people that they, they were

wrote songs of lament, which continued,

426

it says in this passage, To the

day the chronicler wrote, which was

427

almost 200 years after these events.

428

So it's just amazing.

429

Just, I was such a good, good,

bright spot in Israel's history.

430

Well, there we go.

431

That's a second Kings 22 through 23

and second Chronicles, 34 through 35.

432

Let me pray for us.

433

And then we'll be done

with today's episode.

434

God, we pray for more men like Josiah

Mormon lecture site in the church, more

435

men like Josiah to lead our nation.

436

More men like Josiah and our families.

437

More men like Josiah to raise up godly

offspring and young men to follow

438

after them and follow after their lead.

439

God, we need more men like this.

440

I pray that we would be men like Josiah.

441

That would be so concerned.

442

With the purity of our worship

and the purity of, of the people

443

around us following the Lord, that

we would be desperate for that

444

and that we would long for others.

445

To do that as well.

446

I pray that we would go after our

own lives and purge our own lives

447

of any vestige of idolatry that

we might find in our own hearts.

448

Like Josiah went after

the alters in the land.

449

God, we have altars that we've set up

in our lives, whether it be the wealth

450

or materialism or relationships or

pleasure or whatever it may be, you

451

gotta, we need to rid our own lives

of those altars, to the idols that

452

we have and that we worship today.

453

And so God.

454

Help us to be like Josiah in that regard.

455

We pray this in Jesus' name.

456

Amen.

457

All right.

458

I'll keep her in your Bibles and tune

in again tomorrow for another episode

459

of the daily Bible podcast back.