JOSIAH: ANOTHER GOOD KING
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. Josiah
a) We look at Judah's king Josiah, third king after Hezekiah, and like him a godly man.
2. Another Good King
a) Once the reign of Hezekiah ended, the two following kings quickly led Judah back into idolatry.
b) That idolatry was, in fact, even worse than that of the pagan nations who had previously occupied the land.
c) It is interesting that the son and grandson of good king Hezekiah did evil, and yet his great grandson Josiah lived even more righteously than Hezekiah himself.
d) Josiah's reign, like that of Hezekiah, provides an encouraging interlude before the Babylonians capture Jerusalem and the people of Judah go into exile for seventy years.
e) We are reminded that even when evil seems all pervasive, there are those who cling to the right and go against the trend of the times.
f) God always has his people somewhere, and some of them have been kings.
g) Sometimes the good done by one person will completely cancel the evil done by another. The great example is the good done by Jesus Christ, which is able to cancel out all the evil that anyone has ever done (1 John 2:1-2). It is very unwise, however, to think that the good of one will always reverse the evil of another. The extremes of evil done and encouraged by several kings of Judah, caused God to decree punishment upon Judah. Hezekiah and Josiah's goodness certainly postponed that punishment. However, in this case, it was only a reprieve, and not a removal of the punishment due (2 Kings 22:14-20).
The End ...
1. Josiah a) We look at Judah's king Josiah, third king after Hezekiah, and like him a godly man.
2. Another Good King
a) Once the reign of Hezekiah ended, the two following kings quickly led Judah back into idolatry.
b) That idolatry was, in fact, even worse than that of the pagan nations who had previously occupied the land.
c) It is interesting that the son and grandson of good king Hezekiah did evil, and yet his great grandson Josiah lived even more righteously than Hezekiah himself.
d) Josiah's reign, like that of Hezekiah, provides an encouraging interlude before the Babylonians capture Jerusalem and the people of Judah go into exile for seventy years.
e) We are reminded that even when evil seems all pervasive, there are those who cling to the right and go against the trend of the times.
f) God always has his people somewhere, and some of them have been kings.
g) Sometimes the good done by one person will completely cancel the evil done by another. The great example is the good done by Jesus Christ, which is able to cancel out all the evil that anyone has ever done (1 John 2:1-2). It is very unwise, however, to think that the good of one will always reverse the evil of another. The extremes of evil done and encouraged by several kings of Judah, caused God to decree punishment upon Judah. Hezekiah and Josiah's goodness certainly postponed that punishment. However, in this case, it was only a reprieve, and not a removal of the punishment due (2 Kings 22:14-20).
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