Tues.’s Devo - Josiah’s Reform

Read: 2 Chronicles 33:14-34:33; Romans 16:10-27; Psalms 26:1-12; Proverbs 20:19 Manasseh began cleansing the land when he repented. He took out the idol from the Temple and rebuilt the altar to the Lord and sacrificed on it. He took away all the altars he had built in Jerusalem and cast them out of the city. The people continued to sacrifice on the high places to other gods. When Manasseh died, his son Amon became king. He was evil and sacrificed to all the carved images which his father had made. He continued in sin until his servants killed him in his own home. The people of the land rose up and killed all his assassins and made his son Josiah the king. Josiah was eight years old when he became king. He followed after David and did what was right. At the age of 16, he began to seek the Lord. At 20, he began to purify Judah and Jerusalem of all the pagan shrines, the Asherah poles and carved idols and images. He had the altar of Baal demolished and the incense altars taken down. He scattered the dust of the images over the graves of those who worshipped them. At 26, Josiah appointed Shaphan, Maaseiah, and Joah to repair the house of the Lord who was his god. They took the tithe money and began reconstructing the Temple and getting it back into working condition. While they were repairing the Temple, they found a copy of the law. When Josiah heard the words of the law he rent his clothes because Judah had been guilty of so much sin. Josiah realized that they had made God very angry by the way they had lived. He asked his men to go and pray for the land and to go to Hilkiah the prophetess and see if she had a word for them. She told them to tell Josiah that God was angry because Judah had forsaken him. Because Josiah’s heart was tender, he would not live to see the disaster that would fall on Judah and Jerusalem. Josiah made a covenant with the Lord to serve him with all he heart, soul and deeds. He made all who were present join him. He took away all the abominations from the country and made all serve the Lord. They stayed true to the Lord as long as Josiah lived. In Romans, Paul continues his list of the men and women he served along side of, praising them for their lives. Then he gives us a warning to stay away from people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things not in the heart of God. They are serving themselves and not God, so they use smooth convincing words to deceive the innocent people. All glory to you, Lord because it is you who make us strong. You are the only wise God and you will soon crush Satan under you feet.