Josiah's Reformation

You may remember years ago that Andy Stanley, the lead pastor of North Point Community Church made the statement to his church that believers in Christ need to unhitch the Christian faith from the Jewish Scriptures. Stanley implied that there needs to be a disconnect between what is read in the Old Testament and what is now lived out in the New covenant community. Of course, he would walk back on this statement and say, “no, that’s not really what I meant” but if you look at everything else that Stanley has said or done, it seems that he is moving further away from true Biblical Christianity, just look at his handling of the LGBTQ agenda and you will see a man that is in favor of a Christianity that does not call sin sin and does not teach the need for repentance. Stanley claims that his philosophy of ministry at North Point is that they don’t draw lines, they draw big circles. They want to be as open and as accepting as possible and while certain elements of that are commendable for the Church of Jesus Christ, is that necessarily biblical? Is it biblical to say, “Everyone come as you are and in a sense you can stay as you are! Because Christianity should be easy for you, it should cost you relatively little. We won’t call your sin a sin if that is what is stopping you from coming in.” Look, I am all for people coming to church, I’m not saying that I am more deserving of God’s grace than anyone else, but what I am saying is that the Church of Jesus Christ should not be the place where one comes to reaffirm who they were and to stay who they are. The purpose of the Gospel is not to make you better, it’s to make you new. Here we are in the 21st century and we need the Old Testament, we need the Law, we need the whole counsel of God, and we need to not shy away from preaching repentance. Yet, how few it seems actually hold on to this and this is not a new way of teaching. Back in 1923, J. Gresham Machen published his incredible book, Christianity and Liberalism, and said: “Modern preachers are trying to bring men into the Church without requiring them to relinquish their pride; they are trying to help men avoid the conviction of sin. The preacher gets up into the pulpit, opens the Bible, and addresses the congregation somewhat as follows: ‘You people are very good,’ he says; ‘you respond to every appeal that looks toward the welfare of the community. Now we have in the Bible—especially in the life of Jesus—something so good that we believe it is good enough even for you good people.’ Such is modern preaching. It is heard every Sunday in thousands of pulpits. But it is entirely futile.” Does that not sound like the preaching within the walls of the 21st century church? Why is all of this important with where we are going this morning as we look at the final “good” king of Judah, King Josiah? It is because what we are going to see in Josiah is a man that understood the need for the Law and the need for repentance and what God does for Josiah is really what God does for every blood-bought believer. He gives them a hope and a future that even death itself cannot remove from us. Let’s go to the Lord in prayer.

Josiah’s Reign

The bulk of our time this morning will be in 2 Chronicles 34:23-28 but before we get there, let’s highlight the reign of Josiah. Josiah was only 8 years old when he became king and he reigns for 31 years which means that he was only 39 years old when he died. Josiah was the son of King Amon who was a wicked king that only reigned for 2 years and after Amon was assassinated, Josiah takes his place on the throne of his father and we see that unlike his father and his grandfather Manasseh, that Josiah was a good king. 2 Chronicles 34:2 says, “He did right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David and did not turn aside to the right or to the left.” We read that when he was 16 years old that he began to seek the Lord and in the 12th year of his reign, he removes from Judah the high places, he destroys the carved images and tears down the altars to Baal and the Asherim. At 16, Josiah is just on fire for righteousness. Not only does he tear these false idols and altars down, he grounds there remains into power and scatters the remains on the graves of those that sacrificed and worshipped these false god. He even burns the bones of the priests on their own altars and the author of the Chronicles says that Josiah, “purged Judah and Jerusalem” and even went throughout the nation of Israel and tore down the altars of the false gods. Josiah is not just content to rid the land of false worship, but in the 18th year of his reign, he sends a number of men to the temple in Jerusalem to have it repaired. Josiah’s father and grandfather had ignored the Lord and ignored the needs of the temple but Josiah saw a problem with the house of the Lord and he felt that it was of utmost importance that the temple of God be repaired. It is during this season of repair where one of the most important moments of Josiah’s life will take place. As the repairs are being made, there is a priest named Hilkiah that finds “the book of the law of the Lord given by Moses” and we know that this is likely the first five books of the Old Testament or at the very least, the book of Deuteronomy.

Hilkiah, the Law, and Josiah’s Response

What is it then that happens after Hilkiah finds this book? In verses 14-21 we see that he gives the book to Shaphan the scribe and Shaphan brings it to the king and he gives a report on how everything is going with the repairs. He says that everything that Josiah has entrusted to the men to do is being done and everyone has been paid. Then it seems like the last thing that he says is, “Hilkiah the priest gave me a book.” And it is at this moment where the wheels of Josiah’s life is about to go into overdrive. Shaphan reads and the king is so overwhelmed by what he hears that we read in 2 Chronicles 34:19 “When the king heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes.” This is a heart-wrenching response. Josiah hears this and he is cut to the very core. We don’t see a response here like we see from Hezekiah where he hears the Word of the Lord and says, “Well, as long as things are fine in my day, who cares?” No Josiah is totally different! He hears the Law and we read in 2 Chronicles 34:21 that Josiah commands Hilkiah and a number of other priests and scribes: “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book which has been found; for great is the wrath of the Lord which is poured out on us because our fathers have not observed the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.” The question that we are left with then is: What was in the book? What was it that Josiah heard that caused him to respond like this? What was it in the Law that was revealed to the heart of Josiah? To get a sense as to what it was, we need to move on to verse 22 where Hilkiah and those that the king had sent go to a prophetess named Huldah and through her, the Lord will give a message to Josiah. We read in 2 Chronicles 34:23-25

2 Chronicles 34:23–25 NASB95

She said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me, thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am bringing evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all the curses written in the book which they have read in the presence of the king of Judah. “Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore My wrath will be poured out on this place and it shall not be quenched.” ’

We know that some of what Josiah heard were the curses that were found in Deuteronomy 28. From verse 15-68 in that chapter, the Lord lays out clearly what will befall the nation of Israel if they do not obey the Lord and His commandments. What the law states is that if God is rejected, every element of their lives will be under the wrath of God. They will be cursed as the come in and cursed as they go out. The Lord will cause them to be defeated by their enemies and He will cause the nation and their king to be in exile in the nation that God ordains to destroy them. God says there will be no rest for the nation that has rejected Him. In the morning they will beg for the evening and in the evening beg for the morning. In 50+ verses, God plain as day tells the people of Israel why you do not want to stand against this God. The Lord even tells Josiah that ALL of the curses will be brought on the people because of their disobedience. He lays out as clearly as possible that rebellion leads to the pouring out of God’s wrath. This is what breaks the heart of Josiah. He has recognized that not only has he sinned, the people of Judah and his ancestors have practically done nothing but sin. Josiah has come to recognize the extent of his own sins and the depths of the sins of the nation. What’s important for us here is that this reminds us why it is so important for us as 21st century men and women to know the Old Testament and to know the Law. What is it that the Law does for us? John Calvin said that the Law serves as like a mirror that reflects back to us all of our stains. It shows us the iniquities and the sinfulness of our human hearts and it emphasizes to us just how badly we need a Savior. The Law shows us that God only accepts perfect and sinless people. Deuteronomy 18:13 says, “You shall be blameless before the Lord your God.” Christ tells us in Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” The only way to heaven is through spotless, sinless perfection. The Law shows the depravity of the human soul and the necessity of atonement. It shows the absolute need for forgiveness and mercy. Without the Law of God, without the Old Testament, we would not realize the we have fallen short of the glory of God. Paul writes in Romans 7:7–8 “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead.” You see it is when we come to understand the righteousness and the holiness of God and when we come to see how far removed we are from it, we can do nothing but what Isaiah says in Isaiah 6:5 “Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”” As Josiah has the Word before him, he does 1 of the 2 options that man faces when he is confronted with his own sinfulness. Man will either run from God or they will run to God. From Genesis 3 onwards, this has always been the case. Man either runs from God and rejects Him further or He runs and throws himself down before God and says, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” Which one did Josiah do? He went to the Lord! He tore his clothes! He wept before the Lord!

The Marks of True Conversion

Now it is important to note that Huldah does more than just deliver a message of wrath and judgement. She comes with hope as God often does. Before the Gospel heals it must first wound the pride and soul. Let’s quickly read 2 Chronicles 34:26-28

2 Chronicles 34:26–28 NASB95

“But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus you will say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel regarding the words which you have heard, “Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares the Lord. “Behold, I will gather you to your fathers and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, so your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place and on its inhabitants.” ’ ” And they brought back word to the king.

There is so much that we could stress from these verses and I wish we had 1 more week just to look at Josiah and how these verses relate to him but what I want to draw your attention to is the heart of Josiah. How he responds to the Word tells us so much about the heart of this young king. We see that Josiah had a tender heart. This means that he was the total opposite of Pharoah in the book of Exodus. Josiah’s heart was pliable, it was as if the Word of God and the Spirit treated his heart the way that a potter handles the clay. Instead of being hard hearted, Josiah’s heart reflected a willingness to follow. It reflected a willingness to submit to the Lord’s commands and we see this in the next phrase where Josiah humbled himself before God. It is to the humble that God will give the earth. It is to those that have submitted to the Lordship of Christ with a humble heart that will reign with Christ forever. And it is the humble heart that stands contrary to the world and the devil. Jonathan Edwards said, “Nothing sets a person so much out of the Devil’s reach as humility.” Jesus reminds us in Matthew 23:12 “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” James also says in James 4:6 “But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, ‘God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” We have talked much about pride over the past few weeks and we know how great of a killer that sin is. Here we are reminded that it is not the strongest or the mightiest that stand in favor with God. It is the weak and the humble. It is to them that God shows favor because it is the humble that have admitted their total inability to bring themselves up one step closer to the throne of grace. As Josiah tears his clothes and weeps before the Lord, he is going before God as a beggar. He may be king of Judah but even the kings of the nations stand indebted to the God of all creation. There is no one in this room that does not stand indebted to this King. We must all humbly fall before the Lord our God in weakness and in trembling. We can all stand before God and tear our clothing but unless our hearts are calling out for mercy, all we are doing is putting on a show. Josiah’s outward actions reflected his inward desperation. The prophet Joel shows us just how much greater of an emphasis the Lord puts on the changing of our hearts. Joel 2:13 “And rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil.” What I want to draw our attention to is that we really cannot preach the Law void of the Gospel. The Law was given to show our inability to follow it but it was also given to show our indebtedness to the One that has given it. As you look at the Old Testament, as you look at the Law, as we look at Josiah, we should hopefully reach this conclusion: The grace of God that is present in the New Testament is the same grace of God that is present in the Old Testament. Do you see what God says at the end of verse 27 and into verse 28? He says Josiah, I have heard you. I have heard you weep before me and I have seen past the outward sign to the inner change of your heart. I have seen the way you look at sin and I see the heartbreak you have for the lost and you must know that I am a God who hears you and I am a God that sees you. Now what does that mean for us today? I think it means the same exact thing. The God who issues the curses of the Law is the same God who issues the blessings. The same God that condemns is the same God that offers rescue. The same God that talked to Josiah all those years ago sees you and hears you and knows you better than you know yourself. The same God that hears you verbally hears just as loudly the inward cry of your heart. All of this is to say that if you have felt the unbearable weight of sin on you just as Josiah felt the unbearable weight of sin that he and the people have committed, we have an advocate before the Father. We have one that stands in the gap, we have one whose willingness to forgive surpasses our own willingness to be forgiven. I’m talking of course of Jesus. You see it was not the weeping that would save Josiah, it was not the tearing of his clothes that would save him, it was faith. It was faith in God alone and it was in the trust that while his sins may be scarlet, God alone could make him white as snow. Look you may be here this morning and you may have sinned more than all the combined kings of Israel and Judah but God’s grace is still more than sufficient enough for you. Everything from life to death will be a testimony to the grace that God has given to you and all that you need to do in order to receive this is not run from God but to Him. (mention Josiah’s commitment and covenant in 2 Chron 35:31-33 and the passover)

Josiah’s Death and the Promises of God

There is something else that I want to mention as we start to close and that is the alleged contradiction that seems to happen between verse 28 and the end of chapter 35. In verse 28 the Lord says, “Behold, I will gather you to your fathers and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, so your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place and on its inhabitants.” Then something that seems odd happens starting at verse 20 in chapter 35. Here we see Josiah go out to war against Neco, the king of Egypt. To save us some time, we read that Egyptian archers shot King Josiah in the middle of the battle so he is mortally wounded and his servants throw him into a chariot and bring him back to Jerusalem where he dies. The issue that some seem to have is that God did not seem to keep the promise that he made in verse 28. Remember in verse 28 that the Lord told Josiah that he would be gathered to his grave in peace but here we see Josiah being killed in the midst of battle. Did God’s promise fail? Did the Lord forget the promise that He made to Josiah? How is dying in battle a peaceful battle? No, the Lord did not forget His promise. I would also say that the Lord was completely true to His word because Josiah was gathered to His fathers and it was at the will of His Heavenly Father. He was gathered to the grave in peace because he did not see the devastation that would be brought on Judah by the Babylonians. It is the Lord Himself who brings Josiah to his fathers and it is the Lord Himself that brings all believers to where He is. Richard Sibbes, a great Puritan preacher who wrote a fantastic book on these passages called Josiah’s Reformation, said, “While we live we are not in our own hands, we shall not die in our own time; neither is it in our enemies’ hands, but in God’s hands. He has appointed a certain time of our being here in this world. This should tie us to obedience, and to die in hope and faith; because when we die we are gathered to our fathers, to better company and place than we leave behind us.” You have heard me say enough that we as Christians are not free of suffering. We know that in this world there will be trouble but we can take heart because Christ has overcome the world. When it comes to the death of the believer we know that it is not God’s wrath being poured out on us. We know this because there is no condemnation for those that are in Christ and we know what Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 that God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ our Savior was not spared death and He suffered to a greater degree than anyone ever will. No, death is not the end. As Tim Keller would put it, the only thing that death does for us is make our lives infinitely better. Death for the Christian means that we are now free of the pain of this world, free from the influence of sin, and gathered into the loving embrace of our Savior where we will see Him in His glory. For the Christian, death has lost its sting because the venom of the sting was taken by Christ. You might remember that I told you about the story of Donald Grey Barnhouse and the loss of his wife. I’ll quickly retell it because I think that when we think about Josiah and when we think about our own death one day that it serves as a fantastic illustration. Barnhouse was a fantastic preacher up in Philadelphia at Tenth Presbyterian Church and in the mid 40’s, he lost his wife to cancer and he was left with 3 small children. The day of her funeral as they were driving to the service, a big moving van rushed passed them and it startled them but this thought came to Barnhouse and he asked his oldest daughter, “Sweetie, would you rather be ran over by that truck or by its shadow?” It wasn’t a hard question so his daughter responded pretty quickly with, “By the shadow because it can’t hurt you.” Barnhouse looked at his kids and said, “Your mother has not been hit by death but only by its shadow. That is nothing to fear because 2,000 years ago the truck of death hit Jesus and because of that, all we ever will face is deaths shadow.” Do you see how this relates to Josiah? Do you see how this relates to us as believers? All those years ago, it was Jesus who took the death that we deserve, it was Jesus that bore the wrath that we could not bear, it was Jesus that took on all of the curse of the Law so that we could experience all of the blessings. Jesus did all of this so that we might be gathered to Him and so that we would not see the evil which will befall this fallen world. While we suffer now, it is only to make us more like our Savior and while we will likely all die, it is only the shadow of death that will touch us. Now as we close, there is one last thing that I want to point out from the reign of Josiah is that we see a glimpse of what was to come. What do I mean by this? What I mean is that in Josiah we see a king who is cut down really in the prime of his life. We see a king who dies in his 30’s while defending and protecting his people. We see a king that weeps on behalf of his people, we see a king who has his heart torn over the sinfulness of others, in Josiah we see a man of sorrows and we see a king that goes to the Lord on behalf of his people. We also see a king that understands the need to worship the Lord. Do you know where else we see this? We see this in the King of Kings. We see this to an even greater degree in Jesus Christ! There is the King who dies, there is the King who weeps, there is the King who does not just repair the Temple, He is the Temple! It is said at the end of 2 Chronicles 35 that Jeremiah made a lamentation for Josiah and that the singers sing in honor of him but it is in Jesus where we do not sing songs of just lamentation but songs of rejoicing! Because we know that our King was dead but is alive forevermore and this is what we celebrate not just this Easter season but every time that we gather together! Do you know this King? Has your heart become tender to the things of God? Have you seen the depths of your sinfulness but also the riches of the Saviors grace? If you have not yet responded to these things, I call on you now to do so. Let’s go to the Lord in prayer.