This blog serves as an outreach for Pastor Randy Powell of the First Baptist Church of Franklin, PA. Feel free to ask questions or send me an e-mail at pastorpowell@hotmail.com
Having come to the throne at the age of 8, King Josiah had already achieved what would for many people be a lifetime of accomplishments by the age of 26. In the 18th year of his reign, having repaired the temple, Josiah imitated his great-grandfather Hezekiah by properly renewing the celebration of the Passover. Through personal sacrifice and bold leadership, Josiah and the people of Judah (along with the remnant of Israel) celebrate the Passover with such vigor and zeal that it becomes the greatest such celebration since the days of the prophet Samuel. For Josiah, this victory is yet another triumph.
The Chronicles doesn't mention any other events of Josiah's reign until the 31st year of his reign when Josiah is 39. In that year, King Neco of Egypt seeks to bring his army north alongside/through the territory of Judah in order to attack the Babylonians. The ongoing struggle between Egypt and the Assyrians/Babylonians/Persians was always something that threatened to engulf the Jewish kingdom(s) as they sat astride the north/south route. As Neco's army approaches, Josiah has but two choices: (1) stay out of the fight and hope neutrality is respected, and (2) pick a side. We're not told that Josiah consulted the LORD for advice, perhaps in his mind his duty was clear. Josiah chooses to resist Neco and fights against him, but is mortally wounded in the battle and dies soon after. In the end, Josiah lived an extremely faithful and purposeful life, but also one shortened by the tragedy of early death.
Josiah, the boy king, came to the throne at the age of eight following the assassination of his father, Amon. The Chronicles doesn't tell us who acted as regent during his minority, nor who educated or trained the boy king, but we are told that at 16 Josiah began to seek the LORD. At 20, Josiah began a systematic program of destroying and demolishing idols and altars to false gods throughout both Judea and also in the lands of the shattered kingdom of Israel. At 26, Josiah oversaw the restoration of the temple complex whose repairs had been neglected for decades. Having accomplished so much before 30, Josiah is an amazing example of youthful zeal for the LORD.
What Josiah would have attempted next we'll never know, for his future course was set by the discovery of the scroll of the Law in the temple. Previous to this, for an unknown period of time, the people had been without a copy of the Law. Imagine, Josiah sought the LORD without having personally read the Scriptures, with only second-hand knowledge of God. The reforms of Josiah appear even more amazing given this limitation. When the Scriptures were read in his presence, however, far from being reassured because of his personal faithfulness, Josiah was moved tear his robes in mourning as he realized just how far his nation had been, for generations, from the standard of God's holiness as outlined in the Law of Moses.
Knowing his people's sinfulness, Josiah humbly sought the LORD's forgiveness on their behalf, only to learn that the day of God's wrath in judgment could not be diverted. God granted Josiah the mercy of peace during his day, because of his faithfulness, but assured him that soon judgment would come. In response, Josiah gathered the people of Judah and Israel, from least to greatest, to rededicate themselves to the Covenant publicly. This act of devotion to the LORD, knowing that the future held judgment, not blessings, was a further example of how thoroughly Josiah's generation sought the LORD.
In this 2nd message on Matthew's genealogy of Jesus, there are two more women, an obvious reference to sexual scandal, and the destruction of the kingdom of Judah. The list begins with "King David", the only person on the list given the title of king, even though the rest of his descendants until the exile were kings. David received powerful promises from God that his descendant would one day sit upon a throne that would last forever. Immediately following this triumphant mention of David as King comes the lowest point in the entire genealogy: the adultery and murder associated with "Uriah's wife". Matthew didn't have to mention Solomon's mother at all, but when he did he called her "Uriah's wife" instead of Bathsheba. This usage only shines the spotlight even more upon the deadly road of sin that David walked down from his lust to have Bathsheba, to his adultery with her, to his attempted cover-up, and eventually to his willingness to conspire to kill one of his most loyal and faithful soldiers, Uriah.
The rest of the kings in the list until the exile are a mixture of the good and the bad. Some followed after God, others led the people astray toward wickedness and idolatry. Overall, the trend of decline continued for the kingdom as God's people drifted further and further away from their Covenant promises. Just before the exile in the list is the name Josiah. Josiah became king of Judah at eight years of age when his father was assassinated; both is father and his grand-father were exceedingly wicked, what hope is there that this boy-king could save a nation headed for destruction? Josiah's efforts at restoration had no chance of success until his high priest found a copy of the Law. The actual words of Moses, the Covenant between God and the people of Israel had been lost! Despite Josiah's efforts, the wrath of God at the broken promises of his people could not be assuaged.
The throne of David came to an end in 586 BC with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. All of the names from the exile until Joseph are unknown to history, but we do know that David's throne is vacant, no fulfillment of God's promise seems possible. And then, at the end of the list, we have something odd. Matthew calls Joseph the "husband" of Mary instead of the father of Jesus as he had every other name in the list. He also tells us that it is Mary "of whom" Jesus is born (the Greek makes it clear, the pronoun is singular and feminine and cannot apply to Joseph or to both Joseph and Mary).
It is at this point, with this list of ancestors, some great and some exceedingly wicked, with gentile blood in his veins (especially through the women Matthew highlighted), that Jesus is born of Mary. Josiah was unable to save his people from their sins as he sat on the throne of David, how can a child born in far humbler circumstances hope to do better, he will have to be no ordinary child, he will have to be the Christ.
To watch the video, click on the link below: Sermon Video
