Title: When I was younger
Content Title: When I was rather young
Bible: 2 Chronicles 34:1-7
There were three kings of Judah who could imitate David and be compared to David: Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah. Among them, only King Josiah was praised for not leaning to the left or the right. Through thorough reform, even the idol of Bethel in the land of Israel in the north was torn down (2 Kings 23:15). It was an idol made by Jeroboam in the north, which no one dared to tear down. The Bible speaks of him as the greatest previous king among all the kings of Judah (2 Kings 23:25). “There was no king like Josiah before or after Josiah, who completely obeyed all the law of Moses toward the Lord with all his heart, all his soul, and all his strength” (2 Kings 23:25).
First: We must live a God-centered life.
“You did what was right in the sight of the Lord” (verse 2). It means that the standard of his life was in God. The focus of his life was on God. The standard of choice was God, the standard of direction was God, and the standard of honesty was God. When he was young, he was still only 8 years old, and when his faith did not grow, he was in a hurry to live with the eyes of the people. But after 12 years he removed all idols. They ground the idols and sprinkled them on the graves of those who worshiped them.
Second: They lived according to the beliefs of their ancestors.
“Walk in the way of David his father” (verse 2) In the Bible, there are three kings who walked in the way of David. Kings Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah. What do they have in common? These are the people who removed idols from the temple and started a revival movement. David was a man who longed to build a temple and loved God fervently. Those who followed the path of David are the ones who purified the temple and restored all the people to a temple-centered life. At this time, all idols were removed and the earth and the temple were cleansed.
Third: We must live a life centered on the Word.
“It did not turn to the left or to the right” (verse 2). While repairing the temple, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the Law of the Lord delivered by Moses. This was the Bible that was hidden when the temple was destroyed in the time of his ancestor Manasseh. Shaphan brought the book to the king (18). Shaphan read the book before the king. When the king heard this, he said, “He tore his clothes.” This means that the king was contrite and confessed. He repented over “that their ancestors did not keep this word of God” (verse 21). So he sent someone to ask the prophet Huldah to inquire about the meaning of the word. It prophesied the Babylonian captivity. However, because King Josiah humbled himself before God, his clothes were torn and he was contrite, so he prophesied that he would die without seeing such terrible things.