READING: 2 Kings 22-23, 2 Chronicles 34-35
“When the king heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes.”
2 Chronicles 34:19
In the ancient world, tearing one’s clothing was a sign of grief and remorse. So, when we read of the King of Judah making such a move, it is worth our time to stop and review the situation.
Josiah was the king, and he had ordered righteous reforms throughout Judah. He had torn down altars to Baal, cut down shrines, and shattered carved images dedicated to false gods. At the same time, he sought to repair the Temple—and in the process, “the priest Hilkiah found the book of the law of the Lord written by the hand of Moses” (2 Chron. 34:14).
Likely at least a portion of the book of Deuteronomy, the contents of the scroll led King Josiah to tear his clothing and to exclaim, “. . . great is the Lord’s wrath that is poured out on us because our ancestors have not kept the word of the Lord in order to do everything written in this book” (2 Chron. 34:21). The king knew that they were likely to suffer the judgment of God for their idolatrous history, and he could only mourn. The people of Josiah’s day then followed the king’s lead to serve God (at least during Josiah’s remaining reign).
I fear that we today read of God’s judgments on people, however, and we assume such judgments are only a thing of the past. They’re history rather than present-tense possibility. Consequently, we skim over the contents of such stories and fail to let the reality of God’s judgment on sin to sink in. Few of us mourn like Josiah did – and that reality seems dangerous to me.
ACTION STEPS:
- Read today’s sections about Josiah’s grief again, and ask God to break your heart over His possible judgment on us.
- Grieve the sin of people around you.
PRAYER: “Father, be patient and gracious to us. Forgive us for our sin.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Review and catch-up day