complete repentance

 

Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.

2 Kings 23:25

This is God's assessment of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in Jerusalem at just eight years of age, but who ruled with an unrivaled passion for God and obedience to God's Law. There are four times that the word "all" is used in this one verse to describe Josiah. They are worth pondering.

He turned to the Lord, first, with all his heart. God had the king's heart. He loved the LORD and His Word and thus serving God came first from his affection for God. We serve what we love, and there was no doubt, Josiah loved the Lord, and as a leader, modeled that love for all the people as his heart compelled him to lead Judah in loving repentance back to the worship of Yahweh in His temple.

The young king turned to God with all his soul. This was not a political move or a shift of emphasis to gain power. This was a deep, spiritual work in king Josiah. And it brought spiritual change to the souls of those who lived in Judah.

Josiah turned to God with all his might. The king used all power at his disposal to personally repent and worship the LORD. He led the nation to do so as his reforms became national revival. He used his power to worship and glorify God and it staved off judgment and saved his generation in Judah.

Finally, Josiah was thorough in his understanding of scripture to keep all the law of Moses. Here is the real power behind Judah's revival. They turned back to God's Word. It all began with the discovery of the Law in the back of the temple. God's Word convicted Josiah who led the nation to obey scripture and glorify God.

O God,

May Your Word draw me with all Your power to worship You with all my heart, all my soul, and all my might. May you draw me so close to You in Your Word that nothing else is nearly as important. And may I be used to help others see Your greatness so that my generation might know You are the Lord.

Amen