2 Chronicles 35:22-27: a reflection

22Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and didn’t listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo. 23The archers shot at King Josiah; and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, because I am seriously wounded!” 24So his servants took him out of the chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had, and brought him to Jerusalem; and he died, and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. 25Jeremiah lamented for Josiah, and all the singing men and singing women spoke of Josiah in their lamentations to this day; and they made them an ordinance in Israel. Behold, they are written in the lamentations. 26Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his good deeds, according to that which is written in the LORD’s law, 27and his acts, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

Josiah was one of the best kings Judah ever had, a man who had turned the nation back to God. Yet at the end of his life, he made a fatal mistake: he went to fight a battle he had not been called to fight, and, the text says, he didn't listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God. Warned against the battle, Josiah would not turn back; he went, and was mortally wounded, and died. Even this godly king came to grief because he did not heed a warning, presuming to go where he should not have gone. His goodness did not exempt him from the need to heed God's warning, and his failure to listen cost him his life.

Notice that even godly Josiah came to grief by not heeding a warning. He was a good king, faithful to God; yet in this instance he did not listen to the warning that came, even the warning that God was in it. He presumed to go into a battle he had not been called to, ignoring the word that would have turned him back, and it cost him. His godliness did not make him immune to the danger of not heeding a warning; even a good man can come to grief by presuming, by not listening, by going where he should not. The need to heed God's warnings does not cease because we are godly; Josiah's failure to listen, godly as he was, brought his end.

That is worth taking to heart, for even the godly must heed God's warnings, and not presume. We can think that our faithfulness, our godliness, exempts us from the need to heed warnings, that we can presume to go our own way; but Josiah, godly as he was, came to grief because he did not listen to a warning. Godliness does not make us immune to the danger of presuming, of not heeding when God would turn us back. Do not presume that your faithfulness exempts you from heeding God's warnings; even the godly must listen, as Josiah's failure to heed a warning cost him his life. Heed God's warnings even when you are walking faithfully, not presuming that your godliness exempts you from the need to listen, as even good Josiah came to grief by not heeding the warning against a needless battle; for the need to heed God's warnings does not cease with our faithfulness, and even the godly can come to grief by presuming to go where they should not.

Lord, Josiah was one of the best kings Judah ever had, a man who had turned the nation back to you. Yet at the end of his life, he made a fatal mistake: he went to fight a battle he had not been called to fight, and, the text says, he didn't listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God. Warned against the battle, Josiah would not turn back; he went, and was mortally wounded, and died. Even this godly king came to grief because he did not heed a warning, presuming to go where he should not have gone. Show me that even godly Josiah came to grief by not heeding a warning. He was a good king, faithful to you; yet in this instance he did not listen to the warning that came, even the warning that you were in it. He presumed to go into a battle he had not been called to, ignoring the word that would have turned him back, and it cost him. His godliness did not make him immune to the danger of not heeding a warning. The need to heed your warnings does not cease because we are godly. Take that to my heart, for even the godly must heed your warnings, and not presume. I can think that my faithfulness, my godliness, exempts me from the need to heed warnings, that I can presume to go my own way; but Josiah came to grief because he did not listen. Godliness does not make me immune to the danger of presuming. Keep me from presuming that my faithfulness exempts me from heeding your warnings; help me listen even when I am walking faithfully, Lord, as even good Josiah came to grief by not heeding the warning against a needless battle.