The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 393

HOMILIES BY V .ARIOUS .AUTHORS. Ver. 1-ch. xxm. 30.-The reign of King Josiah. The last days of Judah 89 an independent kingdom are fast hastening to a close. The people, in spite of all God's merciful dealings with them, in spite of all the judgm.ents and warnings which he had sent to their fathers, in spite of the influence and example of good kings and holy 1irophetR whom he had raised up, were becoming worse and worse. More than a hundred years before, God had already abolished the kingdom of Israel, when the ten tribes were led away into captivit)•· And no7i' for their great idolatries the destruction of the kingdom of J uda.h also is close at hand. In the midst of this period of decline and decay Josiah came to the throne to redeem for a time the history of his nation, and for a time to save it from its impending doom. I. JosaH's EARLY DEVOTION. We read that in the eighth year of his l'eign, while he was yet young:, he began to seek after the God of David his father. - He was then.six- teen years of age. 1. He began to seek after God in a time of almost universal godlessnes, and corruption. It is almost impossible for us to conceive the depth of degradation to which the nation had sunk. Two wicked kings in succession had undone all the reforms of aood King Hezekiah. The first of these was Hezeki>ih's own son, Manasseh, the second ~as Manasseh's son, .Amon. Manasseh worshipped all the host of heaven, and built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. He set up the worship of Moloch, which is almost too terrible to describe (see above on eh. xvi. 1-20). He made his own son to pass through the fire to Moloch. He intro- duced not only the horrid cruelty of heathenism, but also its most filthy lusts. 'l'he reign of .Amon was no better, but worse. He revived and continued all the idolatries and all the corruption of his father's reign. It was at such a time as this that, when .Amon died, bis son J usiah, then only eight years old, came to the throne. .At such a time as this he began to seek arter the Lord his God. 2. 1'1oreuver, l,e was tlie son of a godless and wicked father. .All the influences which surrounded him seem to have been unfavour- able to the growth of true religion and the fear of God. Dut Josiah determined that, ns for him, he would not bow down to idols, that he would serve the Lord only. .And God gave him strength to serve him, and crowned his subsequent efforts with blessing and success. Learn here the folly of excusing yourself from serving God by the circumstance, in whi.ch you are placed. You are responsible to God for your own life, and for your own conduct, no matter bow others may act. It may cost us many a hard strugglB to resist the temptations that surround us on every sidll; but it always succeeds in the end. You m&,)' be chilureo of ungfldly par,,nts; you may be at service io ungodly householJs; on. xxn.1-20.] 'l'RE BlWOND nooK OF THE KINGS. 443