Day 5

Scripture to Read: 2 Kings 23:1-3

Josiah wasted no time after hearing the report Huldah the prophetess had given. King Josiah gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem, along with all the men of Judah, all the people of Jerusalem, as well as all the priests and the prophets. Then, according to 2 Kings 23:2, “he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord.” Josiah made sure there was no doubt in anyone’s minds what God had given to Moses in the book of the law for the nation of Israel to live by. God’s Word is more powerful than any word ever written or spoken. That is why God made clear in Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Josiah knew that he and the people must abide in God’s Law and live wholeheartedly for Him, according to His Word. Then, we read in 2 Kings 23:3, “The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant.” Josiah promised to obey God and His Word.

Challenge & Application

Why did Josiah gather all of the people from the kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem? How are you obeying God and His Word each day?

Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!

Devotionals from this week

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Day 1

The book of 2 Kings is all about the failures of the kings who ruled Israel and Judah, which eventually led to their exile because of God’s judgment on the nation. God used Jeremiah and other unnamed prophets to record the book of 2 Kings. In 2 Kings 1–13, God had Jeremiah record the ministry of the prophet Elisha and the nation of Israel’s c...

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Day 2

Josiah walked in the ways of his father David. King David was not Josiah’s biological father, but the phrase “David his father” is a common biblical expression meaning “his ancestor.” We find this recorded about Josiah in 2 Chronicles 34:3, “For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of his father...

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Day 3

The temple restoration was underway, and we find in 2 Kings 22:8 that Hilkiah, the high priest, found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. Hilkiah gave it to Shaphan the scribe, and Shaphan read it. Then, Shaphan read it in the presence of King Josiah. Although we know that King Josiah walked in the ways of his father David, he had n...

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Day 4

Josiah had sent Hilkiah, Shaphan, and the other men to inquire what God’s plan was for the nation of Judah after hearing from the book of the law. These men went to a prophetess, Huldah, and inquired what God had in store according to His Word. Huldah authenticated the book as God’s Word and then prophesied disaster for Jerusalem because the ...

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Day 5

Josiah wasted no time after hearing the report Huldah the prophetess had given. King Josiah gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem, along with all the men of Judah, all the people of Jerusalem, as well as all the priests and the prophets. Then, according to 2 Kings 23:2, “he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the coven...

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Day 6

Josiah quickly began to follow through on his promise to keep God’s Word. He ordered a full cleansing of the false religious idols. He ordered the removal and destruction of objects, altars, and images associated with idol worship from God’s Temple and throughout Jerusalem. He ordered the pulling down of the high places and altars used for ch...

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Day 7

After King Josiah’s death, Pharaoh Necho of Egypt placed Jehoahaz (son of Josiah) as king over Judah. Jehoahaz reigned three months before Pharaoh overthrew him. Pharaoh then imposed a heavy tribute on the land of Judah. Pharaoh replaced Jehoahaz with his brother Eliakim and renamed him Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim reigned for eleven years in Jerusal...

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