Jehoiakim (Eliakim), Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah ruled in succession in Judah, and the common verdict on each was that he "did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God" (cf. 2 Chronicles 36:5, 9, 12). God repeatedly sent prophets to them, including the great prophet Jeremiah, but they did not listen. The Lord sent persistently to them by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and His dwelling place; but they kept mocking the messengers, despising His words, and scoffing at His prophets, "until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy" (a paraphrase of 2 Chronicles 36:15–16; cf. 36:12 on Jeremiah).

Even when the king and people of Judah were too far gone to prevent the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile, God still appealed to them, sending Jeremiah with His counsel to surrender to the Babylonian king. But again they did not listen (cf. Jeremiah 38).

Friends, as I reflect on how the last kings of Judah responded to God's prophets, I wonder how God sees our response to His Word, which we hear from week to week in the pulpit and, for some of us, from day to day in Scripture. Since I see few great changes in the lives of Christians from week to week, I presume one of two things must be happening: either (1) everyone is already spiritually mature, so that very little change is needed, or (2) many are blind to their own sin and deaf to Scripture's message, so that they neither perceive nor understand what needs to change. Then again, the preachers may be at fault, presenting God's Word in a way that tickles ears and obscures truth.

Josiah was one of the greatest kings, instituting all kinds of spiritual reforms throughout his kingdom; yet when he heard the Book of the Law read, he immediately tore his clothes in distress and mourning, realizing how far he and the people were from the obedience God required.

I experience a mix of emotions from day to day as I meditate on God's Word. Sometimes I am elated as I read of the wonder of God's grace. Other times I am a wreck when I think of my own present sinfulness. I find it strange that some people think I am "spiritual" because I talk or write this way. I wonder: if they think I am spiritual, how must they see themselves?!

It's like this. Let's say we all want to be chess masters. I am daily learning how to use the chess pieces most effectively, and I have won my first match. Does that make me a master? Everyone would say, "Of course not!" So why do some people think I am? I can only conclude that perhaps many haven't yet learned the game.

You see, I struggle every day to improve my game — by which I mean I am trying to remove the distractions, even idols, in my life that keep me from worshiping the Lord with my whole heart. But I have taken only baby steps. Replacing my smartphone with a basic phone was a baby step. Getting rid of cable TV was a baby step. These may be like Josiah going through the land tearing down altars to Baal and Asherah poles. Setting aside daily time in God's Word was a baby step. Starting a daily quiet time with my daughter was a baby step. These may be like Josiah finding the Book of the Law. Daily meditation on God's Word humbles me, because it reminds me of my deep spiritual shortcomings. It also grieves me, because I can see how some preachers twist and distort God's Word from the pulpit and lead biblically illiterate followers astray.

One thing is certain: no one can say we spend too much time in God's Word. Why? Because God's Word is no ordinary book, especially for believers. It is living and active. It judges and convicts. It is a fire that stirs to action — and not just any action, but the right action, what most pleases God. It is unlike any human word because it is inerrant. It is unlike any claim of experience because it is infallible. Apart from it, no one can know God as He must be known, and Jesus is known only through God's Word. Do you want to be spiritual? Why spend hundreds of dollars on a retreat or conference? The Word of God is free, and it will make you spiritual. Do you want to know your life's purpose? Do you want to know how to deal with hardship, confusion, and uncertainty? There is no better place to find answers than God's Word. It is better than any self-help book or seminar. Why waste time and money on counterfeits and secondary sources when you can go to the primary source of them all, the Word of God? We cannot be experts in everything, and not everything is of equal value. But for the Christian, this one thing is not optional. Every Christian must be an expert in the Word of God. God has removed every barrier except the stubbornness of our own wayward wills. We have no excuse. After all, our eternal destiny hangs in the balance.

AI-Expanded Reflection

2 Chronicles 36:15–16 is one of the most moving summaries of God's patience in the Old Testament. The Hebrew phrase translated "persistently" literally means "rising early and sending" — the picture of someone getting up at dawn, day after day, to send another messenger. Jeremiah uses the same expression repeatedly (Jeremiah 7:13, 25; 25:3–4). God's final judgment came not because He was eager to punish but because every appeal had been refused, "until there was no remedy." Jesus told a parable with the same shape — a vineyard owner who sent servant after servant and finally his own son (Mark 12:1–9).

Yet the Chronicler does not end his book with destruction. The very last verses (36:22–23) record the decree of Cyrus allowing the exiles to return and rebuild the temple, "that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled." The Hebrew Bible, in its traditional order, ends with Chronicles, so its final word is a call to go up to Jerusalem. The comment's call to respond to God's Word with humility, as Josiah did, is set within that larger hope: the God who judged His people also kept His promise to restore them.

Never since the time of the prophet Samuel had there been such a Passover. None of the kings of Israel had ever kept a Passover as Josiah did, involving all the priests and Levites, all the people of Jerusalem, and people from all over Judah and Israel. (2 Chronicles 35:18 NLT)

King Josiah then issued this order to all the people: “You must celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God, as required in this Book of the Covenant.” There had not been a Passover celebration like that since the time when the judges ruled in Israel, nor throughout all the years of the kings of Israel and Judah. (2 Kings 23:21, 22 NLT)

None of the kings of Israel, not even David and Solomon, had celebrated the Passover as Josiah did. It was not that they did not celebrate the Passover, for they did, for even his great-grandfather Hezekiah celebrated it. But they did not do it in the same manner Josiah did. What was different? I surmise that Josiah did it more properly, with every priest and Levite fulfilling their respective roles and with the participation of all the people in Jerusalem and throughout Judah and Israel. And perhaps among all the celebrants of this religious festival none were ever as generous as Josiah in contributing from his own flocks and herds (2 Chronicles 35:7). We are told that Josiah celebrated in exact accord with what was required by the Law of Moses (i.e. "Book of the Covenant") (2 Chronicles 35:6). This goes back to the discovery of the Book of the Law by Hilkiah the priest. When Josiah heard the Law of Moses, he learned it, and then carefully obeyed it with all his heart.

What is more, consider this final reflection on the reign of King Josiah in the annals of the Kings:

Never before had there been a king like Josiah, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and soul and strength, obeying all the laws of Moses. And there has never been a king like him since. (2 Kings 23:25 NLT)

Wow! Never before had there been a king like Josiah and never after him to the date of the writing of Kings, which was post-Exile, when there were no more kings. What was so unique about Josiah? He "turned to the LORD with all his heart and soul and strength, obeying all the laws of Moses." This is exactly what God desired of His people and His king. King Hezekiah receives similar accolades, and, of course, King David as well; however, even theirs are not as singular as Josiah's in elevating depth of devotion.

If there is only one blemish in Josiah's record, it is only the very last event of his life, when he disguised himself and went out to battle against King Neco of Egypt, who was going out in obedience to God's command. King Neco was likely not a God-fearing king; nevertheless, God was using him. Josiah had no business getting in the way. Presumably Josiah did not inquire of the LORD and so could not have known that God was using Neco. Perhaps this incident is what kept this greatest of kings from achieving a greater name among the kings and saints of old.

But I would like to highlight Josiah's faithfulness rather than his failure today. I mentioned yesterday that his faithfulness began at a young age, for he began to personally seek the Lord when he was just sixteen years old. He may have had some godly influence before then by his very repentant grandfather, Manasseh. He probably learned the consequences of disobedience to the LORD from his dad Amon, who had both a short reign (just two years) and life.

Josiah from age sixteen to twenty devoted himself to knowing the LORD. After this, he instituted spiritual reforms in keeping with what he learned. Then, when he discovered the Book of the Law, he fully embraced God's revealed Word, taught it to the people, and commanded absolute allegiance to it from everyone. One of the first things he reinstituted was the proper celebration of the Passover to the LORD, which is what we read about in our text today.

Friends, some of you have fallen off in your devotion to reading and meditating on God's Word. I don't want to rebuke you for this, for I think you already feel your own internal rebuke by the Holy Spirit. But I do want to encourage you. I have been more consistent than many in daily reading and meditating on God's Word not because of any special gift or power of my own. But these are some of the things that God has brought into my life to help me remain consistent and growing:

1. Make reading and meditating on God's Word the priority. Notice I did not say "a" priority but "the" priority. When things are "a" priority, it just becomes one of many priorities, and our sinful minds often make things that are not priorities as priorities, so that designating something a priority makes no difference in our lives. Now, when you make something "the" priority, then you will not "try to find time for it." It will command not only a regular daily time but also command all or most of your discretionary time as well. You will not put it aside for "special occasions" but plan every event around it. And just as you would not skip work on threat of losing your job, only sickness and death should keep you from doing it.

2. Do what it takes to increase your motivation for God's Word. In other words, don't make excuses for not doing it, but be proactive and creative in addressing every excuse. Is God's Word too hard to understand? You can purchase any one of thousands of books that give you all kinds of background information on the Scriptures to help you better understand it (e.g. Benware's Introductions to the OT and NT). You can also read the comments on this site. You can also Google your questions to find answers. Do you need more inspiration? Join a discipleship group. Or find a class to take in one of the seminaries. Do whatever you have to do to encourage your reading of God's Word.

3. Share God's Word with others. Perhaps the single most motivating thing for me with respect to reading and meditating on God's Word is sharing with others, whether through face-to-face meetings or through this website. Giving to others, that is, sharing and teaching others, helps me to see my own need and makes me want to read and study the Bible more. When others are blessed, I assure you that I am blessed even more. Most people are too squeamish about sharing because they feel inadequate, but as anyone who teaches foreign languages will tell you, the best way to learn a new language is to make a fool of yourself. And when you share, you will likely make a fool of yourself at first and think that you have nothing meaningful to share. But if you remain humble and persevere, you will not remain this way. If it encourages you, so-called "experienced" pastors, theologians and teachers make fools of themselves every day, but their lack of humility in recognizing that they too need to remain learners makes them worse off than you. At least you know that you don't know anything, but they think they do (1 Corinthians 8:2).

4. Do it when you feel like it and when you don't. Emotions govern so much of what we do, but in regard to reading and meditating on God's Word, decide from the first that you will do it when you feel like it and also when you don't feel like it. In other words, determine in your hearts that your emotions will not impact your daily devotion. Sometimes we fail against the negative sway of feelings, but those who decide early and practice diligently to resist the sway of emotion will find greater success than those who do not.

5. Don't give up. Don't postpone. Don't take a break. It is in committing to a regular and unceasing discipline that you will find success. I recommend a daily discipline. I recommend having a clear reading plan. I recommend at least a one-year plan, for anything beyond this (e.g. reading the Bible in two years or three, etc.) seems too little for you to have a good context for what you are reading from day to day. I recommend you don't jump around the Bible (e.g. some plans have you read Psalms, Proverbs, NT, and OT each day), for this also confuses contexts and makes you susceptible to the pitfall of "proof-texting" (i.e. reading into the Bible your own meaning). And if you find yourself getting behind in your readings, I recommend you stay on your plan and take extra time (as you can find it) to read what you missed from past days. The negative psychological impact of always "catching up" can be very discouraging, so by staying on schedule, at least you can know that you are current, even if there are misses in the past. If you go on vacation, take your Bible with you. If you want to do a Book study (e.g. on Romans), do it in addition to your reading, not instead of your reading. And if you are reading books about the Bible, these too should supplement your daily readings and not displace them.

6. Increase your disciplines over time. When you discover that your daily discipline of reading and meditating on God's Word has become both a daily habit and part of your lifestyle, then consider increasing your discipline with other disciplines. Once again, only do this when you have the first discipline firmly in hand. Here are some suggestions: (1) Add to your daily discipline a daily memorization of God's Word. I recommend you memorize whole books of the Bible (or at least no less than a chapter) rather than verses, because then you will understand the context of what you memorize and not fall into the trap of proof-texting (i.e. reading into the verse your own meaning). (2) Add to your daily discipline a daily ministry of sharing God's Word. Find some venue, like this dailyqt.org or a blog or through Facebook, where you can share what God is teaching you in His Word, so that you can minister to others as He has ministered to you. I hope you would include me in your ministry, as I would love to hear and learn from you.

7. Encourage others to do this. What I've shared here is my testimony of seeking the Lord in His Word. If you are blessed by it, I hope you will pass it on to others.

AI-Expanded Reflection

Josiah's Passover joins textual attentiveness, communal participation, and material generosity. The account specifies the roles of priests and Levites, the preparation of offerings, and the king's provision for the people. It therefore presents more than an unusually moving religious event. The rediscovered law reshapes a public practice, and leadership supplies the resources that make participation possible. The comparison with previous celebrations commends this exceptional observance without implying that worship had been wholly absent under every earlier king.

The original's seven recommendations apply that movement from hearing to doing to daily Bible reading. Their strongest feature is that they treat sustained attention as something cultivated rather than awaited. Making a regular time, seeking help with difficult passages, discussing discoveries, and returning after interruptions can make a vague intention workable. Sharing also reveals gaps in understanding: explaining a paragraph to someone else forces us to ask how its claims fit together. Humility turns that exposure into learning rather than defensive performance.

Several distinctions keep these practices serving their proper purpose. A one-year plan and memorization of whole chapters are useful recommendations, but Scripture does not prescribe one pace for every reader. Slower reading may be appropriate for a difficult text, a developing reader, or someone with limited capacity. Reading in several biblical books is not inherently proof-texting; proof-texting occurs when context is ignored or misused. Conversely, reading sequentially does not by itself prevent it. A practical plan should protect comprehension and obedience, not become an additional law by which people rank their devotion.

The final incident in Josiah's life adds a searching counterpoint. A strong record of reverence did not make him incapable of a disastrous present decision. Second Chronicles 35:22 says that Neco's warning came from God; it does not explain all the processes by which Josiah should have recognized it. The event nevertheless reminds readers that accumulated knowledge and yesterday's faithful habits do not eliminate today's need for teachability. Spiritual discipline should make us more receptive to correction, not more certain that correction must be unnecessary.

The Passover’s organization offers another practical insight: devotion is helped by provision. Josiah gives animals for those who need them, and leaders arrange service so that the people can participate (2 Chronicles 35:7–15). In a contemporary reading community, an equivalent concern may involve helping a new reader understand an unfamiliar genre, providing accessible audio, or creating a discussion in which questions are welcome. Encouraging discipline is more loving when accompanied by the means that make the discipline possible. We should not mistake a person’s difficulty with a plan for indifference before considering the obstacles they face. Shared practices become a ministry of support when experienced readers help others enter the text rather than merely reporting how much they themselves have completed.

The most fruitful daily question is therefore not only “Did I complete the reading?” but “What did this passage actually communicate, and what response does it require?” Some days the response will be repentance, others gratitude, patient endurance, or a revised assumption. Consistency creates repeated opportunities for that encounter. When interruptions occur, returning to the Word is itself an act of dependence; despair over a broken streak need not become a second reason to stay away.

In 2 Chronicles 35:20–22, Josiah refuses to heed the LORD's warning delivered through Necho, Pharaoh of Egypt, with fatal consequences. Though Josiah remains a hero in my eyes, this always pains me — is no good king immune to moral failure in his later years? Solomon, Ahaz, Hezekiah, and now Josiah: good kings for the most part, yet each eventually took his eyes off the LORD, presumably out of pride, and it cost them dearly. In every case these men knew right from wrong but chose to persist stubbornly in sin. What is my own stubbornness, that I'm unwilling to fully listen to and obey God? Have you considered the steadfastness of your own faith? If you're like me, you know the joy of the LORD in your salvation — what He's wholly and independently accomplished for you — yet you still feel the pain of not being fully devoted to Him. I'm reminded today of the need for daily humility before the Lord. No matter how well we've lived so far, we're always only one decision away from failure; as long as our wills remain free in this life, the possibility of sin remains. Paul needed his thorn in the flesh to daily remind him of his need for God's sufficient grace (a reference to 2 Corinthians 12:7–9). As we read God's Word and pray daily, may we be reminded of our own need for that same grace.

AI-Expanded Reflection

This comment's list of kings undone late in their reigns is worth extending with a detail that makes it more sobering still: unlike Solomon, Ahaz, or even Hezekiah's brief lapse of pride before Babylonian envoys, Josiah's fatal decision at Megiddo wasn't a slow drift into idolatry or self-reliance — by every other measure he remained faithful to the end, which is exactly what makes 2 Chronicles 35:22's brief note that he disguised himself and refused to heed even a foreign king's warning so unsettling. It suggests moral failure late in life doesn't always look like abandoning one's convictions; sometimes it looks like a single moment of self-confidence in an otherwise faithful life — a considerably harder danger to guard against than obvious apostasy.

Josiah didn't only reinstitute the Passover — he personally supplied the sacrificial animals, giving thirty thousand lambs and goats and three thousand cattle from his own possessions, an example his officials then followed with voluntary gifts of their own (a paraphrase of 2 Chronicles 35:7–8). This stands in stark contrast to what Jesus found centuries later: money changers and animal-sellers profiting off Passover pilgrims in the temple court, which led Jesus to overturn their tables and rebuke them for turning a house of prayer into a den of robbers, deliberately echoing Jeremiah's earlier warning to Judah just before Jerusalem fell (a paraphrase of Mark 11:15–18; Jeremiah 7:9–11). This Passover, held in Josiah's eighteenth year, was unmatched in Israel since the days of Samuel (a paraphrase of 2 Chronicles 35:18–19) — yet the reforms didn't outlast Josiah, as the next four kings reverted to Judah's old patterns. Even Levitical law made allowance for the poor, permitting doves or even flour in place of a lamb they couldn't afford, which raises the question of personal cost: when David bought Araunah's threshing floor to build an altar, he insisted on paying full price rather than offering God something that cost him nothing (a paraphrase of 2 Samuel 24:24). What does it cost us to worship, or is it costing us nothing? Paul's charge to offer our whole selves as a living sacrifice, not conformed to the world but transformed in mind, captures the same principle for believers today (a paraphrase of Romans 12:1–2).

AI-Expanded Reflection

The parallel this comment draws between Josiah's Temple and Jesus's temple-cleansing carries an additional layer worth noting: Josiah's reforms took place around 622 BC, roughly two generations before Jeremiah's ministry and the actual fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC, meaning the very generation that witnessed Judah's most thorough revival was also the generation whose grandchildren rebuilt the exact abuses Jeremiah condemned. That timeline underscores how quickly institutional reform can outlive the personal devotion that produced it — Josiah could purify Temple worship by royal decree, but he couldn't transmit the heart behind it to his successors, which is precisely the gap Paul's language of a transformed mind, rather than an externally imposed reform, is written to close.

Friends,

How are you doing in your daily Bible reading? I imagine some of you will say, "Great! Praise God!" while others might say, "Not so good — please pray for me." Either way, I want to encourage you with Psalm 19:7–10, which describes God's law as perfect, refreshing the soul; His statutes as trustworthy, making the simple wise; His precepts as right, bringing joy to the heart; His commands as radiant, giving light to the eyes; the fear of the LORD as pure, enduring forever; His ordinances as sure and altogether righteous — more precious than gold, even much pure gold, and sweeter than honey from the honeycomb (a paraphrase of Psalm 19:7–10).

Persevere, dear friends. In this dark world, what a privilege it is for us to have the written, inspired, inerrant Word of God to guide us. Let's feast on God's Word in large measure, because we may yet see a return to a time of judgment — when God sends not a famine of food, but far worse, a famine of hearing His Word at all, a time when people would stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, and simply not finding it (a paraphrase of Amos 8:11–12).

AI-Expanded Reflection

The contrast Yujin draws between these two passages is worth sitting with directly: Psalm 19 describes God's Word as something people already have in abundance, sweeter than honey and more valuable than gold, while Amos describes a coming famine of that very same thing — not because God stops speaking, but because a nation's persistent unfaithfulness (the specific charge running through the rest of Amos) eventually results in silence where revelation once was. Read together, they're less a contradiction than a warning: the richness Psalm 19 celebrates isn't guaranteed to remain available regardless of how it's treated. Amos's famine isn't God being petty — it's God eventually withdrawing what a people had already stopped valuing in practice, long before He confirmed it in judgment.