18 But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard,19 because your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the Lord, when you heard how I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. 20 Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place.’” And they brought back word to the king.
(II Kings 22)
Josiah. As soon as you see the name at the beginning of this chapter, it's like a deep breath of fresh air. He was one of those kings who did right in the sight of the Lord. This was just after one of the most wicked ones. As soon as he was mature, he sought to rebuild the temple. While that was being done, they found the copy of the Law of God, which he had read. That led to his call for repentance and a seeking from God mentioned in the passage above. What was the key to his impact? He was penitent. He was willing to be shown where he and the things he was responsible for were wrong, then humbly ask forgiveness and seek to make things right. This twin spiritual virtue of humility - penitence, is just as rare, if not more so. What an approach to life: I don't know it all, and if I do, I'm sure I'll find where I'm wrong, so I will be teachable, approachable, and willing to admit my error, change my ways, and see what God will do with me and through me. What would today look like if we all aprroached life that way?
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