II Kings 23:28-37; Jeremiah 22:10-17; II Chronicles 35:20-36:4
[Josiah] judged the cause of the poor and needy;
Jeremiah 22:16
then it was well.
Is not this to know Me?
declares the LORD.
So, do you want to know the LORD better? Then perhaps a good place to look for improvement is in one’s care for the poor and needy. The LORD clearly cares about the poor and needy, and throughout the Scriptures He calls us to do likewise. The question is not whether we need to care for the poor, but how.
Some will immediately respond with “Vote for liberals” whose rhetoric claims concern for the little guy. I would commend such voters for their desire to help the poor, but I would ask, “Where is your compassion for the future generations who are saddled with an inconceivably large national debt burden, mostly driven by entitlement spending that we refuse to rein in?” We do not get to pat ourselves on the back for being generous with other people’s money, particularly that of future generations who have no say.
Others will immediately respond with “Give to charities” who help provide for the poor. Good! But does writing a check to the Salvation Army at Christmas really feel like knowing the LORD?
How many other immediate responses might there be, responses that do not really require much of us or involve our hearts to any depth?
All of that just goes to say that the question of how we care for the poor is not a trivial one. It is not something that we can quickly answer. It’s not a matter of checking a box and moving on. We need to give it serious, prayerful consideration. We need to understand who, in fact, is poor or needy — not just those anonymous and distant “masses”, but our neighbors and friends, perhaps ourselves. We need to seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance and to listen to His voice. We need to press on to truly help the poor. We need to press on to know the LORD.
2 Chronicles 35:20-21
I don’t quite understand these two verses. Was God really speaking to Necho? And was this the point where Egypt conquered Judah?
Seems like a turning point…
Am I missing something?
It seems to me that II Ch. 35:22 answers your question about whether God was really speaking to Neco: [Josiah] did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God… At the very least, it should be clear that Josiah here was foolish and imprudent, unnecessarily throwing himself into a conflict that was not his — and paying for it with his life. Neco was not attacking Judah, but was headed to Carchemish to try to take over the western part of the Assyrian Empire after the fall of Nineveh to the Babylonians. He gave fair warning to Josiah to stay out of his way, but Josiah didn’t listen. We are not really told why. In any case, it’s pretty much the only negative thing said about Josiah.
And yes, it does seem that at this point Judah essentially becomes a vassal of Egypt, with Neco calling the shots as to who is king, deposing Jehoahaz/Shallum after only three months and hauling him off to Egypt while installing his brother, Jehoiakim/Eliakim, on the throne and imposing a tribute.
Turning point? Definitely. The death of Josiah marks the end of any good kings of Judah. It’s all downhill from here…