By Ryan Kelly –

My own quiet time here lately has been spent in first and second Kings. I really enjoy history, so learning about the different kingdoms of Israel and Judah and their political interworking is a true joy to me.

One thing that is striking to me how few of the kings followed God’s path for their lives and for His people. My reading today from 2 Kings 21 describes King Josiah as a man who “did right in the eyes of the Lord.” Josiah is the son of king Amon, who sinned against the Lord by worshiping false God’s and allowing sin to prevail in Israel. Instead of taking the easy path of following his father, he rejected sin and blazed a new path for the nation that lasted for more than 30 years.

What I love about the description of Josiah, which is shared by only a handful of King’s in Judah’s history, is that he is not described as perfect or ideal. Rather, he aligned with the Lord’s teachings and sought to glorify him by rejecting sin in Judah, tearing down the high places and Baal statues, and bringing the nation back to the Lord.

Oh how we need this in our world today!

If you want to have a label placed on yourself about what you stand for, why not aim for being “someone who does what is right in the eyes of the Lord?” This is absolutely what I strive for in my life, and I hope and pray the same for you.

2 Kings 22: 2 – “He did what was right in the LORD’s sight, walking in the way of David his father, not turning right or left.”