A Life in Exile

Truth is a word that carries a lot of weight and courts controversy. After all, one man’s truth may be another’s fiction. Moments before he is condemned to the cross, Jesus told Pilate, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate’s response: “What is truth?”

For those who know the Truth and have been set free by His power, we recognize the person of Jesus Christ as the Truth, because all He said and did on this earth, He did in perfect obedience to the Father. We, who follow Him, know that His Word carries that same truth, as God has spoken throughout the millennium to convey His plan to the world.

What we find, as we read the Bible, is that God’s methods of sharing truth are far from conventional. It came through visions, angelic visitations, prophets, the incarnated Son, and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. While we can accept truth coming through such avenues, God doesn’t limit His ways to get His message across.

This raises a question: Can we ignore the truth just because we don’t like the way we heard it? This question came to my mind as I recently read the story of King Josiah. We know from Scripture that he was one of the good ones.

Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left. (2 Kings 22:1-2 ESV)

I’ve always loved his story, and as a child was impressed that someone could become king at the age of eight! He was a good king and made great reforms for Judah. He repaired the Temple, knocked down lots of idols and places where false gods were worshiped, got rid of bad priests, and after the book of the Law was found during renovations, he reinstituted the observance of the Passover. All great and good stuff that honored God.

Josiah listened to truth from God’s Word

During the work on the Temple, a book was found. It was the Torah, the books of Moses, containing the Law and instructions for Israel. Look at Josiah’s reaction to what he heard.

Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king. When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.” (2 Kings 22:10-13)

This is one of the main reasons Josiah was viewed as a good king. He took to heart what was revealed in the Torah. He tore his clothes out of shame and as a sign of repentance, knowing that neither he nor the people had been living by God’s commands. He immediately sent men to inquire of the Lord about what was to be done, because he knew the Lord had every right to judge them for their disobedience.

All that is great. Josiah showed his sincerity in being obedient to the Lord and made every effort to restore his people to the right observance of all God had instituted in His Word. As a result, many reforms were made, and the Passover was reinstituted for the first time in centuries.

No Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as was kept by Josiah, and the priests and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept. (2 Chronicles 35:18-19)

Truth was conveyed. Josiah obeyed.

Truth from an unlikely source

Things were going well. Judah was at peace, but their neighbors were not. Neco, king of Egypt, had gone up to fight the Babylonians at Carchemish on the Euphrates River. This is not in Judah’s territory. This is not Judah’s fight. Josiah, however, couldn’t keep his nose out of their business for some reason, so he went out to meet Neco. The Egyptian king was not in the mood for conversation.

But he sent envoys to him, saying, “What have we to do with each other, king of Judah? I am not coming against you this day, but against the house with which I am at war. And God has commanded me to hurry. Cease opposing God, who is with me, lest he destroy you.”  (2 Chr. 35:21)

This is a very interesting message, because we learn that none other than God Almighty had directed King Neco to fight this battle. He was going in obedience to the One True God, and he warned Josiah to keep out of it or else. Or else what? That the God who was with him would destroy Judah’s king.

Now, that is ironic, wouldn’t you say? How many times had Israel or Judah, through prophets and kings, offered the same message to their enemies? Our God is for us, so watch out! But now, it’s a pagan Egyptian king speaking for Judah’s God.

Before we get to Josiah’s response, picture this scenario. Josiah is watching two of his enemies face off in battle, and he wants to be involved. Has he consulted his God? Had God sent a prophet or priest to him with a message to go out and fight? Why was he doing this? It’s clear from Scripture that it wasn’t in obedience to any command of God. So, let’s see what happens next.

Nevertheless, Josiah did not turn away from him, but disguised himself in order to fight with him. He did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, but came to fight in the plain of Megiddo. And the archers shot King Josiah. And the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded.” So his servants took him out of the chariot and carried him in his second chariot and brought him to Jerusalem. And he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. (2 Chr. 35:22-24)

Neco was speaking the truth. God had called him to move against Babylon, and Judah was not to be involved. Josiah ignored this truth because what did an Egyptian know about his God, anyway? He’s so eager to fight that he disguises himself to get into the battle. But Josiah’s refusal to listen to God’s truth, given through the mouth of the Egyptian king, led to his death. His disguise was no match for the Word of God, and the archer’s shot led to his destruction, as prophesied by an unlikely source.

How do we know what we hear is from God?

When we read the Word of God, we can rest confident that these words are truth. When words spoken by other believers, pastors, or teachers align with that same Word of God, we can trust them as truth. When we fail to consult God before seeking our own way, be prepared for God to speak through unwelcome or unlikely sources to get our attention.

Think about these from Scripture:

• Balaam’s donkey (Numbers 22:21-39)
• Balaam himself (Numbers 22-24)
• The boy Samuel to the Priest, Eli (1 Samuel 3:11-18)
• God spoke in a gentle whisper to Elijah (1 Kings 19:11-13)
• A servant girl who spoke to Naaman, the commander of the Aramean army (2 Kings 5)
• The High Priest’s prophecy about the one who must die (John 11:45-53)

Unconventional sources used by God to speak to those who needed a wake-up call to truth. Are you choosing to get involved where you don’t belong? Are you seeking to go your own way and not God’s? If you’re not seeking answers and guidance from the written Word and His Spirit, be prepared for God to use an unlikely method of conveying His message. He wants us to hear His voice and know His Truth. Don’t miss the opportunity to obey when it’s laid out there clearly, no matter how it’s shared. It might be your last chance.

Grace and Peace

If you missed the last Wednesday Wisdom, click HERE, or check out these posts on remaining Truth: God’s Word: The Antidote to Deception, Learning from the Past: Twenty-Seven, Beware of Crooked Speech, A Lion, Learning from the Past: Twenty-Three, and Walking in His Love: A Study of John’s Letters, 5.