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.
The books of First and Second Kings track the kings of Israel and Judah from Solomon until the destruction of the two kingdoms. The author of Kings shares some of the significant events that occurred during the reigns of each king. And for each one, he compares them to the standards set by Jeroboam or David.
Jeroboam was the first king of Israel, the northern kingdom, after the split. Jeroboam made two golden calves and established them as the national gods. And every king who followed him, with one exception, is accused of following in the sin of Jeroboam. They were judged in a negative light.
In the southern kingdom of Judah, the standard by which other kings were graded was David. Two of Judah’s kings, Hezekiah and Josiah, lived fully up to the standard that David set. Many others compared somewhat favorably. And a few failed miserably.
Josiah followed shortly after Manasseh, Judah’s worst king, and the nation had fallen into apostasy. He began to reign when he was only eight years old. But he devoted himself to cleansing the land of idols, eliminating the high places, restoring the temple, and following the Torah.
The passage quoted above is the grade that was given to Josiah. And it is a legacy that all of us as followers of the Lord Jesus should aspire to. To be known as one who does what is right in the eyes of the Lord without turning aside to the right or the left. One who walks in all the ways of Jesus, our Savior and Lord. What an epitaph to have on your tombstone.
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