The Fatal Flaw of a King
Reflective Reading: II Chronicles 35
Jesus said in Matthew 24:12, “Because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” This is what’s happening right before our eyes—people are losing heart and their trust in leadership is dissolving on all levels. Our nation has lost respect authority, and has resorted to every man doing that which is right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25). Law is the foundation for a righteous nation. When law is no longer respected, the door opens for violence. When violence increases, fear begins to rule. When fear rules, people are brought into bondage. When people sense bondage, they will either flee to escape, or fight to regain their freedom.
What can be done? We must raise our children to respect and pray for authority, to honor those who protect our communities, and confront and replace those who abuse that authority. Young boys must grow up learning to be strong and courageous, and act like a man (1 Kings 2:2). But above all to let everything you do be done in love (1st Corinthians 16:14). It is righteousness that exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people (Proverbs 14:34).
Edmund Burke once wrote, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” If you read through the Old Testament, you will see many leaders who did just that—nothing. So goes the leader, so goes the country, the businesses, the churches, the schools, and the homes. Everything rises and falls on leadership.
One of the greatest leader-kings of all time was King Josiah. In 2nd Kings 23:25 it is said of him,
There had been no king like him before him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his strength, in obeying everything in the Law of Moses. No king arose like Josiah after him.
What a testimony! If you read more about King Josiah’s life you will find that God blessed him because of his humble heart:
Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the LORD. Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace (2 Kings 22:19,20a).
I love the description of this amazing king who rose into leadership at the ripe young age of eight. He inspires me and I have always wanted to be like him—with the exception of his one fatal flaw. Within the lesser-known passage of 2nd Chronicles 35 we read about this flaw—and its devastating consequences.
The scene unfolds with King Necho of Egypt, who marched through Israel to fight against the king of Assyria at Carchemish. Since the trade route of the Mediterranean was the only route for the army to take, King Necho sends ambassadors to Josiah with a very important message:
“What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.”
King Josiah, however, didn’t like the idea of a foreign king marching through his land, so he decided to stop him and drive him away. King Necho didn’t want to fight, but King Josiah wasn’t backing down. Oddly enough, Josiah disguised himself before entering the battle. He knew that the they would try to kill him if they had the opportunity. Fear always causes concealment. While overseeing the battle from his chariot, King Josiah received a fatal arrow and, before the evening is over, he was dead. What a tragic ending for such a righteous king! Time out! This doesn’t make sense. God told him that he was going to die in peace, remember?
…and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace (2 Kings 22:20).
Did God get it wrong? No. King Josiah got it wrong and as a result, he died prematurely. In 2nd Chronicles 35:22 we read,
King Josiah harkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.
King Necho, the foreign king of the Egyptians, was speaking words from the mouth of God/Elohim. If you find this a little hard to believe, then you can imagine what King Josiah must have thought! But that is what God does. He speaks to us from all sides. He speaks to us through our enemies and our friends. What is needed is discernment to know when God is speaking. What then caused Josiah’s lack of discernment? His fatal flaw: pride.
Tragically, Josiah forgot what made him great. He began with a tender heart and a humble spirit, and God raised him up (2 Kings 22:19,20; I Peter 5:6). He ended with pride, disguise, and fear and he died prematurely.
Where are you in the battle? Battles are won when our hearts are tender, our spirits humble, and when we listen to those who speak the truth to us. God sends his truth in all kinds of packages and people. His truth may come in the form of a book, a message, a song, or even an enemy. We just have to learn to listen.
Mark Hamby
M.S., M. Div., Th. M., D. Min.
Recommended Reading:
Jack the Conqueror book/audiobook(Ages 6+)
Helen’s Temper and Its Consequences (Ages 6+)
Titus: A Comrade of the Cross book/audio (Ages 12+)
Treasure of the Secret Cove book/audio (Ages 12+)
