Josiah Dies in Battle
20 After all this, when Josiah had set the [d]temple in order, Neco king of Egypt came up to make war at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to engage him. 21 But [e]Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “What have we to do with each other, O King of Judah? I am not coming against you today but against the house with which I am at war, and God has ordered me to hurry. Stop for your own sake from interfering with God who is with me, so that He will not destroy you.” 22 However, Josiah would not turn [f]away from him, but disguised himself in order to make war with him; nor did he listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, but came to make war on the plain of Megiddo. 23 The archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded.” 24 So his servants took him out of the chariot and carried him in the second chariot which he had, and brought him to Jerusalem [g]where he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. 25 Then Jeremiah chanted a lament for Josiah. And all the male and female singers speak about Josiah in their lamentations to this day. And they made them an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are also written in the Lamentations. 26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his deeds of devotion as written in the law of the Lord, 27 and his acts, first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
For all Josiah’s wisdom and devotion to God, it only took one foolish decision to bring his life to an untimely end. No doubt he expected God to protect him, but that’s a difficult ask when one isn’t following the will of God. Yes, he most certainly protects us from ourselves often, but Josiah had been warned and still rushed headlong into this battle. He even mimics the foolish tactics of the evil king Ahab, who tried to disguise himself and was mortally wounded.
The same fate befell Josiah, but we need not go down that path if we guard our hearts and listen always for God’s voice. Yes, we will make mistakes, but we must keep our hearts from pride, as it will drag us down into the depths, or worse.
In whatever we do, it can be tempting to take credit for more than we deserve. Instead, we should give all credit to God, since everything we have and everything we are is His doing from the beginning. No one else deserves glory and thanks for our accomplishments–they aren’t even our accomplishments, but His work through our lives.
So seek God’s face, his will, his direction, and no matter the result, give thanks and glory to God. Keep your heart pure and devoted to building His kingdom, instead of your own, and see what God can accomplish in your life.