S) "2 The king went up to the house of the LORD and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the LORD."
2 Kings 23:2 (NASB)
O) In the preceding chapters, king Josiah ascended the throne of Judah at 8 years old, essentially because his dad was evil and was overthrown. He orders God's temple restored and, during reconstruction, the priests find the book of the covenant (law), as recorded through Moses. At this, he realizes that the kingdom may very well be completely doomed because of their years of transgressions and sinful kings. So, he immediately implements reforms. He begins by reading the book of the covenant. What really stood out, was that he gather people of every station of life. He wanted to be sure that his every subject, each person, knew about the covenant and knew what God was commanding them. As the leader, he understood leading by example, because he knew that the kings that preceded him had doomed the kingdom, but he made it clear that they would each be accountable on their own, as well.
A) There are such great parallels to be drawn between leading a family, and how the kings of old lead their nations. It sounds so cliche, but my house is like a little kingdom. My number one responsibility is to lead a life of integrity as I pursue holiness. In that, I will inherently bless my wife and children - first because I will be a covering for them, second because I am leading by example and they will pick some of that up just by exposure and proximity. But also, as I lead by example, I need to be proactive in teaching God's statutes, in mercy through Jesus Christ, particularly with my children. If I consider that I am as a high priest and king, and Kristin is a priestess herself, then she already knows so much, and there is little instruction or teaching I can do that would be new to her; mostly, I can encourage her to continue in what she already knows. My kids, though, are much more like the "small" that are mentioned. I cannot leave their education about God to their Sunday school teachers. I'm a huge fan of their teachers, but they need a king who is proactive in their lives.
P) Father, like Solomon, I am not wise enough to lead Your people on my own. Give me wisdom, LORD, that I may guide my family in truth and light, in Jesus' name. Holy Spirit, continue to educate me and impart knowledge of who You are, God. Give me insight to effectively encourage my wife and educate my children, that they would know what You require and also that they would know Your mercy and grace. Please help me to be a good example for them to imitate - but not for my sake. Let them see, through my life, that Your way is the only way to true life. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
A) There are such great parallels to be drawn between leading a family, and how the kings of old lead their nations. It sounds so cliche, but my house is like a little kingdom. My number one responsibility is to lead a life of integrity as I pursue holiness. In that, I will inherently bless my wife and children - first because I will be a covering for them, second because I am leading by example and they will pick some of that up just by exposure and proximity. But also, as I lead by example, I need to be proactive in teaching God's statutes, in mercy through Jesus Christ, particularly with my children. If I consider that I am as a high priest and king, and Kristin is a priestess herself, then she already knows so much, and there is little instruction or teaching I can do that would be new to her; mostly, I can encourage her to continue in what she already knows. My kids, though, are much more like the "small" that are mentioned. I cannot leave their education about God to their Sunday school teachers. I'm a huge fan of their teachers, but they need a king who is proactive in their lives.
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