Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet him; but when Pharaoh Neco met him at Megiddo, he killed him.”
NL Daily Devotion for Saturday, December 2, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Even the best kings were not exempt from God’s “wrath.” Yesterday’s devotion was all about how Josiah was so wonderful there had never been a king like him before or after. Yet he was killed in battle at the tender age of 39, simply because God decided to “remove Judah out of my sight.” He was followed by four rotten kings and then Judah was conquered by the Babylonians. I suppose the chroniclers of Israel and Judah needed some kind of explanation for why such an amazing—such a truly good king would be cut down in his prime. Usually God’s punishment was for bad behavior. In this case, it was utterly capricious.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. God doesn’t randomly punish people. God doesn’t even punish people when they absolutely deserve it. Bad things just happen. God moves in our spirits, in our lives, to help us respond to bad things. God stands in solidarity with us, suffering with us, sharing our place, and strengthens us to move forward through it. It’s sad that Josiah died young, that Judah suffered under bad rulers, and was eventually conquered. But God didn’t make it happen. Instead, God was in the midst of the people, loving them through their circumstances until they once again came home.
How had God helped me respond to challenges in my life?
