II Kings 22:11 Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes.       

    Anyone who has ever been serious about developing a skill knows the joy and frustra-tion involved. I know as a musician this two-sided experience all too well. You work and work and start to really feel good about your playing. You may even have the opportunity to per-form and be praised by others for your ‘talent’. And then you attend a concert or see a YouTube video of someone else performing. Someone that plays the same instrument. Someone who has achieved a level of performance that you’ve only dreamed about. It’s at these moments that we consider burning our instruments and throwing it all in the trash!

    Josiah had been king of Judah for 18 years. Remarkably, he was only 26! His father had been king for over 50 years and was one of the most evil Judah had ever had. But Josiah did not follow his father’s pattern. He was a ‘good’ king. He did not follow the idolatrous ways of his father. 

    During this 18th year of his reign, he initiated a refurbishment of the temple. Workers were hired and the work proceeded. While the work was happening, a discovery was made. During some of the demolition, workers found the book of the Law. We would call it a Bible. It might not be surprising to find such a book in the temple, but for years or decades, they had not had it. It was purposely neglected for so long, it was forgotten. This was a real find! So it was brought to ‘good’ king Josiah and read in his presence. And he tore his clothes. 

    Why the clothes-tearing? This was a sign of great remorse. Josiah had real reasons to think he was good. Everyone said so. His father was a truly evil man. Realistically, it was not that hard to be ‘good’ by comparison! But when compared to the standard in the Law? Now Josiah could see his real need. When he heard the words of the Law, he was faced with God’s righteous standards.

    You see, with careful placement, I can reasonably assure that I will be seen as good. As long as I am being compared to other people, I can somewhat confidently find the ‘others’ that don’t compare well to myself. However, if I compare myself to God, what chance of goodness do I have? None, actually! But I have an advantage over Josiah: I have the New Testament! There I see that Jesus came for just such a predicament. He lived the life I never could: one of true righteousness. He died on the cross for my penalty, not His. If I accept His substitutionary death and come to Him in repentance, He will forgive me and declare His righteousness my own! 

    When I compare myself to others, I end up with lies. Either I feel worse than necessary or better than I deserve. I don’t need lies, I need truth. It’s the truth that will set me free! When I compare myself to God’s righteous standard, I will see my need for Jesus!

 

Blessings,     

Pastor Russ