Year 5, Day 21: 2 Kings 23

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Bearing Fruit

• Bear Fruit: We bear fruit after we grow.  Bearing fruit is ultimately the goal of abiding and the goal of being called into the Kingdom of God.  However, while bearing fruit is our calling, it is not the end.  We bear fruit so that we can then prune, abide, grow, and bear more fruit in another season.  Bearing fruit is not the end, but rather only a portion of the whole rhythm of life into which God has called us.

What a neat story that we have before us!  And what’s sad is that this great king comes so close to the end of the reign of the kings. Even the great reforms of Josiah would not be enough to stave off the rebellion of the people.

However, this should not detract us from our learning from Josiah.  Look at what Josiah does.  He bears fruit.  He bears fruit all over the place!  He takes what God has given to him, abides in the presence of the Lord, and then actually goes out and impacts the world before him!

In the last chapter we saw Josiah go before the Lord.  In the last chapter we saw Josiah listen to the Word and allow himself to be convicted.  In this chapter we see him go through season after season of bearing fruit.  Although we aren’t explicitly told about them, I am sure that there were periods of rest and planning before getting ready to bear more fruit in the various stages that we see occurring.

What can we learn from Josiah?  Rest.  Abide in God’s Word.  Study, learn, focus.  And then put it to good use.  Bear the fruit that God has asked you to bear.  Bear the fruit that God has invited you to bear.

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