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“After all this…Josiah…hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo” (2 Chronicles 35:20, 22).
This verse is very sad, for it shows us that even though we may have pleased the Lord for many years, yet we can be led astray by Satan, and fail to listen to what the Lord is saying to us. Josiah evidently did not like it that the king of Egypt was going to fight at Carchemish by the river Euphrates. To do this, the king of Egypt would have had to pass right through the land of Israel, and Josiah wanted to get involved. But it was not the mind of the Lord for Josiah to do so, and he would not listen to advice from Necho king of Egypt, even though it was a word from the Lord. The result was that the Lord allowed Josiah to be killed in the battle, at the age of only thirty-nine. How sad! Josiah had gotten rid of idols, had repaired the temple, and had kept a wonderful passover. Yet he died in battle because he would not listen to the word of the Lord.
This should be a lesson to all of us, for it is easy to become proud when the Lord has used us to honor Him, and then Satan can take advantage of us. Only by walking with the Lord can we be kept from doing what dishonors Him.
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