1. GOD’S PLAN REJECTED Sunday March 26

a. What had the Lord promised to ancient Israel if they would be faithful to Him? Exodus 19:5, 6; What was their responsibility toward the heathen nations? Malachi 1:11. “God, in His infinite wisdom, chose Israel as the depositary of priceless treasures of truth for all nations. He gave them His law as the standard of the character they were to develop before the world, before angels, and before the unfallen worlds. They were to reveal to the world the laws of the government of heaven. By precept and example they were to bear a decided testimony for the truth. The glory of God, His majesty and power, were to be revealed in all their prosperity. They were to be a kingdom of priests and princes. God furnished them with every facility for becoming the greatest nation on the earth.”–The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 4, pp. 1180, 1181. b. What great evil provoked God’s displeasure against Israel? 1 Kings 11:7–10; Jeremiah 32:32–35. What warnings are given for these last days? “Children are not to be trained to be the devotees of society. They are not to be sacrificed to Molech, but they are to become members of the Lord’s family. Parents are to be filled with the compassion of Christ, that they may work for the salvation of the souls that are placed under their influence. They are not to have their minds all engrossed in the fashions and practices of the world. They are not to educate their children to attend parties and concerts and dances, to have and attend feasts, because after this manner the Gentiles walk.”–Child Guidance, p. 181.

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2. HOPE ON THE HORIZON Monday March 27

a. What were God’s truehearted people doing amidst this wickedness? Habakkuk 1:2–4. “From a human point of view the divine purpose for the chosen nation seemed almost impossible of accomplishment. The apostasy of former centuries had gathered strength with the passing years; ten of the tribes had been scattered among the heathen; only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained, and even these now seemed on the verge of moral and national ruin. The prophets had begun to foretell the utter destruction of their fair city, where stood the temple built by Solomon, and where all their earthly hopes of national greatness had centered. Could it be that God was about to turn aside from His avowed purpose of bringing deliverance to those who should put their trust in Him? In the face of the long-continued persecution of the righteous, and of the apparent prosperity of the wicked, could those who had remained true to God hope for better days?”–Prophets and Kings, pp. 384, 385. b. Whom did God use while King Josiah did the work of reformation? Jeremiah 1:2. What is recorded about King Josiah? 2 Kings 22:1, 2. “With the accession of Josiah to the throne, where he was to rule for thirty-one years, those who had maintained the purity of their faith began to hope that the downward course of the kingdom was checked. . . . Born of a wicked king, beset with temptations to follow in his father’s steps, and with few counselors to encourage him in the right way, Josiah nevertheless was true to the God of Israel.”–Prophets and Kings, p. 384.

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3. THE BASIS OF TRUE REFORM Tuesday March 28

a. At the beginning of Josiah’s reformation, what was providentially found in the temple? 2 Kings 22:8–10. “[The prophesied] reform movement, by which threatened judgments were averted for a season, was brought about in a wholly unexpected manner through the discovery and study of a portion of Holy Scripture that for many years had been strangely misplaced and lost. . . .“The long-lost manuscript was found in the temple by Hilkiah, the high priest, while the building was undergoing extensive repairs in harmony with King Josiah’s plan for the preservation of the sacred structure.”–Prophets and Kings, pp. 392, 393. b. How did Josiah react when he heard about the content of the long-lost manuscript, and how did the Lord answer the king? 2 Kings 22:11–20. “When Josiah heard the words of warning and condemnation because Israel had trampled upon the precepts of heaven, he humbled himself. He wept before the Lord. He made a thorough work of repentance and reformation, and God accepted his efforts. The whole congregation of Israel entered into a solemn covenant to keep the commandments of Jehovah. This is our work today. We must repent of the past evil of our doings, and seek God with all our hearts. We must believe that God means just what He says, and make no compromise with evil in any way. We should greatly humble ourselves before God, and consider any loss preferable to the loss of His favor.”–The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 2, p. 1038.

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4. JOSIAH, A TRUE REFORMER Wednesday March 29

a. After receiving an answer from the Lord, what did Josiah immediately do? 2 Kings 23:1–14. “The royal reader was deeply affected, and he delivered his message with the pathos of a broken heart. His hearers were profoundly moved. The intensity of feeling revealed in the countenance of the king, the solemnity of the message itself, the warning of judgments impending–all these had their effect, and many determined to join with the king in seeking forgiveness. . . .“In the reformation that followed, the king turned his attention to the destruction of every vestige of idolatry that remained. So long had the inhabitants of the land followed the customs of the surrounding nations in bowing down to images of wood and stone, that it seemed almost beyond the power of man to remove every trace of these evils. But Josiah persevered in his effort to cleanse the land.”–Prophets and Kings, pp. 400, 401. b. What prophecy about Josiah, uttered three centuries before, did he literally fulfill? 1 Kings 13:1, 2; 2 Kings 23:15–20. “Three centuries had passed. During the reformation wrought by Josiah, the king found himself in Bethel, where stood this ancient altar. The prophecy uttured so many years before in the presence of Jeroboam, was now to be literally fulfilled.” –Prophets and Kings, p. 402.

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5. SPIRITUAL REVIVAL Thursday March 30

a. What important service was re-established to increase faith and unity among God’s people? 2 Chronicles 35:1, 16–19. “Josiah had read to priests and people the Book of the law found in the side of the ark in the house of God. His sensitive conscience was deeply stirred as he saw how far the people had departed from the requirements of the covenant they had made with God.”–The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 2, p. 1038.“The king sought further to establish the faith of Judah in the God of their fathers by holding a great Passover feast, in harmony with the provisions made in the book of the law. Preparation was made by those having the sacred services in charge, and on the great day of the feast, offerings were freely made. ‘There was not holden such a Passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah’ (2 Kings 23:22).”– Prophets and Kings, p. 405. b. Apart from his good work, what serious mistake did King Josiah make that brought his life to a sudden end? 2 Chronicles 35:20–24. What should we learn from this? “Because Josiah died in battle, who will charge God with denying His word that Josiah should go to his grave in peace? The Lord did not give orders for Josiah to make war on the king of Egypt. When the Lord gave the king of Egypt orders that the time had come to serve Him by warfare, and the ambassadors told Josiah not to make war on Necho, no doubt Josiah congratulated himself that no word from the Lord had come directly to him. To turn back with his army would have been humiliating, so he went on. And because of this, he was killed in battle, a battle that he should not have had anything to do with. The man who had been so greatly honored by the Lord, did not honor the word of God. The Lord had spoken in his favor, predicted good things for him; and Josiah became self-confident, and failed to heed the warning. He went against the word of God, choosing to follow his own way, and God could not shield him from the consequences of his act. In this our day men choose to follow their own desires and their own will. Can we be surprised that there is so much spiritual blindness?”–The SDA Bible Commentary [E. G. White Comments], vol. 2, pp. 1039, 1040.

REVIEW AND THOUGHT QUESTIONS Friday March 31

1. In what ways might we be sacrificing our children to Molech? 2. How did God give hope to Judah? 3. How is Josiah an inspiration for us today? 4. What shows that Josiah was truly serious about reformation? 5. How may we be in danger of repeating the weak ending of Josiah?