This is it, the last entry in our Proverbs 31 Men series. We have looked at 22 men in 27 Memos (including this one) who embodied and exemplified the characteristics of a godly man described in Proverbs 31. I summarized those characteristics in four traits:
- Using leadership power to benefit and not harm those who are weaker.
- Being concerned for social justice.
- Honoring women.
- Serving in leadership capacities as "elders at the gate," where wisdom and justice are dispensed.
For our last case study, let's look at one of the last kings of Judah before the Babylonian captivity by the name of Josiah (or Josias). You can read his story in 2 Kings 22-23:30.
WHO WAS THIS MAN?
When we first meet Josiah, he was not yet an adult but rather an eight-year-old child when he became king after his father was assassinated. He reigned for 31 years and was considered a good king, even though Judah was too far gone spiritually at this point to be spared God's judgment: "He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left" (2 Kings 22:2).
As men carried out Josiah's directive to cleanse the Temple from idolatry, they discovered a book, the Law or the Bible of the day, which had been totally lost in the perversion of the Temple worship. We read, "Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king. When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes" (2 Kings 22:10-11).
From that point, Josiah determined not only to cleanse the Temple but the whole land of its idolatrous practices and was encouraged in his efforts by a woman prophet named Huldah. I don't remember ever hearing her name mentioned in any sermon or teaching on the prophetic, by the way. Huldah delivered the word of the Lord, which was in effect that God would honor Josiah even though it was too late to save Judah. They were too far gone and God had already initiated His judgment:
"Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people—that they would become a curse and be laid waste—and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the Lord'" (2 Kings 22:18-19).
Josiah was a great spiritual reformer but lost his life when he decided to try his hand on the battlefield, being defeated the Egyptian leader Necho, who warned Josiah not to attack him—but Josiah did not heed his warning and lost his life.
DOES HE QUALIFY?
Despite his machismo that drove him to fight a battle not belonging to him, thus forfeiting his life, Josiah certainly qualifies as a Proverbs 31 man. He honored women, or at least one woman in particular, when he accepted the word of the Lord through Huldah as described above. Some men have trouble receiving any direction from a woman, but Josiah does not seem to have had that weakness. Yet his greatest accomplishment was in "using leadership power to benefit and not harm those who are weaker." We read in 2 Kings 23:10: "He desecrated Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice their son or daughter in the fire to Molek."
It is almost incomprehensible Judah had fallen so far away from the Lord that child sacrifice was taking place, but they had and it was. This is why Josiah was too late to save the nation, but he was not too late to save some of its children. Proverbs 31 men use their power to empower and protect others, especially the weak and powerless, and Josiah acted wisely when he took aggressive action to protect the children in the land.
My reason for writing this series is my observation that women tend to be the more active and engaged in modern churches. It's not that men don't attend church, but they tend not to get involved beyond that—unless there is some leadership title attached to the work. That is a gross overgeneralization, but it is fair to say that unless men who understand the principles described in Proverbs 31 are actively engaged in missions, teaching youth and children, and leading their homes, unscrupulous men outside the church will continue to wreak havoc on the righteous.
I urge you if you are of the male persuasion not to be a passive worshiper and follower of Christ. Don't use your time and dedicate the best of who you are to sports, entertainment, or trivial hobbies. Give yourself to things that matter, things that serve the best interests of others. The Church will thrive when both women and men see their role as essential not just in public worship but in public and private practice. May the words of the song I quoted earlier in this series become a reality in my lifetime and yours:
Lift high the Cross of Christ, tread where His feet have trod. As brothers of the Son of Man, rise up O men of God,
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