This one is for those of you who were a bit confused why we've chosen to name our baby Josiah...
It's kind of interesting because Jamie actually chose the name Josiah before we even knew each other. She was down in Mexico in Nuevo Laredo when she read about Josiah in 2 Kings 22-23. You should read it yourself but the basic idea is that Josiah was made king of Judah at the age of 8 and reigned for 31 years. (Israel was split in two - the northern half kept the name Israel while the southern half was named Judah). During his reign, and while they were remodeling the Temple, some of the workers found "the Book of the Law" which was likely either a copy of the book of Dueteronomy or a copy of the first five books of the Bible - also known as the Pentatuech. Either way, it contained the laws that God had given the Israelites after they left Egypt. When Josiah read through it, he realized that the people of Judah had not been following God. He immediately removed all idols and foreign Gods from the land and renewed the people's commitment to follow God. He also brought back the practice of celebrating the Passover.
2 Kings 23:25 "Neither before nor after Josiah was tere a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did - with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses."
Our hope is that our son Josiah will live his life like King Josiah - one who is totally committed follwoing God with "all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strenth."
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