One of a Kind - The Wesleyan Church

Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him. (2 Kings 23:25)

Expanded Passage: 2 Kings 23:25

I have heard a few references in my lifetime to generational leaders—persons whose skill base and leadership toolbox combined with eye-of-the-tiger dedication led to significant ministry impact that set them apart from the common herd. Their leadership was generational perhaps, but not for all time.

I have sat in funerals on occasion and wondered when listening to the eulogy if I had dropped into the wrong funeral service. This has also occurred while listening to some speaker or leader being introduced when “leaps over tall buildings in a single jump”-type language was employed. Was this just innocent hyperbole or did they actually believe that stuff?

When exaggerated or voluminous detail is being provided by way of introduction, I sometimes wonder if the Master or the messenger is being honored. With Josiah, the “intro” is brief, to the point, powerful and incomparable: “Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him.” Not now. Not ever.

The word here on Josiah goes far above, far longer, than merely a generation. This description of his leadership is not overstatement or deliberate exaggeration to impress or avoid facing reality. Rather, this is God’s Word, an account of a man who “turned to the Lord” (v. 25).

We are all “one of a kind,” and like Josiah, may the words spoken by us and of us honor the God we serve.

Never underestimate the multigenerational influence of a leader.

HC Wilson is General Superintendent Emeritus of The Wesleyan Church. He and his wife, Debby, reside in New Brunswick, Canada.