Josiah

Judah was under God’s judgment. Its people had forsaken God. Then Josiah takes the throne. 2 Chronicles 34:1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign…

The life of Josiah helps us answer the question: How do we live for Christ in a hostile culture?
Judah was a nation far from God, a land filled with idols. Josiah the boy king takes the throne. He had no close godly model to follow, yet God used this boy to guide Judah back to Him.

2 Chronicles 34:27 - God saw that Josiah’s heart was tender… What makes a tender heart? 2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left.

Notice, Josiah did what was right. He didn’t go along with his nation’s godless choices. He wanted to please God with his life! What were the ways of David? He was a man after God’s own heart. 1 Samuel 13:14 …the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart… David was a humble worshipper of God. He was devoted to the Word, to prayer, to worship. Josiah walked in the ways of his father David, plus he didn’t waver. Josiah was wholehearted. No compromise.

3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: Aged just 16, it says that Josiah began to actively seek God.

At the age of 20 Josiah began to rid the land of the idols. 3 …and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images. Judah had fallen deep into sin. It had become a pagan nation. The wise Josiah set about cleaning up everything. 4 And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them. He smashed all the false idols, the graven and molten images of Baal and Molech. Josiah made dust of the pagan altars. He crushed the idols to powder. He was present when they broke down the altars of the Baals, and hewed down the images. It was a dramatic repentance - a forceful turning away from sin.

What about us? Can we identify and confront areas of sin in our life? The false gods that take our Lord’s rightful place. Will we remove the idols and distractions that hinder our relationship with God? Is our heart tender towards our God? Can we seek out the idols that control our lives, and fully be rid of them?

Josiah turned his attention to the Temple. It was in a state of neglect. Josiah, now at the age of 26, refurbished the Temple. Josiah ordered builders to make repairs. The people did the work faithfully. 12 And the men did the work faithfully…

The worship of God had been neglected. What about for us? Have we forsaken the place of prayer? Of fellowship? What of our place of worship? Is it covered in the dust of neglect? Has it been so long that it’s covered in cobwebs? Have we neglected the house of worship?

Next up, something wonderful happened - Hilkiah the priest found “The Book.” It had been forgotten in some old, unused room. It had been carelessly mislaid. Possibly thrown into a corner, like some Christians treat the Bible today. Is our heart tender towards the Word of God? Do we treasure His Word, and heed its message? Do we let God's Word convict us and transform our heart, our thinking? Judah had lost the Book. We have lost The Book. It’s time that someone finds The Book! We need the kind of respect for God’s Word that they had.

Oh, how we need to have our land purged of its idols! How we need the Book! Look at what happened when Josiah found the Book: 2 Chronicles 34:19 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes. When they discovered the book of the law, it was revival. Let us seek God’s ways, and be sensitive to sin. God’s Word is sadly neglected. People have become indifferent to the Bible. Josiah was hungry for the Word. Josiah humbled himself before the Word.

Josiah gathered all the people together. He recommitted himself to the Lord and renewed His holy covenant that had been badly broken. What about us? Is our heart tender towards the Word of God? Josiah led the people in renouncing idols and rededicating themselves to the Lord. Josiah sets an example for us. We need to rid idols in our life and cleanse OUR temple.

Let us love our Lord and His word - and let go the things in our lives, whatever gets in the way.
May we, like Josiah, re-discover the Book, the Holy Book. God has given us a plan for us to follow.
Josiah restored the true worship, the services, and the Passover.

When we seek God He will do a work, in and through us!

Can we be like Josiah? He was just 16 years old when “he began to seek after the God of David his father”. Are you willing to smash your idols? Seek after God!