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Josiah: Going back for the best
from 2 Kings 22 and 23 and Chronicles 34 and 35
Josiah was only eight years old when he took on the responsibility of King of Judah. His father Amon was ony 24 years old when he died and Josiah, as his descendant became king. Amon's rule was shortlived, just two years and he was killed by his officer in his palace. I'm sure Josiah witnessed his father's life and death. He saw that his father "did what the Lord said was wrong." What an impression that must have left on his young life. We read that Josiah "did what the Lord said was right." Even at this young age, God was speaking and working in his life but we have to look to see where the influence of the Lord came in.
His grandfather Manasseh did not listen to the Lord when he spoke so we have to go back one more generation to find Hezekiah as the last King who "loved God." There must have been someone in Josiah's life who told him about Hezekiah and the truth of God.
There was time in Josiah's life - at 16 years of age - when he "began to obey the God of his ancestor David." This shows that the influence of our parent's generation sometimes does not help to show us the real way, truth and life. What influence has been left on you? Have you heard stories about your granparents or even great-grandparents faith in Christ and yet look and see your parents who hold no feelings or reverence for God? How awful that parents can turn their back on God and yet it is happening and will continue to happen We talk about the 1960's and 1970's sweeping in an age of rebellion but it is now in the 1990's that we see the fruits of that rebellion with more and more young people not attending places where God's name is revered. Why? The answer is simple, because their parents never did show them the way. For some it is up to the grandparents to show the way for the young.
If you are in that situation, thank God for your grandparents that they cared enough to teach you the ways of God and seek to follow the Lord as they show you. Paul said to Timothy: "from a child thou hast known the scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation." This could have been written over Josiah's life.
He was only eight and yet he "did what the Lord said was right." He had a direct communication with the God of heaven and earth. Has that been your experience? Have you heard God's voice on your life when still young? Has it led you to do what the Lord says is right? For Josiah there came a definite time in his life when he decided to obey the Lord. We could say that this was his "conversion to the faith." It was at that time that he began to obey the Lord and we see from the Bible that he was now 16 years of age. There must have been something that made the writer remark how at this prticular point in Josiah's life he decided to obey the Lord. He noticed a change in him. You may have made a commitment to Christ, but have others noticed it?
The next four years of his life remain hidden but at 20 Josiah began to remove the false gods and idols the people of his kingdom had worshipped. It was a time of purging, making all things clean again, cutting down, burning and sprinkling. Sometimes we need to take time to make everything clean, to confess our sins, to receive forgiveness and to start again. This in effect was what Josiah asked the people to do and notice, they obeyed him. What an influence he had on the people! Do you have that influence on others?
But the most significant time in Josiah's life came when he was 26. it was then that he "repaired the temple of the Lord." Solomon's temple, the one he had built to the glory of God. It was the central point of their faith. It was there God promised to bless his own people. Perhaps God is reminding you about rebuilding and repairing your worship of him. True worship is giving God the best place in your life. Has His place slipped in your life, heart and mind? If it has, it is time to rebuild the temple, to come back to God and give him worship once more.
Josiah had the temple repaired in an orderly fashion. Firstly, three men who had some influence in the city were appointed and they in turn went to the High Priest who gave them money the Levite gatekeepers had gathered from people living in the land. This money was given to carpenters and builders to buy cut stone and wood. It says these people "did their work well." Many different people were used in the repair work and there was harmony between them and they were all keen to complete the task.
It was at this stage that the priest found the teachings of the Law given to Moses. God sometimes works through our lives in the same way. He knows the sin that is in our heart, not just that which appears on the surface - hidden secrets deep down. If we seek Him, God will speak to us and use His word to show us what needs to be attended to.
Finding the Law had an amazing effect on Josiah. At 16 he decided to obey the Lord for himself, at 20 he had decided to make everything clean again and at 26 he repaired the temple but nothing could compare to his reaction to finding the words of the Law. Firstly, he tore his clothes to show how upset he was and then he wanted to know what the Law meant so he sent the priest and his officers to a prophetess. When news came back, Josiah gathered all the people together and read the Word of the Lord to them. There and then he repented on behalf of the people and made a vow in the presence of God to follow Him and obey His commands. Josiah, in effect, was making a public declaration of what he believed in his heart. He was witnessing for his Lord and asking people to promise to obey God. Then, they celebrated the Passover on that day - the first time it had been celebrated since the prophet Samuel's day. What a turn around. For generations people turned away from God and now they were coming back to him.
Are there lessons we could learn from this? Yes most certainly. It took one man whose obedience to the Lord was demonstrated by his cleansing the land and restoring the temple. He asked the people to come back to the Lord and they agreed. He influenced an entire generation. Even though he was only 26 he was used mightily by God. What a lesson for our land in these times. Josiah found the Word of the Lord for himself and then made his commitment to God. How has the Bible spoken to you?
