The Last Great King

Josiah – The Last Great King                                                                                                                                                                  

2 Chronicles 34:1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father; and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, and the carved and the metal images.

2 Chronicles 34:8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had cleansed the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God.

2 Chronicles 34:14 While they were bringing out the money that had been brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord given through Moses. 15 Then Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. 16 Shaphan brought the book to the king, and further reported to the king, “All that was committed to your servants they are doing. 17 They have emptied out the money that was found in the house of the Lord and have given it into the hand of the overseers and the workmen.” 18 Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it before the king.

19 And when the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes.  

2 Chronicles 34:20 And the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying, 21 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.”

The setting of Josiah’s Reform took place in the remaining years of the 7^th Century before Christ and once again things were very bad in every kind of way asiIt had been nearly 100 years since Judah had a leader who walked with God, and that was under King Hezekiah.  Josiah’s grandfather (Manasseh) and father (Amon) had absolutely no heart for God and temple life had become non-existent as idol worship dominated the landscape.  

On top of it all, the Scripture had been lost and no one was calling the people back to the scripture.  What would God do in such a dire setting?  Well, He does what He seems to always do, something unlike us & unusual - he raises up an 8 year old to sit on the throne of Judah. At his young age, Josiah has a heart for God.

Sometime around 642 B.C., while 16 years old, “he began to seek the God of David his father”.  I was in student ministry for years and continue to be around them now and I have always seen young students who have such a great heart & passion for God and that has led them to be wise beyond their years.  It is highly possible that at his young age he had witnessed the sinful nature of his father or maybe he had heard the preaching of Jeremiah and that had had a profound effect upon him.

At age 20, he began to destroy the idols that filled the land.  He was a young man of passion and spiritual fidelity.

Here are the key things that were connected to Josiah’s reforms and necessary for reform today:

(1) Seeker of God’s Ways (34:3)

(2) Purged the Land of Idols (34:3-7)

He participated in this process of getting rid of all of the idols as he did not just send others out to do the work.

(3) Rebuild the Temple (34:8-13)

It had been around 75 years since the Temple had been used and had really fallen apart.  They rebuilt with passion and a precise nature to get every bit of the worship life of the nation back in order.

(4) Recovery of Scripture (34:14-19)

This was the greatest thing that happened under in this revival.  Shaphan likely read to Josiah at the very least the end of Deuteronomy.  Though the book had been technically “lost”, God’s Word never will be bound or done away with.  The Bible will always exist and remain no matter what kings or governments do.

         What Brought the Most Significant Change?

Notice that what changed Josiah dramatically was when the Word of God was read to him.  As the Word landed upon his ready and willing heart, it was pierced and broken that Judah had strayed so far from God’s plan.  It was overwhelming news and he buckled under the weight of it.  

Q: Do you go to a church where the reading and accurate teaching of God's Word is the primary function of ministry?
Q: When was the last time you and I buckled under the weight of God’s Word?