These are challenging times. We have come to live with the threat of terrorism, our economy is falling at a rapid rate and the experts do not seem to agree on how to fix it. On top of that we see immorality all around us. The very fabric of our society seems to be crumbling but the good news is that others have faced dire circumstances like this before and survived. In fact, some even came out stronger than before the challenging times came. One such man was King Josiah of Judah.
We find King Josiah’s story in the Bible in 2 Chronicles chapters 34 and 35. He assumed the throne at the young age of 8 years old. His Grandfather did not follow God’s law and under his leadership Israel began to worship pagan gods. There had been no worship of the Lord in the temple for 75 years so the temple was in extreme disrepair. In addition to no worship of God, there had also been no study of God’s Word. Because of their disobedience, the curses of God as listed in Deuteronomy 28:15-68 had come true, hardly a situation to leave in the hands of an eight-year old boy.
However, Josiah was not just an ordinary eight-year old for the Bible tells us that when Josiah was 16 he began to seek the Lord.
2 Chron 34:3A
3 During the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David.
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Josiah also began to purge the land of pagan worship by destroying all the pagan shrines.
2 Chron 34:3B
Then in the twelfth year, he began to purify Judah and Jerusalem, destroying all the pagan shrines, the Asherah poles, and the carved idols and cast images.
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Six years later, Josiah began the process of repairing the Temple.
2 Chron 34:8
8 In the eighteenth year of his reign, after he had purified the land and the Temple, Josiah appointed Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of Jerusalem, and Joah son of Joahaz, the royal historian, to repair the Temple of the LORD his God.
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During the restoration of the Temple, the workers made an amazing discovery; they discovered a copy of The Book of The Law. After the Book was read to Josiah, Josiah shared it with the people. Upon hearing the Word of God, the people pledged to turn back to their God.
2 Chron 34:19-33
19 When the king heard what was written in the law, he tore his clothes in despair. 20 Then he gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the court secretary, and Asaiah the king's personal adviser: 21 "Go to the Temple and speak to the LORD for me and for all the remnant of Israel and Judah. Ask him about the words written in this scroll that has been found. The LORD's anger has been poured out against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the word of the LORD. We have not been doing what this scroll says we must do."
22 So Hilkiah and the other men went to the newer Mishneh section of Jerusalem to consult with the prophet Huldah. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah and grandson of Harhas, the keeper of the Temple wardrobe. 23 She said to them, "The LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken! Go and tell the man who sent you, 24'This is what the LORD says: I will certainly destroy this city and its people. All the curses written in the scroll you have read will come true. 25 For the people of Judah have abandoned me and worshiped pagan gods, and I am very angry with them for everything they have done. My anger will be poured out against this place, and nothing will be able to stop it.'
26 "But go to the king of Judah who sent you to seek the LORD and tell him: 'This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning the message you have just heard: 27 You were sorry and humbled yourself before God when you heard what I said against this city and its people. You humbled yourself and tore your clothing in despair and wept before me in repentance. So I have indeed heard you, says the LORD. 28 I will not send the promised disaster against this city and its people until after you have died and been buried in peace. You will not see the disaster I am going to bring on this place.' " So they took her message back to the king.
Josiah's Religious Reforms
29 Then the king summoned all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 And the king went up to the Temple of the LORD with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem and the priests and the Levites — all the people from the greatest to the least. There the king read to them the entire Book of the Covenant that had been found in the LORD's Temple. 31 The king took his place of authority beside the pillar and renewed the covenant in the LORD's presence. He pledged to obey the LORD by keeping all his commands, regulations, and laws with all his heart and soul. He promised to obey all the terms of the covenant that were written in the scroll. 32 And he required everyone in Jerusalem and the people of Benjamin to make a similar pledge. As the people of Jerusalem did this, they renewed their covenant with God, the God of their ancestors.
33 So Josiah removed all detestable idols from the entire land of Israel and required everyone to worship the LORD their God. And throughout the rest of his lifetime, they did not turn away from the LORD, the God of their ancestors.
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We can learn much from the example of this young eight-year old leader.
1) He sought the Lord – When we face tough times we need to begin seeking the Lord and we need to continue seeking him when times improve also
2) He purged the land of sin – Sin separates us from God. If we hold onto the sin in our lives, we prevent God from blessing us.
3) He began the process of restoration and repair – Sin leaves our lives in disrepair but with the help of Gods Word and other believers, our lives can be restored and repaired.
4) He pledged to follow the Lord and his pledge was contagious and led others to pledge their lives to the Lord – Change begins with us. As our lives change, others will see the change in us and want the same kind of change in their lives.
What our nation needs today is some Josiah’s. I am pledging to seek God, purge my life of sin, and begin the restoration and repair of my life by pledging to follow what God’s Word says to me. I invite you to join me in this journey.
Next week we will look at how God uses the storms in our lives to wake us up and reveal his will for our lives.
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