When Josiah was born years later, the kingdom which he would inherit differed little from the wickedness of Jeroboam’s day. The evil reigns of his father Amon and his grandfather Manasseh had reversed all the righteous reforms of his noble great-grandfather Hezekiah (see II Kings 21). Josiah began to reign at the age of eight after servants of his father had killed him in his own house (II Chronicles 33:24). When the people of the land rose up and executed the conspirators, Josiah was placed upon the throne (II Kings 21:24).

     While we might expect that Josiah would continue in the wickedness of his fathers, II Chronicles 34:3 tells us that in the eighth year of his reign, at sixteen years old, “he began to seek the God of his father David.” This spiritual quest would take this young man to heights he surely never imagined. Four years later he began to purge Judah of idolatry, destroying the altars to Baal, pulverizing the molded, carved and wooden images and scattering the dust on the graves of those who had worshiped at their altars (II Chronicles 34:4).

     Second Chronicles makes it clear that Josiah began his first efforts to purge Israel of idolatry with a relatively naive understanding of what it meant to “seek the God of his father David.” It wouldn’t be until six years later, in the 18th year of his reign that an event took place which changed Josiah forever (II Chronicles 34:8). After his initial purge, he commissioned a major restoration of the temple. In the course of this effort the High Priest, Hilkiah found “the book of the Law of the Lord [given] by Moses”¹ (II Chronicles 34:14). A scribe named, Shaphan read the book to the king, and as he heard God’s instructions his heart was broken as he recognized how his nation and his fathers had sinned against God. Josiah tore his clothes in remorse and commanded that inquiry be made to the Lord, “...because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book to do according to all that is written concerning us” (II Kings 22:13). The Lord answered Josiah’s inquiry through a prophetess named Huldah. She revealed that the Lord planned to destroy Judah and Jerusalem because of the wickedness of the nation (II Kings 22:16-17; II Chronicles 34:24-25). Yet, the Lord promised Josiah not to bring destruction during his reign, “because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words...” (II Chronicles 34:27).

     After hearing this Josiah called the people to pledge to follow God’s word (II Kings 23:1-3). He then proceeded further to remove idolatry. This involved destroying idols and booths for ritual homosexual prostitution that were actually within the temple (II Kings 23:4-7). He burned the bones of dead idolatrous priests and scattered their ashes over former places of idolatry (II Chronicles 34:4,5). This defiled these places preventing any future idolatry in them. One such place was the valley outside of Jerusalem called “the valley of the Son of Hinnom.” Josiah’s grandfather Manasseh had sacrificed his own children there, and practiced witchcraft and sorcery there as well (II Chronicles 33:6). Josiah “defiled” the place of sacrifice to Molech there called Topheth (II Kings 23:10). In fulfillment of the prophesy concerning him he destroyed the altar built by Jeroboam, and burned the bones of its priests over it (II Kings 23:15,16).

     Josiah also moved forward constructively to move the people to a restoration of true worship. Josiah led the people to observe the Passover in such a way as, “... had never been held since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah” (II Kings 23:22). Josiah reigned 13 years after the finding of the book of the law (II Kings 22:1). He died after being mortally wounded opposing Pharaoh Neco at Megiddo and was lamented by all the people and the prophet Jeremiah (II Chronicles 35:20-27).

     Josiah lived only 39 years but his short life teaches us that a difficult childhood doesn’t mean that someone can’t choose to do right. It teaches us that seeking God demands a willingness to turn from the errors (sometimes) of our own family. Finally, it teaches us that no matter how long the truth is forsaken it is still the truth.