In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah of Judah, a young man of twenty-six, felt a stirring in his spirit. The Lord had placed a burden upon his heart to cleanse the land of Judah and Jerusalem from the idolatry and wickedness that had plagued it for generations. Josiah was a man of conviction, a king who sought after the heart of God, unlike many of his predecessors who had turned away from the Lord and led the people into sin.
Josiah began his great work by sending his trusted officials—Shaphan the scribe, Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the recorder—to repair the house of the Lord, the temple that had fallen into disrepair. The temple, once a glorious sanctuary where the presence of God dwelled, had been neglected and defiled by the idolatrous practices of previous kings. The young king was determined to restore it to its former glory, a place where the Lord could be worshipped in truth and holiness.
As the workers began their labor, they discovered something extraordinary. Hidden beneath the rubble and debris, buried in the walls of the temple, was a scroll. It was the Book of the Law, the very words of God given to Moses centuries earlier. The high priest Hilkiah, trembling with awe, brought the scroll to Shaphan, who read it aloud to the king.
When Josiah heard the words of the Law, his heart was pierced. He tore his robes in anguish, for he realized how far the people of Judah had strayed from the Lord’s commands. The words of the scroll spoke of blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, and Josiah knew that the nation stood on the brink of judgment. He cried out to the Lord, seeking guidance and mercy.
Determined to understand the full weight of what he had heard, Josiah sent Hilkiah, Shaphan, and several other trusted men to seek the counsel of the prophetess Huldah, who lived in Jerusalem. Huldah was a woman of great wisdom and reverence for the Lord, and she delivered a sobering message from God. The Lord had indeed seen the idolatry and wickedness of Judah, and His judgment was imminent. However, because Josiah had humbled himself before the Lord and sought to lead his people in righteousness, the judgment would not come during his lifetime. Josiah would be gathered to his ancestors in peace, and his eyes would not see the calamity that would befall the land.
With this message burning in his heart, Josiah gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem, along with the priests, the Levites, and the people of the land. He stood before them in the temple and read aloud the words of the Book of the Law. The king made a covenant before the Lord to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments with all his heart and soul. The people, moved by Josiah’s sincerity and passion, joined him in renewing their covenant with the Lord.
Josiah then launched a sweeping campaign to rid the land of idolatry. He ordered the removal of all the detestable idols and altars that had been set up in the high places, the groves, and the cities of Judah. He defiled the altars of Baal and Asherah, breaking them into pieces and scattering their dust over the graves of those who had worshipped them. He tore down the shrines of the male shrine prostitutes and the places where women wove garments for Asherah. He even went to the cities of Samaria, the northern kingdom that had long since fallen to the Assyrians, and destroyed the altars and idols there, fulfilling the words of the prophet who had foretold these actions centuries earlier.
Josiah’s zeal for the Lord was unmatched. He reinstituted the Passover, a feast that had not been celebrated with such faithfulness since the days of the prophet Samuel. The king provided thousands of animals from his own flocks and herds for the sacrifices, and the Levites, who had long been neglected, were given their rightful place in the service of the temple. The people of Judah and the remnant of Israel who had returned to the land joined together in this great celebration of God’s deliverance and faithfulness.
Throughout his reign, Josiah sought to lead his people in righteousness. He removed all the mediums, spiritists, and household gods from the land, ensuring that the people would look only to the Lord for guidance and protection. His reforms were thorough and far-reaching, touching every aspect of life in Judah.
Yet, despite Josiah’s faithfulness, the Lord’s judgment against Judah was inevitable. The sins of Manasseh, Josiah’s grandfather, had been too great, and the people’s hearts had grown too hard. Josiah’s reforms, though sincere, could not fully turn the tide of God’s wrath. But the Lord honored Josiah’s devotion, and the king’s legacy of faithfulness would be remembered for generations to come.
In the end, Josiah’s life was a testament to the power of one person’s obedience to God. Though he could not undo the sins of the past, he sought to lead his people in the ways of the Lord, and his efforts brought a temporary reprieve from judgment. Josiah’s story reminds us that even in the darkest times, there is hope for those who humble themselves before the Lord and seek His face with all their heart.
