King Josiah was a breath of fresh air in a kingdom run amuck! Sin never makes any sense, and a most nonsensical storyline is that Judah followed in Israel’s steps after Israel fell! Judah adopted Israel’s paganism and was quickly headed for the same disastrous consequences. Then 8 year old Josiah shows up as king!
He is a real picture of grace because both his father and grandfather were ultra pagans but he loved the Lord! Josiah began his leadership by repairing the Temple and a copy of God’s Law was soon discovered. Things would not be the same once he read the Law and read it to the people. He then set about to bring real reform to Judah. First he broke down every form of pagan worship, even so far as to enter Samaria and break down the high place Jeroboam had built! Second, he re-instituted the Passover feast. So under Josiah’s reign, the Word was made primary, the house of the Lord was restored, false religion was banished, and worship to the Lord resumed! Wow! What a glorious revival!
What was behind Josiah’s reforms? What drove Josiah to go in a radically different direction? What was it that made Josiah such a different, godly king? 2 Kings 23:25 says, “Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.” It’s the great commandment found in Deuteronomy 6:5! Josiah embraced not the Law, but the Lord behind the Law! As a result, he followed the Lord in his Law! May we follow Josiah and embrace the Lord of the commandments, for only then will we have the heart and strength to keep the commandments not for our salvation but for God’s glory!
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