How God Showed Grace To The Godly King Josiah
The life of King Josiah provides a powerful example of how God richly blesses those who wholeheartedly devote themselves to knowing, loving, and serving Him. Josiah reigned over Judah during a spiritually dark time, yet he sought the Lord with all his heart.
God graciously responded by pouring out His favor and blessings on this godly king.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: God showed great grace to Josiah by blessing his reign with peace, spiritual revival, and military victories because of Josiah’s deep devotion to knowing and following God’s laws.
Josiah’s Early Devotion to God
Josiah’s challenging upbringing
King Josiah of Judah had a difficult childhood. His father King Amon was an evil king who disobeyed God’s laws and worshipped idols. Sadly, Amon was assassinated when Josiah was only 8 years old. Josiah’s grandfather King Manasseh was also an evil king who led the people to sin.
Despite this challenging upbringing, Josiah chose a different path and devoted himself to God from an early age.
As a young child, Josiah stood out for his love of God’s laws. The Bible says that “while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David” (2 Chronicles 34:3). What an amazing testimony!
Even though Josiah’s own father disobeyed God, the young prince learned about his ancestor David’s devotion to God and wanted to be like him. Josiah purposed in his heart to follow the Lord despite his circumstances.
His heart for God from a young age
Though Josiah became king at the tender age of 8 after his father’s assassination, he did not follow in his father’s evil footsteps. Scripture says, “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left” (2 Kings 22:2).
This indicates Josiah’s strong integrity and dedication to pleasing God even as a child ruler.
When Josiah turned 16, he began to actively seek God by purging Judah of idol worship sites. The Bible records Josiah’s proactive heart attitude: “In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David.
In the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles and idols” (2 Chronicles 34:3). Josiah wasted no time in leading reforms and removing evil influences from the land.
Furthermore, when Josiah turned 20, he continued his quest to purify the land and repair the Temple which had fallen into disrepair under previous kings. He actively took steps to turn Judah back to true worship of God. Josiah’s early devotion to God is remarkable given the corruption around him.
His choices reveal a depth of spiritual maturity and wisdom well beyond his years.
Josiah’s Zeal for Spiritual Reforms
Purging idolatry and false worship
As a righteous king, Josiah made it his priority to purge the land of Judah and Jerusalem of idolatry and false worship. He destroyed the altars and idols of Baal and Asherah, broke down the idolatrous priests’ quarters, and defiled the pagan shrines (2 Kings 23:4-14).
Josiah even disposed of the horses and chariots dedicated to the sun god near the entrance of the temple, as they were considered idolatrous. His reforms left no room for idol worship in Judah.
According to the biblical account, Josiah slaughtered the idolatrous priests on their own altars, showing his zero tolerance for false worship. He went beyond just destroying idols – he made false worship completely impossible by eradicating its practitioners and infrastructure.
Josiah’s methods demonstrated the seriousness of his desire for radical spiritual reforms.
Restoring the temple and God’s law
As part of his religious reforms, Josiah ordered the repair and restoration of the temple in Jerusalem, which had fallen into disarray (2 Kings 22:3-7). The temple was the center of worship of Yahweh, so restoring it was crucial for proper worship.
Josiah provided funds and oversight for the temple repairs to be done with excellence.
While the temple was being restored, the Book of the Law (likely Deuteronomy) was discovered there. When Josiah heard God’s law read to him, he immediately sought to align the religious practice of Judah with it.
He reinstituted the Passover festival which had been ignored for years (2 Chronicles 35:1-19). Josiah strived to make worship according to God’s Word central in the lives of the people.
Archaeological evidence confirms renovations were done in the Jerusalem temple during Josiah’s reign. His reforms went beyond just removing idols – he actively sought to restore true worship. The discovery of the Book of the Law was providential in guiding Josiah’s revival of traditional Jewish faith and practice.
The Blessings God Poured Out on Josiah
Peace and stability in Judah
King Josiah instituted religious reforms that cleansed Judah of idolatry and restored proper worship of God. As a result, Judah experienced a period of peace and stability during Josiah’s reign. The Bible says “neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses” (2 Kings 23:25).
Under Josiah’s leadership, Judah was able to thrive and prosper.
A great spiritual revival
When Josiah ascended the throne at age 8, Judah had fallen into deep idolatry and immorality. However, Josiah sought the Lord and initiated reforms to purge idolatry from the land. He restored the temple, renewed the covenant with God, and reinstituted the Passover feast.
According to 2 Chronicles 34, Josiah “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.” As a result, a great spiritual revival took place during Josiah’s reign.
Military victories over enemies
The Bible records that God protected Judah during Josiah’s reign and granted military victories over their enemies. For example, when the Egyptian Pharaoh Neco went to fight against the Babylonians at Carchemish, Josiah went out to confront him.
Neco warned Josiah not to oppose him, saying “God has told me to hurry; so stop opposing God, who is with me, or he will destroy you” (2 Chronicles 35:21). But Josiah refused to turn away, and was mortally wounded by Neco’s archers.
Even in defeat, God preserved Judah because “Jeremiah composed a lamenus for Josiah, and to this day all the male and female singers commemorate Josiah in the laments” (2 Chronicles 35:25). Josiah was the last righteous king of Judah before the Babylonian exile.
Conclusion
Josiah stands out as one of the most godly kings in Judah’s history. Though he lived in dark times, he wholeheartedly sought the Lord and led his nation to do the same. God, in His gracious nature, responded by blessing Josiah with peace, spiritual renewal, and success.
Josiah’s life reminds us that devotion and obedience to God always brings abundant blessings, even in the bleakest of times.
