Josiah’s Good Reign in Judah

Josiah became king of Jerusalem at the young age of eight and ruled for thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah from Boscath. Josiah faithfully followed the LORD, living a life that mirrored the righteousness of his ancestor David. Throughout his reign, he remained steadfast and unwavering in his commitment to God’s ways, never deviating from the path of righteousness. (paraphrased from 2 Kings 22:1-2; 2 Chronicles 34:1-2)

In the eighth year of Josiah’s reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his ancestor David. By his twelfth year as king, he initiated a thorough purging of Judah and Jerusalem, destroying the high places, groves, carved images, and molten images. He personally oversaw the destruction of Baal’s altars and idols, grinding them into dust and spreading it over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. He even burned the bones of the idolatrous priests on their altars, cleansing the land. This cleansing extended to the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and as far as Naphtali. After thoroughly removing all idols and altars throughout Israel, Josiah returned to Jerusalem. (paraphrased from 2 Chronicles 34:3-7)

In the eighteenth year of King Josiah’s reign, he directed Shaphan the scribe to go to Hilkiah, the high priest, and account for the silver collected from the people for the temple’s upkeep. This silver was to be handed over to the workers responsible for repairing the temple, including carpenters, builders, and masons, to purchase timber and stone. The workers were so trustworthy that no detailed accounting was needed. Later that same year, after cleansing the land of idolatry, Josiah sent Shaphan, Maaseiah, and Joah to oversee the temple repairs. They gave the collected money to the skilled workers and overseers, including Levites skilled in various tasks, to restore the temple. These workers faithfully managed and executed the restoration work, ensuring the temple was properly repaired and maintained. (paraphrased from 2 Kings 22:3-7; 2 Chronicles 34:8-13)

In the eighteenth year of King Josiah’s reign, Hilkiah the high priest discovered the Book of the Law in the temple. He gave it to Shaphan the scribe, who read it and then presented it to King Josiah. Shaphan reported on the progress of the temple repairs and read the Book of the Law to the king. Upon hearing its contents, King Josiah tore his clothes in distress, realizing how far the people had strayed from God’s commands. He urgently commanded Hilkiah, Shaphan, and others to seek God’s guidance and understand the severity of His wrath, as their ancestors had failed to obey the teachings in the book. Josiah recognized the urgent need for repentance and alignment with God’s laws to avoid divine punishment. (paraphrased from 2 Kings 22:8-13; 2 Chronicles 34:14-21)

Hilkiah the priest, along with Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asahiah, sought guidance from Huldah the prophetess regarding the Book of the Law. Huldah delivered a message from the LORD, stating that He would bring disaster upon the land and its people, as described in the book, because they had forsaken Him and worshiped other gods, provoking His anger. However, she conveyed a special message to King Josiah: because he had a tender heart, humbled himself, tore his clothes, and wept upon hearing the words of the law, God had heard his repentance. As a result, Josiah would be spared from witnessing the coming disaster and would die in peace. This message was then reported back to the king. (paraphrased from 2 Kings 22:14-20; 2 Chronicles 34:22-28)

King Josiah gathered all the elders, priests, prophets, and people of Judah and Jerusalem, both great and small, to the house of the LORD. He read aloud to them all the words from the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple. Standing by a pillar, Josiah made a covenant before the LORD to follow Him wholeheartedly, keeping His commandments, testimonies, and statutes with all his heart and soul. He committed to perform the words of the covenant written in the book. The people stood in agreement with this covenant. Josiah then removed all idolatrous abominations from the lands of Israel and ensured that everyone served the LORD their God. Throughout Josiah’s reign, the people remained faithful to the covenant with the LORD, the God of their ancestors. (paraphrased from 2 Kings 23:1-3; 2 Chronicles 34:29-33)

King Josiah commanded Hilkiah the high priest and other priests to remove from the temple all items made for Baal, Asherah, and the heavenly hosts, burning them in the Kidron Valley and scattering the ashes at Bethel. He dismissed the idolatrous priests and destroyed the places where incense was burned to false gods. Josiah eradicated the Asherah pole from the temple, destroyed the houses of male shrine prostitutes, and defiled the high places across Judah and Jerusalem, making them unusable. He desecrated Topheth to prevent child sacrifices to Molech, removed the sun-worship objects, and destroyed various altars built by past kings. He demolished the high places built by Solomon for Ashtoreth, Chemosh, and Milcom, filling their locations with human bones to defile them. Josiah also destroyed the altar at Bethel, fulfilling a prophecy by scattering bones on it, but he spared the bones of the prophet who had foretold these actions. Josiah extended his reforms to Samaria, removing idolatrous practices and executing the priests of the high places, burning their bones on the altars. He then returned to Jerusalem, having thoroughly purged the land of idolatry. (paraphrased from 2 Kings 23:4-20)

In the eighteenth year of King Josiah’s reign, he commanded the people to observe the Passover as written in the Book of the Covenant. This Passover was unparalleled, not having been celebrated in such a manner since the days of the judges or the kings of Israel and Judah. On the fourteenth day of the first month, Josiah organized a grand Passover in Jerusalem. He instructed the priests and Levites, encouraging them to serve diligently and prepare according to the writings of David and Solomon. Josiah provided 30,000 lambs and kids, and 3,000 bullocks for the people. His officials also contributed generously. The priests and Levites followed the king’s command, preparing the offerings and ensuring the service was conducted as prescribed by Moses. The Levites handled the Passover lambs, and the priests sprinkled the blood. They roasted the Passover lambs and distributed the offerings to the people. The singers and porters served in their assigned roles, and the Levites prepared for those who were occupied with the sacrifices. This Passover, along with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, was celebrated for seven days and was noted as the most significant Passover since the days of Samuel the prophet. The entire service was carried out in strict accordance with King Josiah’s commands, involving all the people, priests, Levites, and inhabitants of Jerusalem. (paraphrased from 2 Kings 23:21-23; 2 Chronicles 35:1-19)

King Josiah eradicated all forms of idolatry and occult practices from Judah and Jerusalem, adhering strictly to the law found in the Book of the Covenant discovered by Hilkiah the priest. Josiah was unparalleled among the kings, wholeheartedly turning to the LORD with all his heart, soul, and might, fully obeying the Law of Moses. Despite Josiah’s faithfulness, the LORD’s fierce wrath against Judah remained due to the sins of Manasseh. The LORD declared that Judah would be removed from His sight, just as Israel had been, and that He would forsake Jerusalem and the temple, where He had placed His name. (paraphrased from 2 Kings 23:24-27)

The remaining acts and deeds of King Josiah are recorded in the chronicles of the kings of Judah. During his reign, Pharaoh Necho of Egypt marched to fight the king of Assyria at the Euphrates River. Josiah opposed him at Megiddo, despite Necho’s message that God had commanded him to hurry and that Josiah should not interfere. Ignoring this warning, Josiah disguised himself and fought Necho, but he was mortally wounded by archers. His servants brought him back to Jerusalem, where he died and was buried in his own tomb. The people of Judah and Jerusalem mourned his death, and the prophet Jeremiah lamented for him. The people took Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz, and made him king in his father’s place. Josiah’s reign was marked by his adherence to the law of the LORD, and his actions, first and last, are detailed in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. (paraphrased from 2 Kings 23:28-30; 2 Chronicles 35:20-27)

Sadly, the kings that followed Josiah did not follow Josiah’s example. They were even worse than the previous kings. Therefore, Judah was not spared God’s wrath. How about you? Will you follow God’s will and be blessed? Or will you reject God’s will and suffer his punishment?

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