Read 2 Kings 22:1-23:30

If you are able to name more than three or four of the roughly forty kings of Israel and Judah, you are probably better than the average Jesus follower. Meanwhile, to know many of the specific details about Josiah, king of Judah from 640 to 609 B.C., is even more impressive. Of course, we must keep in mind that Jesus does not call us to just expand our knowledge so as to win at games of Bible trivia. Instead, He calls us to love God and love people (Matt. 22:34-40). So, what are the facts we learn about Josiah and what does he model that we can mimic?

Josiah was faithful in his youth – He became king at the age of 8 (2 Kings 22:1). By the time he was 16, he was seeking the Lord. By the age of 20, he was leading the nation to address the rampant idol worship present at the time (2 Chronicles 34:3).

If you are young, don’t allow your age to limit your faithfulness. Instead, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity (1 Tim. 4:12).”

Josiah valued the Word of God – Up to the age of 26, Josiah had been following the Lord as likely defined by oral tradition. He knew of the ways of his forefather David and didn’t deter from the right path (2 Kings 22:1, 2). He didn’t have his own copy of the Old Testament Law on a shelf in the palace. But, at 26, a copy of the Law was found. Josiah was immediately humble and responsive to what he discovered in the Scriptures.

You and I enjoy the privilege of having unlimited access to multiple copies and diverse translations of the completed canon of biblical truth. Do we value that? Do we orient our lives accordingly? After all, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16, 17).”

Josiah, then, serves as a great example of faithfulness to God and His word. Will you follow in his footsteps?

Steve Kern