Josiah

THEME: Serving God wholeheartedly can save multitudes.

LESSON: When you serve God without compromise or turning, you bring blessing to everyone around you.

KEY VERSE: "For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father" (2 Chr. 34:3).

VERSE TO REMEMBER: "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it" (Mal. 3:10).

TRACK RECORD: Josiah descending from the loins of Amon is every bit as improbable as Manasseh descending from the loins of Hezekiah. For as wicked as his father and grandfather were, Josiah was exceedingly righteous. The monarch who reigned for 31 years was responsible for tearing down the altars of the Baals; smashing the Asherah poles; purifying and repairing the Temple; finding the Book of the Law, reading it to the people and making a convenant to observe it; and removing the idols from all the land over which he held dominion, far exceeding the borders of Jerusalem and Judah. Josiah also celebrated the Passover, something not done in Israel since the time of Hezekiah. More than anything, however, Josiah like Hezekiah, brought salvation to his people. After finding the Book of the Law, Josiah sent his officials to consult with the prophetess Huldah, who delivered this message: "Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place.. [But] Because thine heart was tender and thou didst humble thyself before God… Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace" (2 Chr. 34:24-27).

The kingdom of Judah would survive almost 23 years following the death of Josiah, allowing that much more time for repentance to be sought be those who had the heart to do so. Had it not been for the righteous acts of Josiah, Judah could well have been judged and sent to captivity much earlier than it was.

APPLICATION: The Christian should never be dismayed by living a right life before God, but at times seeing no fruit result. For just as sin spreads and destroys, so righteousness permeates and saturates those associated with it.

SPIRITUAL EPITAPH: "Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself… and weep before me; I have even heard thee also" (2 Chr. 34:27).