Josiah

Josiah was king of Judah from 640 to 609 BC. He was a godly man, unlike his grandfather Manasseh and his father Amon. Josiah followed the Lord with all his heart, soul, and strength. He obeyed all the laws of Moses (2 Kings 23:25).

Manasseh was king from 697 to 642 BC. During this time, the kingdom of Judah was very wicked and worshiped idols. Even though Manasseh repented near the end of his reign, things got worse under his son Amon, who ruled from 642 to 640 BC. Amon was so bad that his own officials killed him. Then, they made Josiah king (2 Kings 21:23–24; 22:1; 2 Chronicles 33:24–34:1). He was eight years old.

When Josiah was sixteen, he started to seek the God of his ancestor David (2 Chronicles 34:3). From then on, he focused on purifying the worship of God's people. At twenty, Josiah began removing pagan worship places, especially the disliked pagan worship center at Bethel. Josiah fulfilled prophecy (1 Kings 13:1–3) by destroying its altar and burning the bones of pagan priests to desecrate the site (2 Kings 23:15–18).

When Josiah was twenty-six, he organized repairs to the temple (2 Kings 22:3–7). During this process, the priest Hilkiah found the Book of the Law and read it to Josiah. Josiah was upset by its warnings against abandoning faith (2 Kings 22:8–20). He then tried harder to follow God's instructions and led the people in worshiping the Lord. He celebrated Passover as the law required, destroyed many objects used in Baal and sun worship, and removed pagan shrines in Judah (2 Kings 23:4–14). The prophets Zephaniah and Jeremiah, who spoke for God during his time, apparently supported Josiah in all this.

On one important occasion, Josiah did not listen to God's guidance, which led to his death (2 Kings 23:29–30; 2 Chronicles 35:20–25). In 609 BC, Pharaoh Neco marched toward Carchemish to help the Assyrian army against Babylon. Josiah delayed Neco at Megiddo, possibly to support the Babylonians. Neco claimed that the Lord wanted him to fight Babylon, but Josiah attacked him and was killed in battle. Jeremiah and the people of Judah mourned Josiah deeply (2 Chronicles 35:25).

Josiah was faithful, but the people were not. After he died, his sons and successors turned away from the Lord. Despite Jeremiah's increased efforts, the people did not repent. The turbulent years after Josiah's death ended with the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of its citizens to Babylon from 605 to 586 BC.

Passages for Further Study

1 Kings 13:2; 2 Kings 21:24–23:30; 2 Chronicles 33:25–35:27; Jeremiah 1:1–4; 22:13–23; 25:3; 36:2; Zephaniah 1:1