I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Kings 22-25.

Josiah took the throne at eight years old when his father was assassinated. Despite the fact that his father and grandfather were evil men, Josiah was a godly king. We do not know who inspired Josiah in his love for God, but the record here is clear. As soon as he was old enough to begin taking action as king without requiring the approval of his advisers/regents Josiah ordered the repair and cleansing of the Temple. As soon as the priests began clearing the Temple they found a copy of the Law of Moses, which they brought to Josiah. Josiah was horrified to learn how badly the people had been violating their covenant with God. His response was to seek God’s guidance on what they should do. The message from God was that the curses for breaking God’s covenant with the people could not be avoided, but because Josiah had humbled himself and sought to do God’s will God would delay them until after his death.

Upon hearing this message King josiah could have limited himself to worshiping God and doing God’s will himself, leaving the people to continue in their sin. However, he did not do this. Instead, he led a revival among his people. He called a convocation of the people and renewed their covenant with God. He launched a crusade to cleanse the land of idolatry, and not just the land of Judah, but all of the land which God had given the people of Israel. King Josiah systematically destroyed all of the idolatrous shrines throughout the land. He even got people to destroy their own personal shrines and household gods and to give up their “harmless” consultations with psychics and mediums. The writer tells us that King Josiah called the people to celebrate the Passover in a way which had not been done since before there were kings in Israel. The reforms King Josiah implemented could not have been executed purely as a top down reformation. He must have had the support of the people in order to accomplish all of this. Josiah’s enthusiasm for God was contagious and the people followed his lead. Unfortunately, he did not pass his love for God on to his sons or grandson. If we are enthusiastic about our love of God, others will follow us. But, lasting change will only happen if people do more than just follow a charismatic leader. They need to enter into a relationship with God themselves.