WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:04.120 Imagine an eight year old boy suddenly thrust onto a throne, 2 00:00:04.519 --> 00:00:09.199 surrounded by corruption, idolatry, and the darkest spiritual chaos his 3 00:00:09.359 --> 00:00:12.679 nation had ever known. The Temple of God lay in ruins, 4 00:00:12.960 --> 00:00:17.559 forgotten and filled with debris. Pagan altars dotted every hillside. 5 00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:22.000 Child's sacrifice had become commonplace in the valley below Jerusalem. 6 00:00:22.359 --> 00:00:26.039 This wasn't just any kingdom in crisis. This was Judah, 7 00:00:26.039 --> 00:00:30.280 God's chosen people, who had fallen so far that divine 8 00:00:30.359 --> 00:00:34.359 judgment seemed inevitable and inescapable. Yet in the midst of 9 00:00:34.399 --> 00:00:39.320 this overwhelming darkness, something extraordinary was about to happen. This 10 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:42.679 child king would grow to become the most passionate reformer 11 00:00:43.079 --> 00:00:46.920 Israel had ever seen, a ruler so devoted to God 12 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:50.240 that the Bible itself declares no king before or after 13 00:00:50.320 --> 00:00:54.200 him would ever match his wholehearted dedication. He would discover 14 00:00:54.320 --> 00:00:57.759 a lost sacred book that would shake an entire nation. 15 00:00:58.359 --> 00:01:01.560 He would celebrate the greatest part over since the time 16 00:01:01.640 --> 00:01:04.560 of the Prophets. But his story would end in a 17 00:01:04.599 --> 00:01:08.680 mysterious and tragic decision on a battlefield where he should 18 00:01:08.760 --> 00:01:12.239 never have been. This is the complete story of Josiah, 19 00:01:12.680 --> 00:01:15.840 the boy who became Judah's greatest king, and the man 20 00:01:15.879 --> 00:01:19.159 whose legacy would outlive the very kingdom he fought to save. 21 00:01:19.719 --> 00:01:23.200 To understand Josiah's story, we need to step back and 22 00:01:23.239 --> 00:01:26.239 see what Judah looked like before he was born. The 23 00:01:26.359 --> 00:01:31.120 kingdom was living through its darkest spiritual nightmare under King Manasseh, 24 00:01:31.400 --> 00:01:35.760 Josiah's grandfather. This wasn't just a phase of disobedience. It 25 00:01:35.920 --> 00:01:39.719 was a complete abandonment of everything God had called his 26 00:01:39.840 --> 00:01:43.640 people to be. Manasse ruled for fifty five years, and 27 00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:47.799 during that time he systematically dismantled the worship of the 28 00:01:47.840 --> 00:01:51.000 True God and replaced it with every kind of evil 29 00:01:51.079 --> 00:01:55.719 practice imaginable. Second Kings, Chapter twenty one, verse two tells 30 00:01:55.760 --> 00:01:59.040 us plainly he did evil in the eyes of the Lord, 31 00:01:59.439 --> 00:02:03.000 following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had 32 00:02:03.079 --> 00:02:07.799 driven out before the Israelites. But what exactly did that mean? 33 00:02:08.360 --> 00:02:12.840 Manassa rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed. 34 00:02:13.280 --> 00:02:16.680 He erected altars to Baal and made a shaerer pole, 35 00:02:17.080 --> 00:02:20.199 just like Ahab, king of Israel, had done generations before. 36 00:02:20.639 --> 00:02:24.599 He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. 37 00:02:24.800 --> 00:02:28.400 The King of God's chosen people was literally looking up 38 00:02:28.439 --> 00:02:32.360 at the stars and moon and worshiping creation instead of 39 00:02:32.400 --> 00:02:37.319 the Creator. It got worse. Second Kings twenty one, Verse 40 00:02:37.360 --> 00:02:43.039 four record something almost unbelievable. He built altars in the 41 00:02:43.080 --> 00:02:45.879 temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, 42 00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:50.280 in Jerusalem, I will put my name. Manasi didn't just 43 00:02:50.360 --> 00:02:54.039 allow idle worship in random places. He brought it right 44 00:02:54.120 --> 00:02:57.639 into God's house. In both courts of the temple, he 45 00:02:57.719 --> 00:03:01.560 built altars to the starry hosts. The very place where 46 00:03:01.599 --> 00:03:05.120 God's presence was supposed to dwell became a center for 47 00:03:05.240 --> 00:03:09.759 worshiping false gods. Then came the most horrifying practice of all. 48 00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:14.360 Verse six describes how Manassa sacrificed his own son in 49 00:03:14.439 --> 00:03:20.719 the fire, practiced divination, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. 50 00:03:21.599 --> 00:03:25.639 The valley of ben Hinham, just outside Jerusalem, became a 51 00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:29.000 place where parents would burn their children as offerings to 52 00:03:29.039 --> 00:03:32.719 the god Mollich. The screams of innocent children filled the 53 00:03:32.759 --> 00:03:36.599 air while their own fathers and mothers watched, believing this 54 00:03:36.680 --> 00:03:40.400 would bring them favor from worthless idols made of wood 55 00:03:40.759 --> 00:03:45.080 and stone. Manassa also shed so much innocent blood that 56 00:03:45.159 --> 00:03:48.520 he filled Jerusalem from end to end. Any One who 57 00:03:48.560 --> 00:03:52.360 spoke out against his evil practices or remained faithful to 58 00:03:52.439 --> 00:03:56.400 the Lord was killed. The streets of the Holy City 59 00:03:56.479 --> 00:04:01.000 ran red with the blood of the righteous. Second Chronicles 60 00:04:01.039 --> 00:04:05.080 thirty three, verse nine sums up the tragedy perfectly. But 61 00:04:05.240 --> 00:04:09.199 Manassa led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so 62 00:04:09.319 --> 00:04:12.599 that they did more evil than the nations the Lord 63 00:04:12.680 --> 00:04:18.399 had destroyed before the Israelites. Think about that statement. God 64 00:04:18.519 --> 00:04:21.680 had driven out the Canaanites because of their wickedness, and 65 00:04:21.800 --> 00:04:25.120 now his own people were acting even worse than those 66 00:04:25.199 --> 00:04:28.720 pagan nations had been. This was the spiritual climate that 67 00:04:28.759 --> 00:04:31.879 would shape the world. Josiah would be born into a 68 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:36.439 kingdom that had forgotten its God, a people drowning in darkness, 69 00:04:36.759 --> 00:04:41.040 and a future that looked absolutely hopeless. After fifty five 70 00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:45.160 long years, manasse finally died and was buried in his 71 00:04:45.279 --> 00:04:48.680 palace garden. For a brief moment, there might have been 72 00:04:48.759 --> 00:04:52.439 hope that things would change. Perhaps his son Aimon would 73 00:04:52.480 --> 00:04:55.319 see the error of his father's ways and turn the 74 00:04:55.439 --> 00:04:59.920 nation back to God. But that hope died quickly. A 75 00:05:00.040 --> 00:05:02.680 Yemen was twenty two years old when he became king 76 00:05:03.120 --> 00:05:07.279 and second Kings twenty one, Verse twenty tells us exactly 77 00:05:07.319 --> 00:05:11.040 what kind of ruler he would be. He did evil 78 00:05:11.079 --> 00:05:14.160 in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasse 79 00:05:14.279 --> 00:05:18.639 had done, there would be no repentance, no reform, no 80 00:05:18.839 --> 00:05:21.600 return to the ways of the Lord. Verse twenty one 81 00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:25.000 makes it even clearer. He followed completely the ways of 82 00:05:25.040 --> 00:05:29.199 his father, worshiping the idols his father had worshiped and 83 00:05:29.360 --> 00:05:34.199 bowing down to them. Aimon didn't just continue his father's policies, 84 00:05:34.519 --> 00:05:38.759 he embraced them completely. Every altar to bow that Manassa 85 00:05:38.800 --> 00:05:43.560 had built remained standing, Every asherapole stayed in place. The 86 00:05:43.639 --> 00:05:47.279 high places continued to operate. The temple of the Lord 87 00:05:47.680 --> 00:05:51.959 remained defiled with pagan altars. But there was one critical 88 00:05:52.000 --> 00:05:55.639 difference between father and son that the Bible makes sure 89 00:05:55.680 --> 00:05:59.639 to point out. Second Chronicles thirty three, verse twenty three 90 00:05:59.720 --> 00:06:04.000 record lords, but unlike his father Manassa, he did not 91 00:06:04.199 --> 00:06:08.839 humble himself before the Lord Ammon increased his guilt. You see, 92 00:06:08.920 --> 00:06:13.480 late in Manassa's life, something remarkable had happened. After being 93 00:06:13.519 --> 00:06:17.920 taken captive to Babylon. Manasse had humbled himself before God, 94 00:06:18.319 --> 00:06:21.680 repented of his sins and was restored to his throne. 95 00:06:22.519 --> 00:06:26.000 Second Chronicles thirty three describes how he removed the foreign 96 00:06:26.079 --> 00:06:29.319 gods from the temple and tried to undo some of 97 00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:33.079 the damage he had caused. It was too little, too 98 00:06:33.160 --> 00:06:36.040 late to save the nation from judgment, but at least 99 00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:39.879 Manassa had recognized his evil and turned back to God. 100 00:06:39.959 --> 00:06:44.560 Before he died. Amon knew this story. He had watched 101 00:06:44.560 --> 00:06:49.560 his father's transformation. He had seen genuine repentance and heard 102 00:06:49.639 --> 00:06:53.120 about God's mercy, but he chose to ignore it all. 103 00:06:53.600 --> 00:06:56.199 He looked at his father's fifty five years of evil 104 00:06:56.439 --> 00:06:59.480 and decided that's what he wanted to follow, not the 105 00:06:59.560 --> 00:07:04.480 humble repentance at the end. So Judah continued its downward spiral. 106 00:07:04.879 --> 00:07:08.360 The brief reign of Armon, only two years, according to 107 00:07:08.439 --> 00:07:11.959 Second Kings twenty one, verse nineteen, would be marked by 108 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:15.959 the same darkness that had characterized most of Manasse's rule. 109 00:07:16.680 --> 00:07:21.199 The idols remained, the innocent blood continued to flow, the 110 00:07:21.240 --> 00:07:25.360 temple stayed defiled, and in the royal palace, a young 111 00:07:25.439 --> 00:07:30.160 boy named Josiah was growing up watching everything unfold around him. 112 00:07:30.680 --> 00:07:34.360 He was being raised in the most corrupt environment imaginable, 113 00:07:34.680 --> 00:07:37.519 surrounded by people who had turned their backs on the 114 00:07:37.519 --> 00:07:41.319 God of their fathers. No one could have predicted what 115 00:07:41.480 --> 00:07:45.160 this child would one day become. Amon's reign came to 116 00:07:45.240 --> 00:07:48.839 a sudden and violent end. After just two years on 117 00:07:48.920 --> 00:07:53.319 the throne. Something happened that shook the entire kingdom. Second 118 00:07:53.439 --> 00:07:57.040 King's twenty one verse twenty three records the shocking event. 119 00:07:57.680 --> 00:08:01.920 Amon's officials conspired against him him and assassinated the king 120 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:05.519 in his palace. This wasn't an attack from outside enemies 121 00:08:05.800 --> 00:08:08.759 or a rebellion from the common people. This was an 122 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:13.040 inside job, a betrayal from the very people closest to 123 00:08:13.120 --> 00:08:17.160 the king. His own officials, the men who served him daily, 124 00:08:17.399 --> 00:08:20.319 who had access to the royal chambers, who were supposed 125 00:08:20.360 --> 00:08:23.800 to protect and support him, turned against him and killed 126 00:08:23.879 --> 00:08:26.920 him in his own house. The Bible doesn't tell us 127 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:30.600 exactly why they did it or who these conspirators were. 128 00:08:31.160 --> 00:08:35.320 We don't know their names or their specific motivations, but 129 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:39.000 we can piece together some reasonable ideas. Perhaps they were 130 00:08:39.039 --> 00:08:41.919 tired of the moral decay that was destroying the nation. 131 00:08:42.519 --> 00:08:46.240 Maybe they feared that Amon's wickedness would bring God's judgment 132 00:08:46.320 --> 00:08:50.559 down on everyone, or possibly there were political reasons. Will 133 00:08:50.600 --> 00:08:54.360 never fully understand. What we do know is that pallace 134 00:08:54.480 --> 00:08:59.039 conspiracies like this were relatively rare in Judah. Unlike the 135 00:08:59.080 --> 00:09:02.679 Northern Kingdom of Evers Israel, where kings were regularly overthrown 136 00:09:02.679 --> 00:09:06.679 and assassinated, the Southern Kingdom of Judah had maintained a 137 00:09:06.679 --> 00:09:11.360 fairly stable line of succession through David's descendants. For royal 138 00:09:11.360 --> 00:09:15.320 officials to actually murder their king showed just how desperate 139 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:20.240 and chaotic things had become. The assassination created immediate chaos. 140 00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:24.440 Who would rule now? Amon had a son, but he 141 00:09:24.519 --> 00:09:27.600 was only eight years old, far too young to defend 142 00:09:27.720 --> 00:09:31.279 himself or claim the throne through strength. The conspirators who 143 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:34.320 had killed Amon might have had their own plans for 144 00:09:34.399 --> 00:09:37.720 who should rule. Perhaps they wanted to install a puppet 145 00:09:37.799 --> 00:09:41.240 king they could control, or maybe they intended to end 146 00:09:41.320 --> 00:09:45.639 David's dynasty altogether and start something new. But they didn't 147 00:09:45.679 --> 00:09:48.759 get the chance to find out. The power vacuum they 148 00:09:48.759 --> 00:09:52.720 had created wouldn't last long. The people of Judah, not 149 00:09:52.879 --> 00:09:56.559 the nobility, not the priests, not the wealthy elite, but 150 00:09:56.639 --> 00:09:59.279 the common people of the land were about to make 151 00:09:59.320 --> 00:10:03.279 a decision would change everything. The eight year old boy 152 00:10:03.360 --> 00:10:06.799 in the palace, the grandson of the wicked Manassa and 153 00:10:06.879 --> 00:10:10.360 the son of the murdered Amon, was about to become king, 154 00:10:11.039 --> 00:10:15.759 and no one, absolutely no one could have predicted what 155 00:10:15.799 --> 00:10:19.919 would happen next. What happened next shows us something powerful 156 00:10:19.960 --> 00:10:23.440 about the common people of Judah. They had endured fifty 157 00:10:23.480 --> 00:10:28.000 seven years of wicked kings, fifty five under Manassa and 158 00:10:28.120 --> 00:10:33.279 two under Amon. They had watched their nations spiral into darkness. 159 00:10:33.799 --> 00:10:37.240 They had seen the temple defiled, an innocent blood shed 160 00:10:37.320 --> 00:10:39.840 in the streets, but they weren't ready to give up 161 00:10:39.840 --> 00:10:43.960 on David's dynasty or God's promises. Second Kings twenty one, 162 00:10:44.039 --> 00:10:47.080 Verse twenty four tells us what they did. Then. The 163 00:10:47.120 --> 00:10:50.519 people of the land killed all who had plotted against 164 00:10:50.600 --> 00:10:54.200 King Amon, and they made Josiah his son, king in 165 00:10:54.320 --> 00:10:58.720 his place. This wasn't the decision of priests or prophets 166 00:10:58.799 --> 00:11:03.080 or government officials. This was the people themselves rising up 167 00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:06.960 and taking action. They executed every single person who had 168 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:10.240 been part of the conspiracy to kill Ammon. It didn't 169 00:11:10.279 --> 00:11:13.759 matter what the conspirator's reasons might have been, or whether 170 00:11:13.799 --> 00:11:16.759 they thought they were doing something good for the nation. 171 00:11:17.879 --> 00:11:21.480 The people of the land made a clear statement, you 172 00:11:21.639 --> 00:11:25.320 don't murder the lord's anointed king and get away with it. 173 00:11:25.960 --> 00:11:31.159 But even more importantly, they deliberately placed Josiah on the throne. 174 00:11:31.200 --> 00:11:34.320 This eight year old child became king not because he 175 00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:37.399 seized power or because he was the obvious choice in 176 00:11:37.440 --> 00:11:41.000 a time of stability. He became king because the common 177 00:11:41.039 --> 00:11:44.639 people wanted him there. They chose to continue the line 178 00:11:44.679 --> 00:11:48.240 of David to maintain the covenant promises God had made 179 00:11:48.320 --> 00:11:51.720 to their ancestors. Think about what an act of faith 180 00:11:51.759 --> 00:11:54.519 this was. They could have looked at the previous two 181 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:58.919 generations and decided that David's line was cursed. They could 182 00:11:58.960 --> 00:12:02.480 have said Mona so was evil. Amon was evil, so 183 00:12:02.639 --> 00:12:06.360 Josiah will probably be evil too. They could have supported 184 00:12:06.399 --> 00:12:09.840 a different family or a different tribe, or even asked 185 00:12:09.840 --> 00:12:12.799 for help from Egypt or as Syria. But they didn't 186 00:12:12.799 --> 00:12:16.519 do any of that. Instead, they looked at this child 187 00:12:16.840 --> 00:12:20.200 and decided to give him a chance. They put their 188 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:23.919 hope in the possibility that maybe, just maybe this young 189 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:27.320 boy would be different from his father and grandfather. They 190 00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:30.480 remembered that God had promised David's descendants would rule in 191 00:12:30.559 --> 00:12:35.279 Jerusalem forever, and they acted on that faith. Second Chronicles 192 00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:40.360 thirty four, verse one confirms the people's choice. Josiah was 193 00:12:40.440 --> 00:12:43.600 eight years old when he became king, and he reigned 194 00:12:43.600 --> 00:12:48.480 in Jerusalem thirty one years. That long reign thirty one 195 00:12:48.559 --> 00:12:53.200 years would prove that the people's faith wasn't misplaced. But 196 00:12:53.320 --> 00:12:56.440 at that moment, when they crowned an eight year old child, 197 00:12:56.480 --> 00:13:00.000 they were simply trusting that God hadn't abandoned his head 198 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:04.960 promises or his people. The boy King Josiah stood before them, 199 00:13:05.279 --> 00:13:08.039 wearing a crown that was probably too big for his head, 200 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:12.320 facing responsibilities no child should have to carry. He was 201 00:13:12.360 --> 00:13:17.080 surrounded by corruption, raised in evil, with every reason to 202 00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:20.200 follow the path of his father and grandfather. But the 203 00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:23.399 people had made their choice. Now every one would wait 204 00:13:23.440 --> 00:13:26.200 to see what kind of king this child would become. 205 00:13:27.759 --> 00:13:32.159 Picture Josiah's world for a moment. He was eight years old, 206 00:13:32.360 --> 00:13:35.559 still a child by any measure, Suddenly sitting on a 207 00:13:35.639 --> 00:13:39.399 throne and wearing a crown. All around him stood the 208 00:13:39.399 --> 00:13:43.879 same officials, priests, and advisers who had served his wicked 209 00:13:43.919 --> 00:13:47.960 father and grandfather. These were people who had spent decades 210 00:13:48.039 --> 00:13:53.120 bowing to bail, consulting mediums and spiritists, and filling Jerusalem 211 00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:56.679 with idols and bloodshed. The palace itself would have been 212 00:13:56.679 --> 00:13:59.559 filled with reminders of the evil that had ruled there. 213 00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:03.440 Perhaps there were statues of false gods in the corridors. 214 00:14:03.879 --> 00:14:07.320 Maybe some of the officials still wore amulets dedicated to 215 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:11.159 pagan deities. The very people who were supposed to teach 216 00:14:11.240 --> 00:14:14.360 Josiah how to be a king had learned their craft 217 00:14:14.720 --> 00:14:17.679 under two of the most wicked rulers in Judah's history. 218 00:14:18.039 --> 00:14:22.000 And beyond the palace walls, the entire city lay steeped 219 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:25.600 in idolatry. If young Josiah looked out from his windows, 220 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:28.960 he might have seen smoke rising from the high places 221 00:14:29.200 --> 00:14:33.039 where people were still making offerings to false gods. The 222 00:14:33.080 --> 00:14:36.200 Temple of the Lord, the place where God's name was 223 00:14:36.240 --> 00:14:42.360 supposed to dwell, sat neglected and defiled, filled with altars. 224 00:14:42.399 --> 00:14:46.480 To the starry hosts that his grandfather had built. In 225 00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:50.320 the valley of ben Hinham. Just outside the city, the 226 00:14:50.360 --> 00:14:53.879 fires of Moleek might still have been burning, the screams 227 00:14:53.919 --> 00:14:57.399 of children being sacrificed to this demon. God might have 228 00:14:57.480 --> 00:15:01.320 echoed up to the palace on certain nights. This wasn't 229 00:15:01.399 --> 00:15:06.279 ancient history for Josiah. This was his present reality, happening 230 00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:12.279 during his own childhood reign. Every tradition, every custom, every 231 00:15:12.399 --> 00:15:15.879 normal part of daily life in Jerusalem was corrupted by 232 00:15:16.080 --> 00:15:19.960 decades of turning away from the true God. The people 233 00:15:19.960 --> 00:15:23.519 around Josiah had grown up thinking this was normal. They 234 00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:26.399 had forgotten what it meant to truly worship the Lord. 235 00:15:26.799 --> 00:15:30.039 They had forgotten the Law of Moses. They had forgotten 236 00:15:30.080 --> 00:15:34.200 the covenant their ancestors had made with God at Mount Sinai. 237 00:15:34.919 --> 00:15:38.799 Josiah had no godly father to guide him. Amon had 238 00:15:38.840 --> 00:15:42.360 been wicked until his last day. He had no godly 239 00:15:42.399 --> 00:15:46.960 grandfather to learn from. Manassa's late life repentance had been real, 240 00:15:47.360 --> 00:15:50.440 but he had died when Josiah was very young. If 241 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:53.639 the boy remembered him at all, the child king had 242 00:15:53.639 --> 00:15:57.879 no obvious mentor no clear example of righteousness to follow. 243 00:15:58.240 --> 00:16:01.000 Think about how easy it would have been for Josiah 244 00:16:01.159 --> 00:16:03.919 to simply go along with everything around him. He was 245 00:16:04.120 --> 00:16:07.759 just a child. The adults in his life, the ones 246 00:16:07.799 --> 00:16:11.480 with power and experience, could have shaped him into anything 247 00:16:11.519 --> 00:16:14.639 they wanted. They could have taught him to worship bail, 248 00:16:15.080 --> 00:16:18.480 to consult mediums, to follow the ways of his father 249 00:16:18.600 --> 00:16:21.759 and grandfather, And who could have blamed an eight year 250 00:16:21.799 --> 00:16:25.720 old boy for following the only examples he knew. But 251 00:16:25.879 --> 00:16:30.279 something was different about this child, somehow, despite the corruption 252 00:16:30.440 --> 00:16:35.080 surrounding him, despite having no obvious Godly influence in his life, 253 00:16:35.519 --> 00:16:39.919 despite being raised in the most spiritually dark environment imaginable, 254 00:16:40.759 --> 00:16:45.399 Josiah's heart was turning in a different direction. The Bible 255 00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:47.919 will later describe him as doing what was right in 256 00:16:47.960 --> 00:16:50.480 the eyes of the Lord, walking in the ways of 257 00:16:50.600 --> 00:16:53.639 David his father, not turning aside to the right or 258 00:16:53.679 --> 00:16:56.279 to the left. How does that happen? How does a 259 00:16:56.360 --> 00:17:00.360 child raised in such darkness show any signs of light? 260 00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:03.879 The only answer is that God himself was working in 261 00:17:03.960 --> 00:17:08.720 Josiah's heart, preparing him for something extraordinary. The boy King 262 00:17:09.079 --> 00:17:11.440 might not have understood it yet, but he was being 263 00:17:11.559 --> 00:17:14.960 shaped for a purpose that would impact his entire generation 264 00:17:15.279 --> 00:17:19.559 and beyond. The Bible gives us a crucial detail about 265 00:17:19.640 --> 00:17:23.880 Josiah's early years that helps us understand what made him different. 266 00:17:24.279 --> 00:17:27.440 Second King's twenty two, Verse two tells us he did 267 00:17:27.680 --> 00:17:30.039 what was right in the eyes of the Lord and 268 00:17:30.160 --> 00:17:33.759 followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning 269 00:17:33.799 --> 00:17:37.119 aside to the right or to the left. Now, notice 270 00:17:37.160 --> 00:17:41.839 something important, the verse says his father David, not his 271 00:17:41.960 --> 00:17:47.440 actual father Ammon or his grandfather Manasseh. Josiah wasn't following 272 00:17:47.440 --> 00:17:51.279 the examples right in front of him. Instead, he was 273 00:17:51.319 --> 00:17:55.079 looking back generations to David, the king, who had lived 274 00:17:55.119 --> 00:17:58.440 and died over three hundred years before Josiah was born. 275 00:17:58.839 --> 00:18:01.720 How did an eight year old boy even know about David. 276 00:18:02.119 --> 00:18:05.000 Some one must have told him the stories. Perhaps there 277 00:18:05.039 --> 00:18:08.079 were a few faithful servants in the palace who remembered 278 00:18:08.119 --> 00:18:11.680 the old ways. Maybe there were scrolls or records that 279 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:16.319 Josiah discovered and read, or possibly his mother Jedidah, whose 280 00:18:16.400 --> 00:18:19.279 name is mentioned in Second Kings twenty two, verse one, 281 00:18:19.680 --> 00:18:23.039 taught him about his ancestor David and the covenant God 282 00:18:23.079 --> 00:18:26.240 had made with him. We don't know exactly how it happened, 283 00:18:26.599 --> 00:18:30.039 but somehow, young Josiah learned that there was a different 284 00:18:30.079 --> 00:18:33.319 way to be king. He learned that his great great 285 00:18:33.400 --> 00:18:37.400 great grandfather David had loved the Lord with all his heart. 286 00:18:38.039 --> 00:18:40.920 He learned about the promises God had made and the 287 00:18:40.960 --> 00:18:46.039 blessings that came from following God's ways. And here's what's remarkable. 288 00:18:46.559 --> 00:18:50.400 Josiah didn't just learn these stories as interesting history. He 289 00:18:50.480 --> 00:18:54.680 took them personally. He made a choice, even as a child, 290 00:18:54.720 --> 00:18:57.960 to pattern his life after David rather than after the 291 00:18:58.039 --> 00:19:03.119 men he actually knew. He chose light over darkness, truth 292 00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:06.480 over the comfortable lies every one around him was living. 293 00:19:07.519 --> 00:19:11.480 Second Chronicles thirty four, verse two repeats this same truth. 294 00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:14.559 He did what was right in the eyes of the 295 00:19:14.599 --> 00:19:17.880 Lord and followed the ways of his father David, not 296 00:19:18.039 --> 00:19:22.119 turning aside to the right or to the left. That phrase, 297 00:19:22.759 --> 00:19:25.480 not turning aside to the right or to the left 298 00:19:25.920 --> 00:19:31.119 is significant. It means Josiah was consistent. He didn't compromise. 299 00:19:31.640 --> 00:19:34.680 He didn't say, well, I'll follow God in these areas, 300 00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:40.039 but keep these pagan practices over here. He committed himself completely. 301 00:19:41.000 --> 00:19:45.440 This consistency must have been visible even in Josiah's childhood. 302 00:19:45.880 --> 00:19:49.000 The people around him would have noticed that this boy 303 00:19:49.079 --> 00:19:53.960 king was different. When his officials suggested he participate in 304 00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:58.119 the worship of Baal like his father had done, he refused. 305 00:19:58.519 --> 00:20:02.279 When the court customs included consulting mediums or making offerings 306 00:20:02.279 --> 00:20:05.680 to the starry hosts. He wouldn't do it when everyone 307 00:20:05.680 --> 00:20:09.880 else was bowing to idols. He stood apart. Think about 308 00:20:09.880 --> 00:20:13.839 how much courage that took. Josiah wasn't a grown man 309 00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:17.000 with an army at his command. He was a child 310 00:20:17.079 --> 00:20:21.440 king who could have been easily manipulated or controlled if 311 00:20:21.440 --> 00:20:24.920 his officials had wanted to. They probably could have ignored 312 00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:29.400 him or worked around him. But something about Josiah's character, 313 00:20:30.039 --> 00:20:34.079 his firmness, his conviction, his clear sense that he served 314 00:20:34.079 --> 00:20:37.640 a higher authority than the people around him, must have 315 00:20:37.680 --> 00:20:42.000 commanded respect, even at such a young age. The Bible 316 00:20:42.039 --> 00:20:45.799 doesn't give us stories of specific incidents from these early years. 317 00:20:46.279 --> 00:20:49.319 We don't know the exact moments when Josiah had to 318 00:20:49.359 --> 00:20:53.039 stand firm or the times he resisted pressure to compromise. 319 00:20:53.440 --> 00:20:57.240 But we know that throughout his childhood and teenage years, 320 00:20:57.680 --> 00:21:01.079 he was building a reputation as some one who genuinely 321 00:21:01.119 --> 00:21:04.440 loved the Lord and refused to follow the wickedness of 322 00:21:04.480 --> 00:21:09.119 the previous generations. These early signs of character were just 323 00:21:09.160 --> 00:21:12.759 the beginning. They showed that God had indeed placed his 324 00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:15.640 hand on this young king and was preparing him for 325 00:21:15.720 --> 00:21:19.119 something far greater than any one could have imagined. While 326 00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:22.359 Josiah was growing up in the palace, God was doing 327 00:21:22.440 --> 00:21:26.440 something else in Judah. He was raising up prophets who 328 00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:30.200 would speak his word to the nation. These men would 329 00:21:30.200 --> 00:21:34.960 create a spiritual atmosphere that would both challenge and encourage 330 00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:39.119 the young king as he matured. The prophet Zephoniah began 331 00:21:39.200 --> 00:21:43.400 his ministry during Josiah's reign. The very first verse of 332 00:21:43.440 --> 00:21:46.359 the Book of Zephaniah tells us the word of the 333 00:21:46.400 --> 00:21:50.000 Lord that came to Zephaniah, son of Kushi, the son 334 00:21:50.119 --> 00:21:54.519 of Gadaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, 335 00:21:54.839 --> 00:21:58.480 during the reign of Josiah, son of Amon, king of Judah. 336 00:21:59.000 --> 00:22:02.519 This means that at some point during Josiah's childhood or 337 00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:07.599 teenage years, Zephaniah was actively prophesying in Jerusalem. What was 338 00:22:07.680 --> 00:22:12.319 Zephaniah saying? His message was intense and urgent. He warned 339 00:22:12.359 --> 00:22:15.359 about the great day of the Lord that was coming, 340 00:22:15.759 --> 00:22:20.160 a day of wrath, distress, anguish, trouble, and darkness. In 341 00:22:20.240 --> 00:22:24.160 Chapter one, verse four, he specifically addressed the idolatry that 342 00:22:24.240 --> 00:22:28.039 filled Jerusalem. I will stretch out my hand against Judah 343 00:22:28.279 --> 00:22:31.680 and against all who live in Jerusalem. I will destroy 344 00:22:31.839 --> 00:22:35.440 every remnant of bale worship in this place, the very 345 00:22:35.599 --> 00:22:40.519 names of the idolatrous priests. Zephaniah called out the people 346 00:22:40.519 --> 00:22:44.240 who worshiped the starry hosts on their rooftops, who bowed 347 00:22:44.279 --> 00:22:47.519 down and swore by both the Lord and by the 348 00:22:47.559 --> 00:22:50.799 god Molik, and who turned back from following the Lord. 349 00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:55.119 His words painted a vivid picture of exactly the kind 350 00:22:55.160 --> 00:22:59.680 of spiritual corruption that had marked Manassa's reign and continued 351 00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:04.920 under Aimon. But zeph Andiah's message wasn't all doom and judgment. 352 00:23:05.440 --> 00:23:09.160 He also spoke words of hope. In chapter two, verse three, 353 00:23:09.240 --> 00:23:12.799 he urged seek the Lord, all, you humble of the land, 354 00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:17.640 you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility. 355 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:20.119 Perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the 356 00:23:20.200 --> 00:23:25.240 Lord's anger. That word seek must have resonated with young Josiah. 357 00:23:25.640 --> 00:23:28.680 Here was a prophet saying that it was still possible 358 00:23:28.759 --> 00:23:32.480 to seek the Lord, to find him, to turn away 359 00:23:32.519 --> 00:23:35.799 from the wickedness that surrounded them. The call to seek 360 00:23:35.880 --> 00:23:40.640 righteousness and humility aligned perfectly with the path Josiah was 361 00:23:40.680 --> 00:23:45.319 already choosing to follow. Then there was Jeremiah, who would 362 00:23:45.319 --> 00:23:49.920 become one of the greatest prophets in Israel's history. Jeremiah one, 363 00:23:50.039 --> 00:23:53.400 verse two tells us the word of the Lord came 364 00:23:53.440 --> 00:23:56.839 to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah, 365 00:23:56.960 --> 00:24:01.839 son of Amon, King of Judah. Means Jeremiah began prophesying 366 00:24:01.880 --> 00:24:05.920 when Josiah was about twenty one years old. Jeremiah's call 367 00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:09.720 from God was powerful and clear. In Chapter one, verses 368 00:24:09.799 --> 00:24:12.519 nine and ten, the Lord said to him, I have 369 00:24:12.599 --> 00:24:16.000 put my words in your mouth. See to day I 370 00:24:16.119 --> 00:24:20.440 appoint you over nations and kingdoms, to uproot and tear down, 371 00:24:20.720 --> 00:24:25.279 to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant. Both 372 00:24:25.319 --> 00:24:27.839 of these prophets were speaking God's truth in a time 373 00:24:27.880 --> 00:24:31.000 when truth was rare. They weren't afraid to call out 374 00:24:31.119 --> 00:24:35.039 sin and warn of judgment. They reminded people of the 375 00:24:35.119 --> 00:24:38.599 covenant their ancestors had made with God and how far 376 00:24:38.759 --> 00:24:41.920 Judah had fallen from it. Their voices cut through the 377 00:24:41.960 --> 00:24:46.200 comfortable lies and spiritual darkness that had settled over the nation. 378 00:24:46.799 --> 00:24:51.039 For Josiah, these prophetic voices would have been confirmation that 379 00:24:51.079 --> 00:24:55.000 he wasn't alone or crazy for wanting to follow the Lord. 380 00:24:56.039 --> 00:24:59.839 Here were other people, respected men of God who saw 381 00:25:00.079 --> 00:25:03.839 things the way he did. They understood that Judah's idolatry 382 00:25:03.960 --> 00:25:07.200 was serious. They believed that returning to the Lord was 383 00:25:07.400 --> 00:25:11.200 urgent and necessary. They offered a vision of what faithfulness 384 00:25:11.200 --> 00:25:14.759 to God could look like. The prophets also provided something 385 00:25:14.880 --> 00:25:20.000 Josiah desperately needed, direct access to God's current word for 386 00:25:20.079 --> 00:25:24.599 the nation. David had been dead for over three hundred years, 387 00:25:25.319 --> 00:25:28.400 the Law of Moses had been given even longer ago. 388 00:25:29.200 --> 00:25:33.160 But through prophets like Zephaniah and Jeremiah, Josiah could hear 389 00:25:33.240 --> 00:25:35.920 what God was saying right now, in his own time, 390 00:25:36.480 --> 00:25:41.240 about the specific situations Judah was facing. This prophetic atmosphere 391 00:25:41.279 --> 00:25:44.559 helped shape the spiritual climate in which Josiah would eventually 392 00:25:44.599 --> 00:25:48.680 launch his great reforms. The king and the prophets worked together, 393 00:25:49.160 --> 00:25:53.000 each fulfilling their role in calling the nation back to God. 394 00:25:53.559 --> 00:25:56.880 Josiah had the political power to make changes, while the 395 00:25:56.880 --> 00:26:01.400 prophets had the spiritual authority to explain why those changes mattered. 396 00:26:02.119 --> 00:26:05.880 Everything we've discussed so far was leading to one pivotal 397 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:10.359 moment that would define Josiah's entire life. And reign. Second 398 00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:14.640 Chronicles thirty four, verse three records this turning point. In 399 00:26:14.680 --> 00:26:17.599 the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, 400 00:26:17.960 --> 00:26:20.680 he began to seek the God of his father David. 401 00:26:21.400 --> 00:26:25.039