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Josiah: Israel Reformed
After Hezekiah died his son Manasseh ascended the throne of Judah at the age of twelve. Regardless of his father’s steadfast faithfulness to God Manasseh chose to turn his back on his father’s God and carve out his own path.
Manasseh was probably one of the worst kings to rule Judah, in fact in many ways he was worse than some of the heathen kings that ruled the surrounding nations. During his lifetime he established a cult to Ashtaroth, the goddess of fertility. The worship of Asherah or Ashtaroth involved a great deal of sexual immorality not unlike the cultic worship of grecian deities which involved temple prostitution. In addition to this Manasseh also established Baal worship. Baal was a god worshipped in conjunction with Ashtaroth and Baal worship frequently involved blood sacrifices.
The Bible says that Manasseh offered up his own children as sacrifices to the gods and that he dabbled in occult practices involving astrology. In fact he was such a brutal and tyrannical ruler that the Bible says in 1 Kings 21 “furthermore, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin into which he misled Judah, in doing evil in the sight of God.
God sent prophets to warn Manasseh and all of Judah of the terrible consequences that they would face if they persisted in following the path that they had chosen for themselves. Unfortunately they weren’t willing to listen. Ultimately God removed his protection from Judah and left them wide open to the assaults of the Assyrian empire.
The Assyrians were known for their cruelty and ruthless warmongering. Manasseh was taken captive by the Assyrians and most likely subjected to some brutal treatment. When he found himself scraping the bottom of the proverbial barrel Manasseh turned to God. 2 Chronicles 33:12-13 says “when he was in distress, he appeased the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. When he prayed to Him, He was moved by him and heard his pleading, and brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord alone is God”
It is one of the most poignant conversion experiences in the Bible. At his lowest point, when he least deserved it, the grace of God was extended to Manasseh in the most lavish way. God forgave him and restored him just as though he had not sinned.
God’s mercy and grace towards Manasseh beg the question; what about justice? Manasseh killed a great number of people, he led his people into immorality and sin, and sacrificed his own children. How could God afford to extend such rich grace towards a man who was such a terrible sinner? The answer to that question in found in Isaiah 53:6 which reads “All of us, like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all to fall on him”
Jesus paid for Manasseh’s sins. All of them. God’s justice fell upon Jesus so that his mercy and grace could be extended to Manasseh and it was this simple act of redemption that secured Manasseh’s allegiance, because that Bible says that when Manasseh experienced the grace of God it changed his life. There is power in experiencing the forgiving grace of God.
After Manasseh died his son Ammon reigned in his stead. Ammon was as bad as his father because “he walked entirely in the way that his father had walked and served the idols that his father had severed and worshiped them”
Though Manasseh had a powerful conversion experience, his sins impacted his son’s outlook on life. However, Ammon’s reign didn’t last very long. He was killed after just two years on the throne and his son Josiah ascended in his stead. Josiah was just eight years old when he began to rule. So young, so impressionable and yet so pure and true in his desire to serve God. Josiah reigned for 31 years and every one of those years was marked with continual progress in doing right.
When he was 25, after having reigned for 18 years, he experienced a personal turning point that translated into a corporate turning point for Judah. Hilkiah, the high priest, discovered a book of the law in the temple, the book was most likely the first five books of Moses and when Josiah read it it touched him deeply. He was struck by the principles he found there, the warnings and exhortations and the promises. When he read about the blessings promised to those who obeyed and the curses pronounced on those who chose a path of rebellion Josiah decided that he would choose faithfulness for himself and his kingdom.
He had already begun to make headway in clearing idol worship from the kingdom and now he redoubled his efforts. He meticulously scoured the kingdom for every trace of idolatry and worked hard to get rid of it. He tore down the temples dedicated to idols throughout the land and made sure that when he was done only one temple remained, the temple of Jehovah in Jerusalem.
Josiah’s reforms made a lasting impact on the Kingdom of Judah and served to turn the hearts of the people fully back to God. Speaking of Josiah in 2 Kings 23:25 the Bible says Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, all his soul and all his might, in conformity to the Law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him”
Josiah was a man who chose to love God with all his heart and soul and he brought this devotion into every aspect of his life, especially his work as a ruler and leader. His influence turned the tide of a nation and transformed the lives of countless individuals.
When we choose to love God, with all of our being, He is able to not only work in us but also work through us to make an eternal impact in the lives of those around us.
