A life that points to Christ
Josiah
From Josiah we learn that it is never too early to seek God, that His word can revive even a spiritually dead generation, and that genuine repentance responds wholeheartedly. His life teaches early devotion and reformation, and it stirs longing for the King who writes His law on our hearts.
“And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.”2 Kings 22:2
“And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.”2 Kings 23:25
“And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.”2 Kings 22:11
“For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.”2 Chronicles 34:3
Their story, honestly
Josiah became king of Judah at only eight years old, in a nation steeped in idolatry left by wicked kings before him. While still young he began to seek the God of his father David, and he tore down the idols and altars across the land. During repairs to the temple, the lost Book of the Law was found and read to him. When Josiah heard God's word, he tore his clothes and wept, for he saw how far the nation had strayed. He led a sweeping reformation, renewed the covenant, and restored the Passover as it had not been kept in generations. Scripture says no king before or after him turned to the LORD so wholeheartedly.
What their life teaches us
First, Josiah teaches that youth is no barrier to seeking God; he began while very young and led a nation back. Second, he teaches the power of God's word to awaken; the rediscovery of Scripture, not a new program, sparked the whole revival, and a hearing heart broke open before it. Third, his response teaches what real repentance looks like, not mere feeling but action, tearing down idols and renewing the covenant with his whole heart. His life shows that God can revive even a generation that seemed spiritually lost, when His word is heard and heeded.
How their life points to Christ
Josiah's great reformation was real but external; he could tear down idols of stone, but he could not change the hearts of the people, and after him the nation slid back. His limits point to the promise of a new covenant, in which God says, I will write my law in their hearts. Jesus is the King who does what Josiah could not: He does not merely reform behavior but gives a new heart by His Spirit. Josiah's zeal for God's word and his wholehearted turning point us to the Christ who makes hearts new from the inside.
Questions people ask
What does Josiah teach young people?
That God honors those who seek Him early. Josiah began seeking God as a boy and led a national revival while still young. Age is no barrier to real devotion; a young heart wholly turned to God can accomplish more than many older ones who drift.
Why did finding the Book of the Law matter so much?
Because God's word, long neglected, was what awakened the nation. When Josiah heard it read, he wept and turned, and reformation followed. It teaches that revival comes not from human ingenuity but from encountering Scripture with a humble, responsive heart.