Section Six

King Josiah

The start of 2 Kings Chapter 22 and the start of 2 Chronicles Chapter 34 note that an eight year-old child became king of Judah. Josiah was the son of Amon, who was king before him. Both Amon and his father Manasseh are noted in the Bible for their failure to follow God. Manasseh became king when he was only 12 years old and for most of his reign he allowed idols and places of worship to be built to pagan gods. After Manasseh is captured by the invading Assyrians, he repents. He is returned to the throne when he then destroys the idols and shrines. He is assissinated, meaning his 8 year-old son Josiah becomes king. The stories of Manassh, Amon and Josiah show how their personal understanding of who God was and what he wanted was played out on the national stage. Indeed, the pagan practices are often seen as a reason for the eventual destruction of Judah. Sandwiched in this we see Josiah firstly ‘seeking God’ (noted in 2 Chronicles as happening at the age of 15). He then introduces sweeping reforms which included destroying the idols, restoring the temple, celebrating Passover and rediscovering ‘the book of the Law’. It is worth noting how God works through Josiah’s life - from age 8, through age 15 and then into his adult life.