In a spiritual revival, the initial impetus has often come from an individual who has experienced the renewing power of God in his or her own life. The ripple effect causes blessing further afield. This is illustrated in the history of the monarchy in Israel.
Was the monarchy a good idea? After Israel conquered and settled in Canaan, the period of rule by men known as “judges” was unstable and marked by the recurrent refrain: “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord.” God used enemy nations to discipline them until they came to their senses and repented, crying out to God for deliverance. He raised up judges to deliver them, but “when the judge was dead … they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods” (Jdg 2:19).1 The conclusion was that “in those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (21:25).
Originally, in asking for a king, Israel wanted to be like other nations. Samuel was old and his two sons were totally corrupt. The prophet felt rejected when the elders cited these undeniable facts. However, he was reminded that it was God Himself whom the people had forsaken (1Sa 8:7-8). Samuel warned them of the high cost of having a king, but they remained undeterred.
The first king, Saul, started well but finished badly. David and Solomon both rose higher than their predecessor, but human frailty marked them too. The seeds of division were already sown when ten tribes broke away to form the northern kingdom of Israel. Of their 19 kings, all were evil. The two remaining tribes formed the southern kingdom of Judah. Most of their rulers (19 kings and one queen) were also evil, but the gloom was relieved by several kings who sought to bring the people back to God. We shall focus on Josiah, who almost singlehandedly led a national revival; it was to be the last revival in the period of monarchy. We note five positive and transforming features of his character and reign. (Interestingly, parallel truths can be found in Paul’s letters to young Timothy.)
Josiah and His God – Youthfulness
Age is no barrier to godliness. Josiah became king at the age of eight, and “in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father” (2Ch 34:3). In this Scripture, the teenager was not linked to his evil father, Amon, but to a godlier and more illustrious forefather, King David. We do not know what prompted the redirection of his mind and heart towards God, but it was no fleeting aspiration. It stamped his reign as being honoring to the Lord. Perhaps, as in the case of Timothy, his mother Jedidah (“beloved of the Lord”) had a significant influence on his upbringing. The apostle Paul urged Timothy, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example” (1Ti 4:12). In our day too, we are thankful for exemplary young men and women who fear the Lord.
Josiah and the Idols – Zealousness
When only 20 years of age, he began to cleanse Jerusalem and his wider kingdom from idols. Idolatry is loving anything or anyone more than God, and it displaces Him from His rightful position. Josiah was bold and ruthless; there could be no compromise with sin. Scripture graphically describes how he purged the land of idols: bringing them out, beating them down, and breaking them in pieces; he stamped them to powder as well as burning and burying them. Furthermore, he slew the false priests and cut down the groves where they met. Paul’s charge to “depart from iniquity” echoes Josiah’s actions: “If a man therefore purge himself … he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use” (2Ti 2:19-21).
Josiah and the Book – Faithfulness
All true revivals are marked by a return to the plain teaching of the Word of God. When the repair work began on the temple, a copy of the Law was unearthed by a priest. It was probably covered in dust and grime after years of neglect. Josiah, now aged 26, was moved when a scribe read it aloud. After heartfelt confession, the king commanded the people to gather to hear the law. He covenanted before the Lord “to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul” (2Ch 34:31-33). The people followed his example of obedience throughout his reign. Faithfulness requires one to “continue,” even as Paul encouraged Timothy (1Ti 4:16; 2Ti 3:14).
Josiah and the House – Wholeheartedness
Josiah’s name means “God heals.” He led the way in the healing of the nation, but he also had a care for the house of God, which was in a state of disrepair. It had been looted and damaged. There was a great need “to repair the breaches of the house” (2Ki 22:5), and Josiah attended to this with his characteristic thoroughness. Those appointed to do the work were faithful (2Ch 34:12). While our focus today is not on physical buildings, there remains a great need to build up God’s spiritual house, assemblies of those who gather to the Lord’s Name. Paul described the local church as “the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1Ti 3:15).
Josiah and the Feast – Devotedness
Many in Judah forgot the goodness and mercy of God in redeeming them from Egypt. Josiah, in his devotion to God, encouraged them to remember again the passover lamb. The passover he oversaw was notable in that he provided much of what was required – the lambs and kids, and bullocks (2Ch 35:7). Scripture records that “there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept” (v18). Paul counselled Timothy to “put the brethren in remembrance of these things” and be “a good minister of Jesus Christ” (1Ti 4:6).
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV.
