Josiah

[Read 2 Chronicles 35:1-3] 

Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel.

It was a scene that could have happened in Imperial Rome, a king assassinated by close advisors, his young son thrust onto the throne. Such was the story of Josiah, son of Amon, King of Judah, the last remaining lands of the once great Davidic Kingdom.

The nation was a mess. Solomon's Temple was in a state of disrepair, and the people were divided, worshipping false gods. The king started small, directing that Temple funds be used to repair the building. It was in that process that a long-lost scroll of the Law was “discovered.”

Today, scholars believe that scroll was Deuteronomy, and while this seems a minor incident in the scope of the Hebrew story, it set off a national and theological reform with consequences to this day, responsible for historical books that tell us the story of that people, influencing the Prophet Jeremiah.

Josiah consulted the great prophet of that age, Huldah, wife of Shallum, then set about re-unifying the nation, tearing down monuments, destroying the charlatans who had filled the heads of the people with lies and false promises. It was a moment when the people turned back toward God and worshiped what was true and real.

Pastor Gary Brinn
Hope United Church of Christ – Sturgeon Bay