King Josiah is one of the most famous kings of Judah (the Southern Kingdom), both for his age when he became king (only 8!!) and for his reforms. He was one of only a few kings of Judah to follow God and lead his nation to do the same.
Who Was King Josiah? The Boy Who Became King at 8
Josiah's father (Amon) and grandfather (Manasseh) were kings before him and were evil kings, leading Judah astray, having them worship false gods and other evil things.
His grandfather, Manasseh, was the most evil of all the kings of Judah. Manasseh was only 12 when he became king, but we don't talk much about him because of all the evil he did. In 2 Kings 21, he is compared to the evil king Ahab of the northern kingdom of Israel.
His father, Amon, was assassinated by his own officials and they set up Josiah to become king when he was only 8 years old!
Repairing the Temple
As Josiah grew, he began to lead Judah back to the Lord, driving out evil people from the temple and removing the items they were using to worship other gods. Remember, these items were put there by his grandfather!
When he was 26 (18 years into his reign), he took money that had been collected at the temple to pay skilled workers to repair and renovate it.
The Lost Book of the Law
When the workers were doing the temple renovations, the priest at the time came across the Scroll of the Law. We don't know exactly what part of the law this was. It could have been the Torah (the first 5 books of the Hebrew Bible), or the whole scroll of Deuteronomy or just part of it.
He read it and then gave it to Josiah's secretary (or 2nd in command) who read it. Both men realized how big of a discovery this was. Josiah's secretary went and told Josiah, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book" and then he read from the book to Josiah.
Apparently what Josiah heard from the Book of the Law was so shocking to him, such new information, that he immediately realized that they had hardly been obeying any of it! He tore his robes (a sign of despair) and told his servants to go inquire of the Lord what to do next. He recognized the sins of the people.
Perhaps the portion of the book that Josiah's secretary read to him was from Deuteronomy 27-28, the curses and blessings on Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim?
Josiah's officials inquired of the Lord by asking a prophetess named Huldah what it meant. She said that God was going to judge Judah for all the wickedness they had done, but because Josiah had repented and led Judah to come back to the Lord, he would not see the destruction God had planned for Judah as a consequence of their sin.
Josiah's Reforms
So Josiah brought together everyone in Judah: priests, prophets, and everyone who lived in Jerusalem for a special service. Josiah read out loud what was written in the Scroll of the Law and publicly recommitted Judah to follow God's law.
He also had them celebrate Passover for the first time in a long time. He finished removing all the items from the temple they used to worship false gods.
Josiah was a very important king in Judah because of how he brought them back to the Lord. He was even listed in Jesus' genealogy in Matthew 1:10.
Why King Josiah Matters for Kids Today
Most likely some of the kids in your class will be around the age Josiah was when he became king. How would they react if they became President or Prime Minister or King at their age? Would they follow God? Would they encourage their people to do the same?
(Note: the story of Josiah actually occurs chronologically much later in Old Testament history during the period of the Divided Kingdom, but is presented here as part of the unit on Kings).
