Josiah: A Blessed King; Better Than Anyone Anytime, Except Jesus

Outside Of Jesus, Josiah Is The Best King

That Ever Lived Or Will Ever Live

Proven By 2 Kings 23:25

     Today, let's look at Josiah; A blessed King; Better than anyone anytime, except Jesus. This is proven by 2 Kings 23:25 that says And like unto him (Josiah) 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. According to the Word of God, outside of Jesus, Josiah is the best King that ever lived or will ever live. Therefore, let's see what made King Josiah so great.

     If you ask anyone who do you think outside of Jesus is the greatest King that ever lived, most people will say David or Solomon. But, David had faults and committed adultery with Bathsheba. planning the death of her husband Uriah the Hittite in the front lines of battle. Solomon also had faults and began to worship idols to please 1000 heathen women. But, Josiah did everything right and outside of Jesus is the greatest king that ever lived or will ever live. 

What Made King Josiah Better Than Anyone Anytime Except Jesus

A Summary Of Josiah's Life

THE CHILDHOOD OF JOSIAH

     First, let's study the childhood of Josiah. 2 Chronicles 34:1 says Josiah was 8 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem 31 years (note that Josiah died young at 39). And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord; and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left. 

     OK, note that Josiah had a wicked father named Amon and a wicked grandfather named Manasseh. Both Amon and Manasseh were evil and made all the people worship idols. God was angry at Amon and Manasseh and determined to punish Israel for their sins. But Josiah chose to live a holy blessed life and refused to be wicked like Amon and Manasseh. God blessed Josiah for living holy and allowed Josiah to live peacefully before Israel received punishment for their sins of idolatry.

     We see that Josiah's father Amon was very wicked at 2 Chronicles 33:21 that says Amon was 22 years old when he began to reign and reigned two years in Jerusalem. But he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord as did Manasseh his father; for Amon sacrificed unto all the carved images which Manasseh his father had made and served them. And he humbled not himself before the Lord, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more. And his servants conspired against him, and slew him in his own house.

     So we see that Josiah had an evil grandfather named Manasseh and an evil father named Amon who was murdered. But, like the sons of Korah who escaped the pit of hell by refusing to rebel with their father Korah against Moses, Josiah refused to rebel against God by worshipping idols like his father and grandfather, Amon and Manasseh. The result is that Josiah is now remembered as the greatest king better than anyone anytime except Jesus. 

     Josiah was a blessed child like the sons of Korah who escaped the pit of hell where their daddy Korah is forever because they determined to live holy for the Lord Jesus, unlike their parents. Hallelujah Psalms 42-49 are written to honor the sons of Korah who are in heaven for living a blessed life, even though their parents were wicked and are in hell. Numbers 26:11 proves that the sons of Korah were blessed and escaped the pit of hell by saying Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not.  

     You see we all got to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. There can be wicked parents and blessed saved kids like Josiah. But, there can also be blessed saved parents and wicked kids. The priest Eli was a blessed father but he had wicked sons named Hophni and Phinehas. The prophet Samuel was a blessed father but he had wicked sons that took bribes and perverted judgment. 1 Samuel 8:1 tells us And it came to pass when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abiah. They were judges in Beersheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. 

     So remember, like Brother Bob and Josiah, just because your parents and grandparents deny the Lord Jesus and are wicked, you can choose to get saved and live holy and be blessed forevermore. Brother Bob's orthodox Jewish grandparents and great grandparents who all rejected the Lord Jesus are in hell forever. But, Brother Bob like Josiah broke the generational curse and chose to live holy and be saved. Unlike my past unsaved Jewish relatives, Brother Bob decided to get saved and will be in heaven with Jesus in peace forevermore. Like Brother Bob and Josiah, get saved right now; repent, stop sinning, confess Jesus to be your God, and daily believe that Jesus died for you on the cross, was buried, and rose again. 

     Notice that 2 Chronicles 34:2 says that the child Josiah did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. It's interesting that his grandfather Manasseh at 2 Chronicles 33:2 did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. These two scriptures show us that God sees everything (the good and the evil). Proverbs 15:3 says The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. Since God sees everything, choose to live holy and blessed like Josiah to receive peace and strength from our Lord Jesus and avoid punishment like Manasseh who was put into prison for his sins. But note that Josiah's grandfather Manasseh repented in prison and lived holy during his old age before death. 

     Next we see that 2 Chronicles 34:2 says that Josiah walked in the ways of David (not Amon or Manasseh) his father. It's interesting to see that Josiah chose to walk in the ways of David instead of Amon or Manasseh. David was Josiah's role model because David was a man after God's own heart. Even though David lived hundreds of years before Josiah, Josiah chose David to be his role model and pattern his life after David.  Like Josiah, if you have wicked parents and grandparents, choose a blessed saint who lived hundreds of years ago to be your role model like DL Moody from the 1800s or John Bunyan from the 1600s.  

     Now note that 2 Chronicles 34:2 goes on to say that Josiah declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left. In other words, Josiah was unwavering and not easily influenced by peer pressure. The child Josiah did not stop living holy to please crowds and did not allow the world to influence his decisions. Josiah remembered Psalm 119:9 that says Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy Word. Proverbs 20:11 proves that it is possible for a child like Josiah to have unwavering, steadfast, holy faith saying Even a child is known by his doings; whether his work be pure, and whether it be right. 

JOSIAH THE TEENAGER

     OK, let's move on and learn about Josiah the teenager. 2 Chronicles 34:3 says For in the eighth year of his reign (when Josiah was a teenager and 16 years of age), while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father. At 16, Josiah sought after God and determined to learn all about the bible every day. When most teenagers today become 16, instead of seeking God like Josiah, they seek out girls or boys to marry, jobs for money, and the pleasures of this world. Teenagers, make Josiah your role model and choose today to seek the God that David worshipped, determining to learn all you can about the blessed Word of God. Psalm 1 says if you memorize the bible day and night, God will fix all your problems and whatsoever you do will prosper.

     Like Josiah, remember King Solomon's warning to teenagers that forget God and enjoy the fading pleasures of this world. King Solomon warned at Ecclesiastes 11:9 Rejoice O young man in thy youth and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou, that for all these things, God will bring thee into judgment; therefore remove sorrow from thy heart and put away evil from thy flesh; for childhood and youth are vanity. 

     After Josiah remembered the warning from Solomon at Ecclesiastes 11:9, Josiah decided to obey the wise words of Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them. In other words, avoid saying when you are older, I have no pleasure in my life because of the consequences of the sins from my youth.   

JOSIAH AT AGE 20

     Alright, let's move on and see what made Josiah great when he became 20 years of age. 2 Chronicles 34:3 goes on to say in the 12th year (of Josiah's reign when he was 20) he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images. In other words, King Josiah was blessed because he totally removed all sin from his life and from his nation. 

     2 Kings 23:7 tells us that King Josiah brake down the houses of the sodomites that were by the house of the Lord where the women wove hangings for the grove. 2 Kings 23:10 then tells us that Josiah defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech. In other words, Josiah did not allow any same sex marriage by sodomites or abortion (the killing of innocent babies) in his nation. 

     King Josiah was blessed because he did not allow any idolatry, sodomy, or killing of innocent babies in his nation. If King Josiah was alive today he would burn down all the casinos which are idolatry covetousness involving the greed and lust for money called avarice. Josiah would make the sale of lottery tickets illegal and ban this form of idolatry worship of money. Josiah would redefine marriage to be between a man and a woman and make same sex marriage and sodomy illegal. Finally, Josiah would say abortion and killing of innocent babies is illegal and close down all the abortion clinics that have murdered 70 million babies since the ungodly Roe v. Wade decision.  

     Let me just write down in detail how 2 Chronicles 34:4 describes how Josiah removed sin from his nation. Like Josiah, let's do a thorough job and totally eliminate all the sin from our lives and from our nations.  The blessed text says And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images he brake in pieces, and made dust of them and strawed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.  

     2 Chronicles 34:5 goes on to say that Josiah burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim and Simeon, even unto Naphtali with their mattocks round about. (In other words, Josiah not only removed sin from his own nation Judah, but he removed sin from the surrounding nations of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and Naphtali). And when he had broken down the altars and the groves and had beaten the graven images into powder and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.  

JOSIAH AT AGE 26

     Alright. let's move on and see what Josiah did at age 26. 2 Chronicles 34:8 tells us In the 18th year of his reign (when Josiah was 26) when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the governor of the city and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder to repair the house of the Lord his God. And while Josiah's servants were repairing the house of the Lord, they found a bible. 

     When Shaphan began to read the bible to King Josiah, Josiah rent his clothes. Josiah learned that God was going to punish the nation of Judah because of the sins of his father and grandfather Amon and Manasseh. Therefore, Josiah sought counsel from Huldah the prophetess if God would spare his life after he lived holy by removing all the sinful idols from Judah. Huldah comforted Josiah and told him that his life would be peaceful where he would not experience any of God's wrath. 

     Josiah kept his promise to Huldah to purge and remove all the sin from his life and from his nation. Like Josiah, we all need to purge and purify ourselves and our nation daily by removing sin from our lives. Jesus told us at John 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit He taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. In other words, the more we remove and purge away the dead sins of our lives, the more God will bless us with peace.

     The law of spiritual relativity tells us that for every action there has to be an equal and opposite reaction. In other words, the more a person loves the Lord Jesus like Josiah, the more that person will hate evil and remove all the sin around them. Psalm 97:10 states the law of spiritual relativity saying Ye that love the Lord, hate evil; He preserveth the souls of His saints; He delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. Isaiah 58:1 tell us Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

JOSIAH AT AGE 30

     Now let's see how Josiah lived at age 30. After Shaphan read the Word of God to Josiah, Josiah realized that he was a sinner and was blessed to remove all sin from his nation. Like Josiah, read and memorize the bible daily to cleanse you from sin. John 15:3 tells us Now ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you.  

     When the light of God's Word shines on our dirty flesh, we can see our sins and make a decision to live holy. Hebrews 4:12 says For the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul an spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

     Like Josiah, after you cleanse yourself and your nation from all sin, you will want to tell everyone around you about the Lord Jesus. 2 Chronicles 34:32 tells us Josiah caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it (obey the Word of God). And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel and made all that were present in Israel to serve, even to serve the Lord their God. And all his days they departed not from following the Lord, the God of their fathers.  

     And then Josiah had the greatest passover in the history of Israel. 2 Chronicles 35:18 says And 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, and the priests and the Levites and all Judah and Israel that were present and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

     Finally 2 Chronicles 35:23 records how King Josiah died at the young age of 39. It says And the archers shot at King Josiah and the king said to his servants have me away, for I am sore wounded. His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had, and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day and made them an ordinance in Israel and behold they are written in the lamentations. 

     I pray in Jesus name that this little bible study about Josiah blesses multitudes all over this earth with peace and strength. Feel free to email Brother Bob anytime to rz9tlm@gmail.com or write to Brother Bob Malkin, 2233 Pinetree Lane, Apt. N., Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068. (614) 604-7133. Till we all meet again soon to lift up our Lord Jesus, everyone have a blessed day in Jesus name.