2 Chronicles 33:1-35:19; Psalms 33, 36, 67, and 100; 2 Kings 23:26-27

You don’t get to pick your parents or grandparents. Josiah probably had it worse than most. His father and grandfather were as bad as it got in the realm of the kings of Judah. In the eyes of the world, Josiah didn’t have a chance. He would probably be just like his family. Josiah would be condemned by DNA and family heritage to be an evil king. The story of Josiah is wonderful on many levels, not the least of which is for him personally. At the same time, we can learn much from him about the spiritual journey of a sinner back to God. Here are just a few things to note:

Your past does not determine your future. Whether past sins or past people, God calls us to overcome by seeking Him. Start today and you can overcome your past. At the age of 16, “…while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David”. Although age was literal for him, spiritually it is figurative for us. To come to God we must humble ourselves and become as little children.

The pathway to God is His divinely revealed Word. Josiah “began” the return to God, but it was a lifelong process. After ten years (at the age of 26), the book of the Law was “found” by Hilkiah. Many people seek after God in many ways. As with Josiah, however, that journey simply must lead to the word of God. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). No matter the good progress, Josiah did not know the will of God for his life until he read that will expressed by God in scripture. You cannot find God apart from His Word.

You cannot honor your parents by dishonoring God. Make spiritual decisions based upon God and truth, not upon your family heritage. If Josiah pondered the implications of his decision to seek God upon the “fate” of his father and grandfather, we have no record of it. Instead, Josiah made his choices based upon truth and his own need to obey. Any other thought process elevates mortal men above God Himself.

The old must be purged so the new can thrive. As Josiah continued seeking God, the things of idolatry had to go away. There was a systematic purging. The false had to go away to make room for the genuine. If we desire to grow close to God, not only must the old man of sin die, but the ways of the old must be purged, as well. If those things were unacceptable to God while we were lost, why should we imagine they are ok now that we are saved?

Yahweh redeems people, not nations. When Josiah inquired of the LORD, he was rewarded with the favor of His God. There was celebration and thanksgiving and salvation. At least there was for Josiah. The nation of Israel had broken covenant with Yahweh and would be punished. Through His prophets, God warned of the coming judgment upon Judah and the coming new covenant in Messiah. Under the new covenant, salvation is a matter of your obedience to God in Christ Jesus, not a matter of any group you “choose” to affiliate yourself with. The question is not whether you have “joined the church of your choice”; rather the question is whether God and joined you to the church of HIS choice – the church purchased by Jesus’ blood. If so, you have overcome your past because He has overcome the world.

Consider His nature.  Consider His ways.  Strive to love Him more!