Well, I just realized something. Tomorrow is the last day of our prayer and fasting season! And I have like three of four chapters to go! I better hustle! Yesterday we saw the 55-year reign of Manasseh come and go, and we were introduced in a one-liner to his son Amon.  Amon was evil and he was assassinated. Amon’s son Josiah was crowned when he was 8 years old! That name should ring a bell. Kings and Chronicles actually has  pretty similar information of Josiah’s reign, and it was tough for me to choose today, so I flipped a coin and we are reading from… wait I changed my mind again… 2nd Chronicles 34. It has a few more specifics that make the story even cooler.

2 Chronicles 34:1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. 2 He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor David. He did not turn away from doing what was right.

3 During the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David. Then in the twelfth year he began to purify Judah and Jerusalem, destroying all the pagan shrines, the Asherah poles, and the carved idols and cast images. 4 He ordered that the altars of Baal be demolished and that the incense altars which stood above them be broken down. He also made sure that the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images were smashed and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 He burned the bones of the pagan priests on their own altars, and so he purified Judah and Jerusalem.

6 He did the same thing in the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, even as far as Naphtali, and in the regions all around them. 7 He destroyed the pagan altars and the Asherah poles, and he crushed the idols into dust. He cut down all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Finally, he returned to Jerusalem.

8 In the eighteenth year of his reign, after he had purified the land and the Temple, Josiah appointed Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of Jerusalem, and Joah son of Joahaz, the royal historian, to repair the Temple of the Lord his God. 9 They gave Hilkiah the high priest the money that had been collected by the Levites who served as gatekeepers at the Temple of God. The gifts were brought by people from Manasseh, Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, as well as from all Judah, Benjamin, and the people of Jerusalem.

10 He entrusted the money to the men assigned to supervise the restoration of the Lord’s Temple. Then they paid the workers who did the repairs and renovation of the Temple. 11 They hired carpenters and builders, who purchased finished stone for the walls and timber for the rafters and beams. They restored what earlier kings of Judah had allowed to fall into ruin.

12 The workers served faithfully under the leadership of Jahath and Obadiah, Levites of the Merarite clan, and Zechariah and Meshullam, Levites of the Kohathite clan. Other Levites, all of whom were skilled musicians, 13 were put in charge of the laborers of the various trades. Still others assisted as secretaries, officials, and gatekeepers.

Wow, he was 16 and began to dive in deeper and deeper in his relationship with the Lord. Folks, there’s no better time to reach anyone for Christ than their youth! We need to spend the energy and effort, and honestly the resources that are available to us to reach the youth of our community with the same passion that the enemy has.

Let me make a comment about 8-12 then I am heading back into 4 - 7. When God is on the move and everyone is moving in His direction, people are faithful and honest and trustworthy! Wouldn’t it be awesome to see that in our churches?

Now, for the most awesome part of Josiah’s reign. In verses 6 and 7 you see Josiah cleansing the land of all the pagan worship and the idol, and here is where you see a 200-year promise from God fulfilled. You will remember when the Young Prophet without a name grabbed hold of the horns of the altar at Bethel all the way back in 1st Kings 13, and he said this:

1 Kings 13:1 At the Lord’s command, a man of God from Judah went to Bethel, arriving there just as Jeroboam was approaching the altar to burn incense. 2 Then at the Lord’s command, he shouted, “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: A child named Josiah will be born into the dynasty of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests from the pagan shrines who come here to burn incense, and human bones will be burned on you.”

Folks, hear me on this. God keeps His promises! We see a more in-depth depiction of Josiah fulfilling the prophecy in 2nd Kings 23.

2 Kings 23: 15 The king also tore down the altar at Bethel—the pagan shrine that Jeroboam son of Nebat had made when he caused Israel to sin. He burned down the shrine and ground it to dust, and he burned the Asherah pole. 16 Then Josiah turned around and noticed several tombs in the side of the hill. He ordered that the bones be brought out, and he burned them on the altar at Bethel to desecrate it. (This happened just as the Lord had promised through the man of God when Jeroboam stood beside the altar at the festival.)

Then Josiah turned and looked up at the tomb of the man of God who had predicted these things.17 “What is that monument over there?” Josiah asked.

And the people of the town told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted the very things that you have just done to the altar at Bethel!”

18 Josiah replied, “Leave it alone. Don’t disturb his bones.” So they did not burn his bones or those of the old prophet from Samaria.

19 Then Josiah demolished all the buildings at the pagan shrines in the towns of Samaria, just as he had done at Bethel. They had been built by the various kings of Israel and had made the Lord very angry.20 He executed the priests of the pagan shrines on their own altars, and he burned human bones on the altars to desecrate them. Finally, he returned to Jerusalem.

Josiah as a youth had already done more as a spiritual leader than almost any king before him outside of Hezekiah! And I love that we get a little closure in our story for the Young and the Old prophet. Josiah is a perfect example of what a young man with the heart of God can do for his sphere of influence!

Many times in my ministry, I have people say the same thing, “how can we reach the youth, they seem so unreachable?” I want you to read the rest of the story in 2nd Chronicles 34 to see the answer to that question.

14 While they were bringing out the money collected at the Lord’s Temple, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that was written by Moses. 15 Hilkiah said to Shaphan the court secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the Lord’s Temple!” Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan.

16 Shaphan took the scroll to the king and reported, “Your officials are doing everything they were assigned to do. 17 The money that was collected at the Temple of the Lord has been turned over to the supervisors and workmen.” 18 Shaphan also told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll.” So Shaphan read it to the king.

19 When the king heard what was written in the Law, he tore his clothes in despair. 20 Then he gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the court secretary, and Asaiah the king’s personal adviser: 21 “Go to the Temple and speak to the Lord for me and for all the remnant of Israel and Judah. Inquire about the words written in the scroll that has been found. For the Lord’s great anger has been poured out on us because our ancestors have not obeyed the word of the Lord. We have not been doing everything this scroll says we must do.”

22 So Hilkiah and the other men went to the New Quarter of Jerusalem to consult with the prophet Huldah. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, the keeper of the Temple wardrobe.

23 She said to them, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken! Go back and tell the man who sent you, 24 ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this city and its people. All the curses written in the scroll that was read to the king of Judah will come true. 25 For my people have abandoned me and offered sacrifices to pagan gods, and I am very angry with them for everything they have done. My anger will be poured out on this place, and it will not be quenched.’

26 “But go to the king of Judah who sent you to seek the Lord and tell him: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the message you have just heard: 27 You were sorry and humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this city and its people. You humbled yourself and tore your clothing in despair and wept before me in repentance. And I have indeed heard you, says the Lord. 28 So I will not send the promised disaster until after you have died and been buried in peace. You yourself will not see the disaster I am going to bring on this city and its people.’”

So they took her message back to the king.

Apparently, the Torah, or the Law, had been lost in the temple for some time. Now, remember this temple has been raided by forgiven armies and domestic kings alike. God had kept His word safe throughout all the crazy history of Israel and Judah! This was the first time that Josiah had heard the true Word of the Lord that had been written by Moses. And it cut him to the heart! Despite all of his great accomplishments already by purging the land and restoring right worship, Josiah knew they were not living up to God’s commands. Remember what Hebrews says about God’s Word:

Hebrews 4: 12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

When we hear the Word of God it impacts us on the deepest level!

Folks, the Word of God is the answer to how we reach anyone, especially the younger generation. I shared a Satire story this morning from the Babylon Bee, who writes satire that is comedic in nature but sometimes has a lot of truth to it. The story was titled, “Local church tries a bold new strategy by just teaching the Bible.” It made me both laugh and a little sad because many of our churches have tried to entertain people into attendance. Honestly, my entire ministry strategy is to let the Word of God speak for itself! It is alive and active, it calls the lost to Christ, and calls the Christian to obedience! It doesn’t need my additions or attempts at entertainment! The church began to lose its efficacy when we went down a couple of different paths. One was watering everything down thinking that a spoonful of sugar would help the medicine go down. The other was getting so doctrine focused that we quoted more theologians than the Word of God. If we want to reach the younger generations or any generation, we must know, live, and share the Word of God.

I don’t have the time to dive into how awesome it was that there was a female prophet, or prophetess, in Judah named Huldah, but I love that Hilkiah knew where to go to hear from the Lord, and Josiah followed the Law, humbled himself and his nation, and God relented from disaster during his reign. Because God keeps his promises, remember 2 Chronicles 7.

2 Chronicles 7:13 At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. 14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

Folks, God is Faithful to keep His Word! If we are going to maximize our impact as Christians and as a congregation, we need to know His Word, live His Word, and share His Word!