At Age 16 – Josiah Seeks God

Announced in an evil time

Last time we saw that Josiah was foretold in an evil time. More than 300 years earlier, God spoke about Josiah to King Jeroboam. Jeroboam had led the people into idolatry. We also saw that Josiah was born into an evil time. His grandfather Manasseh and his father Amon were both men whom God judged as doing what was evil in the Lord’s sight.

His mother and a possible influence

It should also be added that Josiah’s mother was named Jedidah (2 Kings 22:1). We do not read much about her. But perhaps she was the one who set her son on the path of fearing God. We do not know.

A threefold heading over his life

The account of Josiah begins with a threefold heading. It stood over large parts of his life:

1. He did what was right in the Lord’s sight. He had the right standard for his life.

2. He walked in the ways of his father David. He had a good example for his life.

3. He did not turn aside to the right or to the left. He remained faithful to the word of God.

Seeking a personal relationship with God

God then begins to describe Josiah’s life. His first and decisive stage begins in this way. Josiah began to seek the God of his father David. Josiah wanted a personal relationship with God. This is a very decisive step in every believer’s life. It is decisive because everything that follows is built on it.

A negative example from Judges

We see a negative example in the book of Judges. God had shown himself powerfully to the people of Israel through many miracles. Joshua and his generation had experienced this. But then Joshua and his generation died. A new generation grew up. Of this generation it is said that they “did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10). That had not been so long ago. Even Moses’ grandson was an idolater (Judges 18:30–31). Could one forget so quickly what God had done? Well, they had not actually forgotten it. It was not that they no longer knew anything about it. What God did for their people still remained as cultural memory. But the relationship with God was missing. The head knowledge was there. But the heart relationship was missing. The result was that “the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.”

Faith cannot be borrowed from parents

The point is this: we cannot live off the faith of our parents. We need our own personal relationship with God. Josiah did that. At just 16 years old, he chose a life with God. He was not content to drift along with the crowd. He did not want to be a hesitant follower. Many in God’s people are like that.

Conversion and an ongoing search

A relationship with God begins, in principle, with our conversion. It begins when we recognize our sins before God. We then judge and confess them. Only then does a relationship with God become possible. Josiah had such a starting point, and we must have it too. Yet of Josiah it explicitly says that he began to seek the God of his father David. There was energy and zeal behind it. It was not a one-time matter. It was a long and continuing process. Like human relationships, a relationship with God must be nurtured. It must also be deepened.

How a relationship with God grows

How can that happen? First, in a basic way, we read what God has shown about himself. That is the Bible. There we can read who God is. We can also see how he acted in the lives of others. Second, just as basic, we talk with God in prayer. But our relationship with God is not limited to our room. It can be lived and experienced in everyday life. We can have personal experiences with our God. Or is he only the God of people in the Bible? Or only of church history? Were only they able to experience God? No, God can still be experienced in a very real way today.

The blessing promised to those who seek

Whoever gives such a direction to their life and seeks God or the Lord Jesus from the heart, is called blessed in God’s Word: “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with all their heart” (Psalm 119:2). In this lies the condition for a life that has God’s approval. In this also lies protection from things that do not please the Lord (cf. Psalm 119:9,10).

At Age 20 – Josiah Cleanses Judah and Jerusalem

From seeking God to removing idols

Now something very natural happens with Josiah. He seeks a personal relationship with God. Next we read that he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem of all idols. He must have noticed things that did not fit with God. So he removed them.

Determined action and likely opposition

It reads so simply. But with this action Josiah will have made enemies. The idolaters and the people living this idolatry had little understanding for it. It also seems Josiah did not merely delegate. He took personal charge of the matter. He did not stop at half measures either. He tore down, smashed, ground to powder, and burned. Again we see Josiah’s decisiveness. Responsibly and faithfully, he did what lay in his realm as king.

Questions for our own responsibility

Does cleansing also need to happen in the area we are responsible for? Are there things there that cannot be brought into agreement with God? Things that do not fit him? In our bookshelf, in our movie collection, on our hard drive, in our internet browser history? In our music playlist? In our wardrobe? In our behavior toward others? In our relationships? In how we handle time and money?

Call to personal cleansing

“Therefore, let’s cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1). Here we are called to review our personal lives. We are to judge everything that does not fit God’s holiness.

Defilement of flesh and of spirit

The “defilement of flesh” concerns more the unclean and twisted parts of our outward conduct. Do we tolerate music, books, behavior, or habits that are not compatible with God? Then there is only one thing: cleanse our lives from them consistently. The “defilement of spirit” has more to do with our inner life. Impure thoughts, jealous reflections, or angry feelings must be judged. They must also be confessed before God. This is how we cleanse our inner life.

Joy through fellowship with God

Let us make it clear once more: Josiah wanted a personal relationship with his God. That was his motivation for this cleansing. Josiah surely did not think, “Oh no, now I can’t do this anymore.” “And I can’t do that anymore either…” Josiah’s perspective was not a cramped life. His perspective was a life of fellowship with God. It also brought the resulting joy.

John writes to his readers: “…our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete” (1 John 1:3).

If we turn to God consistently, seek him, and orientate our lives toward him, then we too will experience that.