Do you remember King Yoshiyahu? That’s Hebrew for Josiah. His story lies in 2 Kings chapters 23-24. We hear much about King David. In Acts 13:22 he is even called, “a man after my own heart,” by the Lord. David is usually the first one we think of as an example of a good king. After all, it was Father’s choice to send our Savior through the line of David.

Josiah is also from David’s lineage but if you miss those two chapters of 2 Kings, you may not realize that Josiah was the only king who walked the narrow path, never stepping to the right or to the left. Josiah was only eight years old when he became king, but already his heart was set on following Father’s desires.

When Josiah was about twenty-six the high priest of the time found the scroll of Moses and had it read to King Josiah. His response was: “Find out what we must do in response to what is written in this book that has just been found!” (2 Kings 22:13 Msg) For Josiah, it was not an option to take the Scroll lightly or to ignore its importance. His heart was set on what must be done in order to please the Lord. He destroyed all of the symbols of other gods. He ordered his men to: “Clean the house–to get rid of everything in the Temple of GOD that had been made for worshipping Baal and Ashera and the cosmic powers.” (2 Kings 23:4 Msg) He demolished the Tophet; the furnace griddle for sacrificing children, as well as the Ashera pole. Josiah had one goal; to follow God’s Word to the letter. Do you feel that strongly about following Father’s will?

The message Father sent to Josiah was this: “Because you took seriously the doom of judgment I spoke against this place and people, and because you responded in humble repentance, tearing your robe in dismay and weeping before me, I’m taking you seriously. God’s word: I’ll take care of you.” (2 Kings 22:19 Msg)

What Father tells us is this: “There was no king to compare to Josiah–neither before or after….The world would never again see a king like Josiah.” (2 Kings 23:25 Msg) Josiah used Father’s written Word to bring the nation of Judah back to God. The same Power lives inside the covers of your Bible. Are you passionate about following the instructions? Do you care enough to warn others or would you rather let them figure it out on their own? Some may hate you for it but if just one heart turns to God, imagine how happy He will be with you.