2 Chronicles 34:1–13 (October 27, 2025)

Josiah Reigns in Judah

34:1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father; and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, and the carved and the metal images. 4 And they chopped down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and he cut down the incense altars that stood above them. And he broke in pieces the Asherim and the carved and the metal images, and he made dust of them and scattered it over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. 6 And in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, in their ruins[a] all around, 7 he broke down the altars and beat the Asherim and the images into powder and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

The Book of the Law Found

8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had cleansed 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. 9 They came to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had collected from Manasseh and Ephraim and from all the remnant of Israel and from all Judah and Benjamin and from the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 And they gave it to the workmen who were working in the house of the Lord. And the workmen who were working in the house of the Lord gave it for repairing and restoring the house. 11 They gave it to the carpenters and the builders to buy quarried stone, and timber for binders and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had let go to ruin. 12 And the men did the work faithfully. Over them were set Jahath and Obadiah the Levites, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to have oversight. The Levites, all who were skillful with instruments of music, 13 were over the burden-bearers and directed all who did work in every kind of service, and some of the Levites were scribes and officials and gatekeepers.

The Revival of Josiah: How God Responds to the Poor in Spirit

Summary

Josiah became king when he was only eight years old. His father Amon had fallen deeply into idolatry and died prematurely, but Josiah’s heart was different. Scripture tells us,

In the eighth year of his reign—while he was still young, about sixteen years old—Josiah “began to seek the God of David his father” (v. 3). By the twelfth year, he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, and the carved and metal images. He destroyed the idols and altars, crushed them to dust, and cleansed the land.

His reform was not a political maneuver but a spiritual awakening, which is a heart returning to the Lord in worship. Finally, in the eighteenth year of his reign, Josiah ordered the repair of the temple (v. 8). The people brought the collected offerings to the priests, who then entrusted them to the workers, masons, and carpenters who restored the neglected house of God.

This was more than a building project. It was the continuation of national repentance and the re-centering of Israel’s life around true worship.

God

God raises the humble and works His will through the unlikely.

Josiah’s youth did not disqualify him from being used by God. The Lord does not measure by age or appearance but by the heart. Even as a teenager, Josiah sought the God of his ancestor David with sincerity. That phrase, “he began to seek the God of David his father,” marks a decisive turn toward personal faith and covenant renewal.

God ignited reform not through human strength or political experience, but through a heart that sought Him (i.e., prayer). True reformation, then and now, begins not with powerful people or smart systems but with purity of devotion. The Lord delights to awaken His people through those who humbly seek His face.

Our Guilt

Our guilt resembles that of Judah before Josiah’s reforms. Often, we grow comfortable with just forms without faith. We feel good enough with keeping outside forms, but often lack the heart.

Before Josiah, the temple was neglected, not because people weren't "spiritual," but because they sought "God" elsewhere. So, the nation was saturated with idols. People may still have spoken of Yahweh, but they had other functional "gods" that gave them security. So, they had become accustomed to worship without repentance, and to tradition without truth.

We, too, often settle for spiritual maintenance rather than genuine renewal. We attend, sing, serve, and even give—but sometimes without ever encountering the living God. The idols in our hearts may not be carved from stone, but they still rival our love for God. The modern idols of self-sufficiency, comfort, reputation, or success dwell in our hearts.

As Josiah shattered the visible idols of Judah, so we must let the Word of God shatter the inner idols that steal our devotion. True worship begins where false security ends.

Grace

Grace of God shines in God’s decision to begin again with a young king and a broken temple.

Josiah’s reforms remind us that God never gives up on His people. Even after decades of corruption, He raised a leader with a tender heart. The restoration of the temple in verses 8–13 represents more than physical repair. It symbolizes grace rebuilding what sin had ruined.

The same God who stirred Josiah’s heart continues to restore His church today. An awakening starts not with the "self-sufficient" but with those who are "poor in spirit." Not the strong but the weak. It begins in the heart of anyone who says, “Lord, renew Your dwelling place in me.”

Through Josiah’s story, we see the foreshadowing of Christ—the greater King who purifies His temple not with tools but with His own body and blood. In Him, worship is restored, hearts are cleansed, and God once again dwells among His people.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

You are the God who restores what sin has broken and renews what time has forgotten. Thank You for the example of Josiah, whose heart sought You even in his youth. Teach us to seek You with the same sincerity, to destroy every idol that competes for our devotion, and to rebuild the altar of worship in our hearts.

Awaken Your church, Lord, beginning with us. May Your grace rebuild what has fallen and Your Spirit reignite what has faded, until Christ is exalted in every corner of our lives.

In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.