“Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left.” — 2 Chronicles 34:1-2

Most people who are saved as children had some godly influence in their lives, and Hazel Wilson was an example of this. Born to God-fearing parents in 1926, she was the youngest of nine children. Early on, God spared her life twice. Her mother contracted smallpox while pregnant with Hazel, and the baby was born a month early. When Hazel was ten days old, she got smallpox and was not expected to live. The doctor said, “Just tell me when she dies, and I will sign the death certificate.” But God stood between Hazel and the graveyard. Her brothers and sisters prayed, a prayer request was sent to the church, and God undertook and healed her. Then when Hazel was four years old, she was very ill with scarlet fever, and again the Lord raised her up. 

Hazel’s family came to camp meetings in Portland, Oregon, from her infancy. There were tents on the campground, and Hazel remembered lying quietly in bed with her sisters while her mother was praying in the tabernacle. She said, “That is where the Lord spoke to my heart and showed me that I needed to be saved.” God reminded her that He had spared her and helped her realize she owed Him her life. 

Hazel was also influenced by her older Christian siblings. She said, “My brother Roy and my sisters Mary and Ella were just getting into the Gospel work and taking music lessons. I can still see Mary sitting in the rocker in the living room, reading her Bible. And I can remember when they prayed—hearing Mary in her room and knowing Roy was in his room praying. That had such a tremendous influence on my decision to serve the Lord. I have often thanked God for them. 

“I am so thankful that God saved me when I was young—twelve years old. He gave me a real vision of the Gospel, and He has kept me all these years.” Hazel served God in many capacities, including as a pastor’s wife, playing the organ, and working in the church office. She was ninety-three years old when God took her to Heaven. 

What a blessing it is to serve God faithfully year after year! In today’s text, we read that Josiah did so. Our focus verses say, “And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, . . . and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left.” 

Whatever our age, we can look at these examples and make the choice to serve God, purposing to be faithful. That decision will benefit us, and perhaps others around us will be influenced to commit their lives to the Lord as well.

BACKGROUND

Chapter 34 begins a record of King Josiah, who reigned over Judah for thirty-one years—a time of peace, prosperity, and reform in the nation. After describing the nature of Josiah’s rule (verses 1-2), an account is given of his efforts to purge Judah of false religions (verses 3-7) and his repair of the house of the Lord (verses 8-13). Verses 14-21 relate that during the cleansing of the Temple, the Book of the Law was discovered and read to Josiah, causing him to seek counsel from Huldah, a prophetess (verses 22-28). In response to her words, Josiah convened the elders, priests, and people of Jerusalem for a reading of the Law, and led the people in making a covenant to serve the God of their fathers (verses 29-33). 

Josiah’s father and grandfather, Amon and Manasseh, were exceptionally wicked. Josiah was more like his great-grandfather, Hezekiah, in his desire to follow God and his purpose to institute spiritual reform in his nation. Since Josiah was only eight years of age when he ascended to the throne of Judah after the assassination of his father, he likely was under the guardianship of God-fearing priests or elders for a time. Verse 3 of today’s text indicates that in the eighth year of his reign, he began to “seek after the God of David his father.” Four years later, he began his attempts to bring spiritual reform in his nation. Verses 3-5 and the parallel passages in 2 Kings 23:4-5 reveal how extensive idolatry was in Judah at this time. 

In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, after his energetic campaign to purge the land of idolatry, he began attempts to restore the neglected Temple. No significant restoration had occurred in God’s house since the repairs done under Joash (see 2 Chronicles 24), and much deterioration had occurred during the evil reigns of Ahaz and Manasseh. 

During the process of cleansing the Temple, Hilkiah the priest discovered the Book of the Law. According to Deuteronomy 31:24-27, a copy of the Law was to be kept beside the Ark of the Covenant, but it seemingly had been misplaced during the apostate administrations of previous kings. When the Book of the Law was read to Josiah, he immediately realized that great changes had to be made in the land. Verse 19 indicates that “he rent his clothes”— he was so appalled by the spiritual failures the book revealed that he expressed his horror and astonishment in the strongest possible way. 

Josiah’s concern for the fate of his nation is evident in verse 21, where he said, “Great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord.” He sent Hilkiah and others to inquire of the Lord through the prophetess Huldah. Little is known about this woman other than this mention and one in the similar account in 2 Kings 22:14. However, she delivered a two-part, divinely inspired message indicating that because of Judah’s sin, God would bring judgment according to the curses written in the Book of the Law (verses 23-25), but that judgment would not come in Josiah’s time because he had repented at the reading of God’s Word (verses 26-28). 

Despite knowing that God’s judgment would not fall during his day, Josiah sought the return of Judah back to God. He stood before the people and publicly declared his commitment to obey the Law of God “with all his heart, and with all his soul” (verse 31). Then he urged the people to commit to a covenant with the Lord based on the Book of the Law. The statement that he caused all that were present to “stand to it” (verse 32) likely meant that he caused the assembled people to stand when he read the words of the covenant to signify their acceptance of its terms. 

The efforts of King Josiah had a great effect upon the people of Judah; verse 33 indicates that they stayed faithful to God during his reign.

AMPLIFIED OUTLINE

III. The history of the kings of Judah
     P. The reign of Josiah
          1. The character of his reign (34:1-2)
          2. The reformation during his reign
               a. The destruction of Baalism (34:3-7)
               b. The repair of the Temple (34:8-13)
               c. The recovery of the Law (34:14-21)
               d. The message of Huldah (34:22-28)
               e. The king’s covenant before Jehovah (34:29-33)

A CLOSER LOOK

1. Why did God promise that judgment would not come to Judah while Josiah lived? (See verses 27-28)
2. What was admirable about Josiah’s reaction to the words written in the book that was found?
3. Who helped influence you to become a Christian?

CONCLUSION

All of us can consider whether we are influencing others toward God. A daily Christlike example can have a big impact on those around us.