Advanced Level, Block 7—Idolatry and Division
Week 67
Josiah—Seeking God and His Word
Point to Emphasize: We must seek the God of our parents and have a heart for His Word.
Reference Reading: 2 Kings 22:1-20; 23:25
Memory Verse: And that from a babe you have known the sacred writings… (2 Timothy 3:15a)
Story Sample
What do you remember when you were eight years old? Did you do anything that was SO extremely important? You might say to me, “What can I do when I am so young?” Well, let’s see what the Bible tells us about an eight-year-old boy. His name was Josiah. Josiah became a king when he was only eight years old and he reigned in Jerusalem. The Bible says that Josiah “did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah and walked in all the way of David his father…” (2 Kings 22:2a). Josiah was born in the royal family of Judah. His biological father was not David, but Amon who died when Josiah was very young. But, Josiah knew the story of his forefathers. He knew about how David had a heart for God and for God’s people. So, as a young boy, Josiah decided to be like David in following God.
The fact that Josiah was young when he began to follow in the footsteps of David indicates that each one of us is able to follow God and contact Him at an early age. You all have something in common with Josiah. Just like Josiah, somewhere in your genealogy, either your parents, grandparents or great grandparents also had a heart to follow God. How about you? Have you decided to seek after their God? This is not a decision you make when you are older. You are not too young to say that you will follow the God of your parents.
It is important to know that when Josiah became king, the nation of Israel had gotten worse and worse. After David, there were good kings but there were also bad kings that led the people to abandon God completely and build altars to worship idols. The temple, built by Solomon according to David’s instructions, was not being taken care of properly. It was neglected for a long time and in need of extensive repairs and Josiah, the king, gave order to begin the repair work.
While the workmen were working on the repair of the temple, Hilkiah the high priest found the book of the law. The book contained God’s Word given to Moses. Wow! The Word of God that had been forgotten, forsaken, and unknown to many was found! Let’s see what Josiah’s reaction was.
Shaphan the scribe brought the book of the law to King Josiah and began to read it aloud. When Josiah heard the words of God, his heart was tender and he humbled himself before Jehovah. Josiah wept before Jehovah because he knew that the kings before him had not listened to the Word of God, had turned away from God and had begun worshipping idols. He knew God was angry with them and evil would come upon them. So, Josiah gathered all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, both small and great, and he read aloud all the words of the book to the people. He then removed and destroyed the altars that were built to worship idols. He had them bring all the idols and images and vessels that were made for the idols and he shattered them, burnt them, and ground them to dust. He cut off all the idol worshippers and evildoers in the land. Josiah had a heart for God. He followed what God said in His Word and led the nation of Israel to turn back to God.
Josiah’s heart towards God’s Word was soft and tender. We need this same kind of heart towards God’s Word. To have a soft heart is the opposite of having a hard heart. We know many things that are soft. A pillow is something soft, right? The pillow gives way to the shape of your head. But when you put your head on your dining table, the table does not give way to the shape of your head, rather it resists it. When Josiah heard God’s Word and knew Israel needed correction, his heart did not resist God’s Word, but his heart gave way to God’s Word.
Now, what happens to your heart when your parents are correcting you for something you did wrong? Is it soft and giving way or is it so hard that it resists? Or, for example, when you hear the Bible verse that says “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12a), does your heart give way to this verse or does it resist it? [Discuss this with the children.] Both your parents and the Word of God are correcting you for something that you might have done wrong. When your heart is soft, you take the correction. But when your heart is hard you come up with all your excuses and you don’t like to hear it or think it does not apply to you.
Just like many of you, I also grew up in a Christian household reading God’s Word and memorizing many verses. When I was in fifth or sixth grade, one day at school, we needed to pick one of our favorite phrases and write it next to our names on a big poster to be hung on the wall in our classroom. Everyone picked famous quotes from books, movies, and popular songs. I picked one of my favorite Bible verses. I recall how one of the girls came to me and said, “That is a Bible verse. You are brave to let the other children know you like the Bible”. Then it hit me! My favorite phrases, my favorite proverbs, and my favorite stories were those from the Bible. In that moment, I realized the Bible was my favorite book. I realized the Bible was God’s Word and that it was the best book. I knew I wanted to be someone who listens to God’s Word and follows God’s Word, just like Josiah. [Storyteller, share a personal story of your realization that you had a soft heart for the Bible.]
I hope that after hearing today’s story, you will decide to follow in the footsteps of those in your family who had or have a heart for God. I hope each one of you know that even at your young age, you can follow God and you can talk to Him. And finally, I hope that your heart is always soft, giving way to God’s Word and not resisting your parent’s correction. And if your heart is not, I hope you really go to your parents and talk about it with them.