God’s Grand Story: Josiah Reads the Bible
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
29 King Josiah called together the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 Then he went to the Lord 's temple, together with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, the priests, and the Levites. Finally, when everybody was there, he read aloud The Book of God's Law that had been found in the temple. 31 After Josiah had finished reading, he stood in the place reserved for the king. He promised in the Lord 's name to faithfully obey the Lord and to follow his laws and teachings that were written in the book. 32 Then he asked the people of Jerusalem and Benjamin to make that same promise and to obey the God their ancestors had worshiped. 33 Josiah destroyed all the idols in the territories of Israel, and he commanded everyone in Israel to worship only the Lord God. The people did not turn away from the Lord God of their ancestors for the rest of Josiah's rule as king.
2 Chronicles 34:29-33
Memory Verse
2 Chronicles 34:3
3 When Josiah was only 16 years old he began worshiping God, just as his ancestor David had done. Then, 4 years later, he decided to destroy the local shrines in Judah and Jerusalem, as well as the sacred poles for worshiping the goddess Asherah and the idols of foreign gods.
Imagine you woke up and were now in charge of your country. What rules might you change? What would be your favorite part? What would make you nervous? Would you ask anyone for help? That happened to Josiah, who became king of Judah at eight years old!
The country was not doing well when he became king—they were worshiping idols and anxious about the future. How would Josiah know what to do? He turned to God for help, and God answered him! Josiah began to remove some of the idols in the temple, and after a while, one of the priests found a book about God’s law that everyone had forgotten! Josiah was so excited about the book that he had it read to all the people, and everyone said they would live for God again. God heard Josiah and helped him become a godly king.
You may not be a king or queen, but you still have important choices to make! Will you be kind to your brother or sister? Will you listen to your parents? Will you be a good friend to the new kid at school? Like Josiah, God gave you the Bible to help you make good choices. God knows that sometimes stories help us learn, and other times, we just need clear rules. That’s why the Bible has both! Open your Bible today and see how God wants you to live.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for the Bible and the wisdom it gives me. Amen.Related Resources
Philip Vander Windt
Philip VanderWindt is the pastor at Champlain Valley Christian Reformed Church. In his free time he enjoys building “tall-tall towers” with his kids, analyzing worldviews of films and music with his wife, photographing the beauty of God’s creation, dabbling in leathercraft and woodwork, and writing.