...the last godly king to sit on David's throne was a young boy with and evil father and repentant grandfather?
Josiah was the last godly king to sit on David's throne, and the Bible records his story two times. If you only read
II Kings 21-22, you'll wonder how this eight-year-old king ever believed in the one true God in Israel. Both his father
and grandfather worshipped idols and even brought their carved images into the Jerusalem temple. Josiah had uncles and
possibly brothers offered as burnt sacrifices to the worshipped idols. (II kings 21:6) In Jerusalem, public worship of
the Lord God was all but abandoned.
However, the II Chronicles 33-34 account of Josiah's life, helps us better understand why he chose the one and only
God in heaven. After his grandfather did more evil than other nations (21:9,11), God allowed him to be taken captive
by the Assyrians, bound with iron shackles, and hauled to Babylon. While in prison, he turned to the Lord God, humbling
himself, and praying. God heard him and mercifully returned him to Israel and restored him to his throne.
If you do the math backward from Josiah's eight-year-old coronation, we get a glimpse of a humbled, godly influence on
this young boy's life. Subtract his father's two-year reign, and we know Manasseh died when Josiah was six. For all or
part of those six years, he had the influence of a godly grandfather. There can be little doubt the wiser king told
his grandson about his prison meeting with the merciful Lord God of Israel. The God-changed Manasseh impacted Josiah’s young life.
Previous Do You Know...
...Abraham was a prophet?
As a prophet, Abraham’s words to his son Isaac when they traveled to make a sacrifice, were not only literal, but also prophetic.
“God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering. (22:8) After Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac, a ram got
caught in a thicket and God did provide a lamb. Hundreds of years later, God sent His only Son Jesus to die for our sins ---
once again providing for Himself the Lamb. (John 1:36)
...the apostle Paul developed a close relationship with a Roman Centurion named Julius? The soldier came to Caesarea to pick up prisoners
and take them to Rome by ship. In his charge of chained convicts was a man who had been under house arrest for two years – Paul of Tarsus.
For the next six months Julius and Paul sailed through many first-century sea dangers, including ship wreck. During their adventures,
Julius becomes Paul’s friend, removing his chains, allowing him to visit believers, listening to his prophecies, and watching miracles.
Read about this friendship in Acts 27.
...the last godly king to sit on David's throne was a young boy with and evil father and repentant grandfather?
...Abraham was a prophet?
As a prophet, Abraham’s words to his son Isaac when they traveled to make a sacrifice, were not only literal, but also prophetic.
“God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering. (22:8) After Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac, a ram got
caught in a thicket and God did provide a lamb. Hundreds of years later, God sent His only Son Jesus to die for our sins ---
once again providing for Himself the Lamb. (John 1:36)
...the apostle Paul developed a close relationship with a Roman Centurion named Julius? The soldier came to Caesarea to pick up prisoners
and take them to Rome by ship. In his charge of chained convicts was a man who had been under house arrest for two years – Paul of Tarsus.
For the next six months Julius and Paul sailed through many first-century sea dangers, including ship wreck. During their adventures,
Julius becomes Paul’s friend, removing his chains, allowing him to visit believers, listening to his prophecies, and watching miracles.
Read about this friendship in Acts 27.