Josiah (2 Kings 22)

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Josiah is today’s hero because he shows us the gift of Asking

Essential Teachers notes:
The book of 2 kings is not usually where one starts in teaching kids about biblical heroes, but amongst the horrors of the kids of Israel there comes this chapter about a child who is made king, a king who rules for many years, comparatively, and a king who brings the people back to god. It’s a wonderful tale and one really worth exploring. While this story happens when the king has about 26, it plays heavily on the childhood element.

Main Passage : 2 Kings 22
Other passages : 2 Chronicles 34
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Today’s story is about a little boy, call Josiah, who liked to ask questions. He would ask why the sun rose, and why the water was wet? He would ask why some men always seemed to smile and why others were always angry? He would ask what each building was for and how they got there, and why they were built? every time he opened his mouth he asked a question.

Now many children would have been told to be quiet, people didn’t know the answers to all his questions, but they let him keep asking because our hero was the son of the king. When Josiah had been 6 his granddad, the king, had died and Josiah’s daddy became king. People were afraid of the king, because he was a bad man just like Josiah’s granddad.

When Josiah was 8, some bad men killed his father and he became King. He was a very small king, but he was a very good king because he thought about why things happened and didn’t just order people to do what he wanted. Now he was king people had to answer his questions, and the more questions he asked the more questions he found. He discovered that honest people told him when they didn’t have the answers, and that the most honest people were those people who worked at the temple, the builders and the artists. The temple confused him most of all, why did nobody fix it, why did it have so many things inside that didn’t fit, what did they mean, and who was this God that the Israelites followed.

After Josiah had been king for 18 years he decided that he would sort out the temple. He told them to gather the money and give it to the honest builders and artists. He told them to clean out all the rubbish and make God’s home spectacular. A few days after the work started the priest found a scroll hidden in the rubbish. He read the scroll and got very worried. The priest ran straight to the palace, the palace official ran straight tot he king and the king stopped what he was doing and read the scroll. The scroll told the king why the temple had been built, what should be there and what they should use the things for. It told the king all about the God the Israelites followed and what sort of God he was, and what would happen if they disobeyed him.

Josiah was so upset by the answers to his questions that were written in the scroll he tore his robes and started to cry. His father and his grandfather had done terrible things, angering God. Josiah called a wise woman, one who knew the ways of God, and asked her if he could save the people from God’s punishment. The woman told the king that because he had torn his robes and cried God would not bring punishment while he was king. Then Josiah gathered the people and read the words to them, he made everyone promise to follow the one true God. Josiah removed all idols and worship of other religions from the land, he followed God’s ways, and became a fantastic king.

Josiah is today’s hero because he shows us the gift of Asking