King Josiah, the young king who took the throne of Judah at a time when Israel had completely turned from God. His predecessors – his father and grandfather – were wicked. 2 Kings 21:9 specifically states that Josiah’s grandfather, Manasseh, did more evil in the sight of the Lord than the pagan nations around him. And Josiah’s father followed in his father’s footsteps.
However, when King Josiah was twenty-six years old he raised money to rebuild the Temple. Whilst repairing the Temple, the high priest Hilikah found the Book of the Law and commanded the court secretary Shaphan to read it to King Josiah. 2 Kings 22:11 says,
“When the king heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes in despair.”
Darkness and chaos were so apparent in Israel at this time, and hearing God’s word caused King Josiah to begin comprehending how far Israel was from the light. He realised the need to know God’s word and to follow it. His father and grandfather were living in such darkness that King Josiah had not been given the gift of knowing God through His word and learning how to practically live that out.
The young king was so overwhelmed and moved by God’s word that he took action. He read the Book of the Law to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. 2 Kings 23:3 says King Josiah
“renewed the covenant in the Lord’s presence. He pledged to obey the Lord by keeping all his commands, laws, and decrees with all his heart and soul. In this way, he confirmed all the terms of the covenant that were written in the scroll, and all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.”
What’s so incredible, is that King Josiah’s reckoning of who God is and his actions to lead Judah back to the light had a domino effect. The parents of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were a part of the generation to whom King Josiah read the Book of the Law.
These four young men were exiled to Babylon to live in a culture whose values did not align with God’s laws or His goodness. But the cool thing is they had parents who knew God’s word because of the young King Josiah. We can only assume their parents taught them God’s word and character, just as King Josiah had shown them.
These young men had a strong foundation and knowledge of who God was and were able to navigate the darkness in Babylon. They withstood idol worship to the point of risking death. God was able to use Daniel to minister to a King who had no knowledge of the God of Heaven. If you open the book of Daniel, you can see the impact and the domino effect of God’s word being discovered, recognised and put into action.
Today, chaos and darkness swirl around us no matter what society or culture we live in. Are we grounded in the Word of God to be able to navigate this world? The Bible was given to us, so that we may know God, His heart, and His laws. The bible’s ancient words are alive and hold power today.
John, the disciple recognised that Jesus was “the Word” and the author of life. He recognised that through the Word the heavens were made and the earth was formed. He recognised that light came from God’s mouth and it brought order to the darkness. He wrote,
“The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:5
He had to get to know Jesus intimately to be able to write the intro he did at the beginning of his gospel.
The Bible is full of books, like John’s gospel or the book of Daniel, which display the character of God and His son, Jesus Christ. But if we don’t know the Word of God well, we will struggle to know God and who He is, which may result in us not knowing how to navigate the darkness and chaos that is so unfortunate in this world.
I challenge you to open up the Word of God consistently, study the ancient words and meditate on them. Get to know the character of God and His laws. Let that be your foundation so that you can go forth and be a light. In doing so, a domino effect just may occur.