2 Kings 22-23; 2 Chronicles 34-35 – August 4

Josiah was Israel’s and Judah's most zealous kings. He became king at 8 years old, he began to seek God at age 16, and at 20 he purged Judah and Jerusalem of all its idolatry. The people went along with his reforms, but it didn’t affect the nation, as a whole, at the heart level as it did Josiah. Josiah truly feared the LORD and repented, committing to serve Him only. We read in 2 Chronicles 34:33, “Thus Josiah removed all the abominations from all the country that belonged to the children of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel diligently serve the LORD their God. All his days they did not depart from following the LORD God of their fathers.” Israel served the LORD all the days of Josiah, but after he was gone, they quickly went back to their old ways since the majority did not repent from the heart.