The First Gospel: Josiah | Josh Harrison
King Josiah and the Power of Heroic Faith: Reform, Idolatry, and the Search for More
We are now a few weeks into our "First Gospel" series here at Citizens Church of Orange County, taking a sweeping journey through the Old Testament to unearth the goodness of God—on every single page, not just at the story’s end. Along the way, we have been following the broad, often fragmented, narrative arcs that have shaped Israel and its identity: the Judges, the united monarchy, and now, the long, painful unraveling of the divided kingdom.
This week, we found ourselves drawn to the story of Josiah—a young king who, against a legacy of spiritual apathy, rises up to become a reformer of his people. His story compels us to ask hard questions about our own practices, priorities, and expectations of what change is possible.
Rewinding to Josiah’s Moment
To appreciate Josiah, it's important to know where we are in the biblical timeline. The once-united kingdom of Israel has fractured into north and south. The north—Israel—has descended so deeply into idolatry and instability that it has disappeared, swept away by the Assyrian empire. All that remains is the southern kingdom of Judah, two tribes clinging to Jerusalem, the temple, and the hope of David’s line.
Josiah, stunningly, is only eight years old when he becomes king. He emerges in a period of decline and religious chaos, a child thrust into leadership amidst the wreckage left by his father and grandfather, both notorious for their embrace of idolatry and the undoing of any bright spiritual heritage bequeathed by earlier kings like Hezekiah.
Josiah’s Reformation: Seeking, Purging, Restoring
What distinguishes Josiah from his predecessors is not merely his youthful zeal, but the clarity and intentionality of his faith. The biblical narrative marks out three distinct stages in his development: as a teenager, Josiah begins to seek God wholeheartedly. This seeking, as the sermon pointed out, is less about mystical pursuit and more about love and obedience—an active, relational commitment to listen for God’s voice and respond.
Josiah’s second act is perhaps his boldest. At twenty, he undertakes the purging of Judah and even the desolate regions of the north, eradicating shrines, altars, and idols at considerable personal and political cost. Where generations of kings accepted the persistence of “high places” (local centers of mixed and often pagan worship), Josiah alone tears them down, insisting on true worship and the exclusive claims of Yahweh.
His third move is restorative. At twenty-six, Josiah turns his attention to the temple—a symbol of God’s presence—which has languished in disrepair and been polluted with foreign idols. In the process of restoration, a copy of the Law is found, long neglected. On hearing it read, Josiah’s response is one of grief and humility: he tears his robes, mourning his nation’s disobedience.
The Limits of Reform and the Deep Need for Change
But even heroic faith has its limits. The sermon was candid in its confession: for all Josiah’s reforms, it was not enough. The prophetess Huldah’s message to him is sobering—the consequences of generations of forsaking God cannot be erased by one king’s zeal. Josiah’s life ends prematurely in an ill-advised battle, and Judah tumbles headlong toward exile.
Why? Because what Josiah could force from the outside—removal of idols, religious observance—could not reach the people’s hearts. The people’s inner lives remained untouched. The sermon thus stops just shy of despair before pointing us forward to the longing, threaded throughout the Old Testament, for a deeper work. Jeremiah, prophesying in Josiah’s time, envisions a day when God would write his law on the hearts of his people, not just externalize it in rituals and reforms.
Shadows and Fulfillment: Looking to Jesus
Josiah is a shadow, a signpost to someone greater. Where Josiah could seek, obey, purge, and restore, only Jesus can transform hearts. The sermon ends with a word of hope and a challenge—yes, let’s be like Josiah, courageous and single-minded in faith. But let us also remember, in a way Josiah could only dream, that through Jesus, the work of restoration is not just external but internal, not just national but personal.
Four Key Lessons from the Life of Josiah
True Seeking Is Both Relational and Active
Seeking God means loving him and obeying him—a continuous engagement that prioritizes his voice above all else and cultivates intimacy through daily habits, not just in moments of crisis.Purging Idols Is Costly and Necessary
Renewal always demands costly, purposeful action. Tearing down our idols—whether personal or cultural—may cost us comfort, approval, or status, but without this, no true restoration can occur.Reform Without Heart Change Is Incomplete
External reforms, even done with zeal, will not last unless matched by internal transformation. Only God can write his law on our hearts, changing us from the inside out.Heroic Faith Is Possible at Any Age, but Christ Completes What We Cannot
Josiah’s story calls all of us, young and old, to courageous faith. Yet only Jesus can finish the work Josiah began—renewing not just our temples, but our selves.
And so, let us be inspired by Josiah and transformed by Christ, seeking God with undivided hearts and participating in his work of restoration, inside and out.
