A People After GodSample

Josiah - What Happens When We Repent

What should you do when you realize you’ve been getting it wrong? That was the question facing King Josiah. He became king of Judah at only eight years old, inheriting a nation full of idols, corruption, and neglect of God’s commands. Yet Scripture says, “In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still a youth, Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David” (2 Chronicles 34:3 CSB).

One day, as workers repaired the temple, a priest found the Book of the Law. When Josiah heard the words of Scripture read to him, he tore his clothes in grief. He realized how far the people had drifted from God and how badly they had ignored his Word. Renewal in Josiah’s life, and in Judah, began with rediscovering and obeying God’s Word. Renewal always starts with knowing God’s Word.

When Josiah and the people repented, God showed grace. The prophetess Huldah told Josiah that judgment was coming on Judah, but because he humbled himself before the Lord, God delayed it. Jeremiah echoed this same truth a generation later: “At one moment I might announce concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will uproot, tear down, and destroy it. However, if that nation… turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the disaster I had planned to do to it” (Jeremiah 18:7–8 CSB). God always responds to repentance with grace.

But repentance is more than words. Josiah led the people to tear down idols, destroy pagan altars, and restore true worship in Jerusalem. He even fulfilled a prophecy given 300 years earlier (from 1 Kings 13:1-2) by desecrating the very altar false priests once used. True repentance means turning away from sin, not just saying “I’m sorry” while continuing in the same direction.

Josiah’s legacy is summed up like this: “Before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength according to all the law of Moses” (2 Kings 23:25 CSB). God is not looking for performance; he is looking for repentance. Josiah wasn’t perfect, and neither are we, but his life shows us that when we are confronted with the truth of God’s Word, the right response is to confess, repent, and return to the Lord.

Reflection Question: Where in your life do you need to move beyond words and take concrete steps of repentance? What is one area where God is calling you to turn back to him this week?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the example of Josiah. Help me to know your Word and let it shape my life. Show me where I have been getting it wrong, and give me courage to repent. Thank you that you always respond to repentance with grace. I turn to you with all my heart, soul, and strength. Amen.