“And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart.” – Ezekiel 11:19, NLT
King Josiah ascended the throne after fifty-seven years of godless and evil reign by his grandfather Manasseh and father Amon. One can only imagine young Josiah growing up in a spiritual cesspool and a dysfunctional family. His decision to “seek the God of his father David” from a young age protected him from the effects of his family’s godless values and eventually led him to become a shining light in Judah’s darkest hour (2 Chronicles 34:3).
When he became king, Josiah instituted national reforms to reinstate God and His Word in Judah. He had to resist the pressures of his day and change the culture of wickedness and idolatry established by his forefathers. At twenty-six, he led both Israel and Judah to celebrate the Passover again (2 Chronicles 35:18).
In 2 Chronicles 34:27, God said of Josiah, “because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord.” (ESV, emphasis added)
From Josiah’s life, I glean four important points in cultivating a tender heart toward God. I believe this enabled him to be ultimately transformed by God, rather than by his life’s circumstances.
A responsive heart to seek God. Josiah chose to seek God and not allow his family upbringing or the example of his predecessors to shape the way he lived (2 Chronicles 34:2-3). Our destiny need not be shaped by our past, as we humbly seek God and His purpose for our lives. To seek God is to intentionally and diligently allow God to take control over our lives.
A reverential view of God’s Word. Josiah grieved over the nation’s disregard for God’s Word (vv.19-21). This was because he had a high regard for God’s Word and obeyed its teachings in his life (vv.30-31). Similarly, God’s Word must be central to our profession and demonstration of our faith. One practical way to build up our knowledge and understanding of God’s Word is to make time to read and meditate on it.
A relentless allegiance to God. Josiah removed all detestable idols from the nation (v.33). Likewise, we must remove the idols and sin in our lives that hinder our walk with God. Idols are false substitutes in our search for security and significance in life. “Anything you love more, fear more, serve more, or value more than God is your idol.” (Adrian Rogers) If we lack spiritual sight, we can ask God to reveal the idols in our hearts. By God’s grace and empowerment, we can take action to weed them out of our lives.
A resolute passion to worship God. Josiah reinstated the Passover after the festival had been neglected for years by the past generations. The Passover is a reminder of God’s mighty deliverance of Israel from slavery and the people’s eventual salvation in Him. It is never too late to restore our worship of God. If the past two years of pandemic living has jaded our worship and steered us further from God, let us not be discouraged but instead choose to return to worship God wholeheartedly, in spirit and in truth.
Like Josiah, let us reinstate God’s purpose and His priorities in our lives by cultivating a tender heart for Him, so that we may also shine forth His light wherever we are.
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