Josiah's Reforms

Hey everyone! Let’s start with a question: 👉 Have you ever seen a young person make a big impact in the world? Maybe it’s someone your age—or even younger—who stood up for something important, created something meaningful, or made a real difference in their community.

💬 Go ahead and share—who comes to mind?

Here’s the big idea for this series: You don’t have to wait until you’re older to make a difference. That’s what we’re diving into in this series called Not Too Young. We’re looking at real people in the Bible who were young when God called them to do something big—and they actually followed through.

Last week, we talked about David. He was just a kid when God sent the prophet Samuel to anoint him as the future king of Israel. 👑 David wasn’t the oldest or the strongest. He wasn’t even the one anyone expected. But God saw his heart—and God called him.

This week, we’re jumping forward to another young king: Josiah. 📖 Josiah became king of Judah when he was only eight years old—and even though he was young, God used him to lead a huge spiritual transformation in the nation.

And here’s the crazy part: This whole thing was a huge deal because Josiah’s grandpa, Manasseh, was the worst king Judah ever had. He was bad to the bone. Not only did he lead the nation into all kinds of evil, but his reign was marked by wickedness in every way. And then, his dad, Amon, wasn’t much better. He was so bad that his own servants ended up killing him.

So now, here’s little Josiah—he’s just eight years old when he becomes king. Imagine an eight-year-old running a country. That sounds pretty wild, right?

Let’s see what happens next. Grab your Bibles and turn with me to 2 Chronicles 34:1.

Read 2 Chronicles 34:1-3 together.

Here’s what we see in verse 3: Josiah began to seek the Lord when he was still young. Not when he was a wise and mature adult. Not when he was older and had it all figured out. He started following God when he was still young—just like you.

Now, let’s do some quick math. If Josiah was eight when he became king, and he started seeking God during the eighth year of his reign, how old was he at that point? That’s right! 16 years old.

How many 16-year-olds do we have in here? 👏 That’s exactly the age Josiah was when he made the decision to follow God.

And let me tell you—this is the kind of person every youth pastor dreams of having in their ministry. Someone who chooses to seek God, to follow God, and to live right, even while they’re young. He follows the example of David and he does what’s right in God’s sight.

So, Josiah starts with what we call purging idolatry. The people were surrounded by false gods, idols, and worship practices. Josiah says, “Enough is enough!” And here's what he did:

2 Chronicles 34:3 says that by the twelfth year of his reign, when Josiah was just 20 years old, he started destroying the shrines, the altars, the Asherah poles, and all those carved idols. He didn’t just tear them down—he burned them and scattered their ashes over the graves of those who had worshiped them. He even took it so far as to burn the bones of the pagan priests on their own altars. Josiah was serious about cleaning up the mess that had been made in his nation.*

Think about that. At only 20 years old, Josiah was already making radical changes. Now, some of you might be thinking, “Yeah, well, 20 is old. That’s not so young.” But let me tell you—when you’re 20, people will still treat you like you're just a kid sometimes. So don’t be fooled by the number. Josiah didn’t care about his age. He was bold, courageous, and he made a stand for God, no matter how young people thought he was.

But wait— As incredible as it was for Josiah to purge all the idols and get rid of all the false gods in the land, that’s not even the greatest thing Josiah did. His story doesn’t stop there.

In 2 Chronicles 34:8, we get this:

In the eighteenth year of his reign, after Josiah had purified the land and the Temple, he appointed some leaders to repair the Temple of the Lord.

So, after cleaning up all the idols, Josiah focused on fixing up the Temple. The Temple had been neglected for so long, and now, Josiah is bringing it back to its rightful place of honor.

But here's the crazy part: While they’re repairing the Temple, they find a book. But not just any book—the book of the Law, which is part of the Old Testament. This book had been lost and almost forgotten! It was something the people of Israel had neglected for years.

So, they bring this book to Josiah, and when he hears the words written in it, here’s his response:

“When the king heard what was written in the Law, he tore his clothes in despair. Then he gave these orders: ‘Go to the Temple and speak to the Lord for me and for all the remnant of Israel and Judah. Inquire about the words written in the scroll that has been found. For the Lord’s great anger has been poured out on us because our ancestors have not obeyed the word of the Lord. We have not been doing everything this scroll says we must do.’” — 2 Chronicles 34:19-21

Josiah wasn’t just upset—they had been ignoring God’s word for too long, and he wasn’t about to sit by and let it continue. He takes immediate action, not just personally, but as a leader.

Let’s read what happens next:

2 Chronicles 34:29–33 (NLT) 29 Then the king summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 And the king went up to the Temple of the Lord with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, along with the priests and the Levites—all the people from the greatest to the least. There the king read to them the entire Book of the Covenant that had been found in the Lord’s Temple. 31 The king took his place of authority beside the pillar and 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. He promised to obey all the terms of the covenant that were written in the scroll. 32 And he required everyone in Jerusalem and the people of Benjamin to make a similar pledge. The people of Jerusalem did so, renewing their covenant with God, the God of their ancestors. 33 So Josiah removed all detestable idols from the entire land of Israel and required everyone to worship the Lord their God. And throughout the rest of his lifetime, they did not turn away from the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

What a legacy. Josiah didn’t just clean out the idols. He led the people back to God. He stood up, read the Word of God to everyone—from the oldest to the youngest—and said, “We're going to follow God. With all our hearts. No more halfway.”

And here’s the crazy part again: All of this happened before Josiah turned 30.

He became king at 8.

He started seeking God at 16.

He began nationwide reforms at 20.

And he led spiritual revival at 26.

Have you guys ever heard of those "30 Under 30" lists? They highlight people who’ve done amazing things before turning 30—starting companies, writing books, changing the world.

Well, if there were a Bible version of that list, Josiah would be right at the top.

His story is one of the most encouraging in all of Scripture, because it reminds us of something huge:

Age doesn’t equal impact.

A lot of us—especially as teenagers—can fall into the lie that we’re too young to make a difference. That we need to wait until we’re older, wiser, or more experienced before God can really use us.

But Josiah’s life completely flips that lie on its head.

Here was a teenager who started seeking God at 16, tore down idols at 20, and led an entire nation back to God by his mid twenties.

He wasn’t just a good king—he was the greatest king Judah ever had.

This true account of Josiah shows us something powerful:

You don’t have to wait until you’re older to live out your faith with boldness. You’re not too young to be used by God.

Just like Josiah pointed an entire nation back to God, you are called to point your friends, your family, your school, and your community back to Him too.

And here’s the good news—we’re not doing that on our own.

We have the greatest message in the world:

That Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose again— So that we could be rescued from sin and have a relationship with God forever.

Because of the cross, you are forgiven. Because of the resurrection, you are alive in Christ. And now, because of Jesus, you’ve been sent.

You have a mission: To live out your faith boldly. To share the hope of Jesus. To make an impact—not someday, but right now, because you’re NOT TOO YOUNG!

Here’s some ways that you can do that THIS week!

1. Talk About Jesus in Normal Conversations

Bring Him up the same way you'd talk about your weekend or your favorite show. You could say:

“Yeah, church was actually really helpful this week.”

“I’ve been trying to read my Bible more—have you ever read it?”

“Can I pray for you about that?”

Being bold doesn't always mean being loud—it means being real.

🙏 2. Pray for People (and Tell Them You Did)

When someone’s going through something hard, don’t just say “that sucks”—say,

“Hey, I’m gonna pray for you.” Or better yet:

“Can I pray with you right now?”

Prayer is one of the most powerful ways to point people to a God who cares.

📖 3. Get into God’s Word

You can’t share what you don’t know. Even five minutes a day reading your Bible helps shape your heart and gives you something meaningful to say to others. Start with:

Reading the Gospel of Mark

Using a Bible app plan with a friend

Journal one takeaway each day

The more time you spend with God, the more you’ll sound like Him.

🤝 4. Invite Someone

To church

To youth group

To a small group

To hang out with your Christian friends

You don’t need the perfect words—sometimes a simple “Hey, you should come with me” can change someone’s eternity.

Your invitation could be the start of someone else’s journey with Jesus.

💡 5. Live Different—Even When It’s Hard

When you’re the only one not cussing, cheating, vaping, or gossiping—it’s not easy. But it is noticeable. And it is worth it.

Let your life reflect Jesus in a way that makes people ask questions.

Integrity is boldness in action.

You might not be a king like Josiah. But you have something even greater—the Holy Spirit living in you. And that means you’re never too young to make a difference.