One of my favorite parts of the books of 1, 2 Kings is the story of Josiah's kingship. A couple quick reflections from the account of his kingship:
First, Josiah is only 8 years old when he is installed as king. It is not the 18th year of his reign when God's law is found in the temple as they are repairing it. How is it that Josiah responds in such a humble and godly way to God's law, when so many of his predecessors had practically zero regard for it? To me this points to the role of godly and wise community around Josiah, guiding him in the way that he should go. We learn about the importance of mentoring and guidance in every person's life, it makes us wise toward God!
Second, Josiah seeks a word from the Lord from Huldah the female prophet. Josiah's story includes the presence of a female prophet, who speaks on behalf of God, and her word is true and binding on the king as well as the nation. This shows me that the Spirit of God works in whoever he wants, and we should not limit our understanding of who God uses to lead his people. The Bible shows us that God raises up whoever he wants to raise up!
Third, Josiah's greatness as king is found in his commitment to purge the worship of false gods from the nation. He devoted his entire life to tearing down false gods and setting up worship of the one true God. I am moved by this verse every time I read it:
2 Kings 23:25 - Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did - with all his hear and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.
Fourth, the quick end of Josiah's reign strikes me as being quite abrupt and unexpected. Typically when you read the story of a truly Godly person in the Bible, you often find him/her living a long life, ending in a peaceful death. Josiah's death is violent, and somewhat unexpected. This reminds me to always be aware of the passage of time. We must never settle into the belief that tomorrow will always be there, today is the day to turn to the Lord!
May we all take his example to heart, and live fully for God, now, today!