14. Kings: 16. King Josiah

Lesson 14

16. Josiah

King # 16 of Judah

2 Kings 22:1-23:30

2 Chronicles 34-35

Josiah was 8 years old when he became the king of Judah. He was the son of Amon and he reigned 31 years in Jerusalem. He followed God’s laws.

http://www.biblefunforkids.com/2019/12/14-kings16-king-josiah.html

During the 8^th year of his reign, be began to seek the true God. He was still young and in his 12^th year, he began to eliminate the idols, wood carvings and altars in Jerusalem and the land of Judah.

During the 18^th year of King Josiah’s reign, he sent Shaphan the scribe to the temple. Shaphan was to tell Hilkiah the high priest to count the money that the doorkeepers had been collecting from the people. The workers doing repairs on the temple were to be paid.

While Shaphan was in the temple, Hilkiah told him that he had found the Book of the Law in the temple. He gave it to Shaphan and after he read it, he went to King Josiah. Shaphan reported to King Josiah about the workers being paid. Then Shaphan showed him the book.

Shaphan read it to the king and when King Josiah heard it, he tore his clothes. He called in the priests to ask God about the book because they were not following God’s words!

God said that because Josiah had a loving heart and he humbled himself to Him, King Josiah would not see the calamity that would happen in Judah.

King Josiah gathered all the elders of Judah and they went to the temple. All the people: the priests & prophets, all the people small and great went to the temple to hear the Book of the Law. King Josiah read it to everyone.

King Josiah stood by a pillar and made a promise to God. He promised to follow God and keep His commandments and His laws with all his heart and soul and to perform the instructions that were written in the Book of the Law. All the people agreed to keep the promises.

King Josiah told Hilkiah, the priests and the doorkeepers to remove all the idols that were in the temple. He burned them outside of Jerusalem.

He tore down the idols, pillars, shrines and wooden images in the high places and all of Judah and executed the priests that worshipped them.

He told the people to keep the Passover that was written in the Book. In the 18^th year of his reign, King Josiah held a Passover before the Lord in Jerusalem. “Such a Passover had not been held since the time of the judges and not during the kings of Israel or Judah.”

There was not another king like him who worshipped God with his whole heart and soul and power. He worshipped according to the Law of Moses.

Pharaoh Necho of Egypt was fighting Carchemish by the Euphrates and King Josiah went out to see him. The pharaoh sent messengers and they told Josiah that he didn’t have anything against him. He was there for a different battle. Pharaoh said that God told him to hurry and Josiah needed to leave so he wouldn’t be killed during the battle.

But, Josiah didn’t listen and he disguised himself so he could fight the pharaoh. The archers of pharaoh killed King Josiah at the Valley of Megiddo when Josiah confronted him. King Josiah told his servants to take him away because he was severely wounded. Josiah’s servants took him out of that chariot and put him in a different chariot and returned him to Jerusalem. They buried him in his own tomb. All of Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah because he was a good king and followed God’s laws. The people of Judah anointed his son Jehoahaz to be the next king.

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The application packs contain any extra posters, worksheets, maps, etc. specific for the king(s) listed. Each set is different and may contain printables that will be used for more than one king.

The Josiah pack includes the fill-in-the-blank worksheet & a worksheet about keeping promises, information poster, crossword puzzle, maze and more (without logos).

Click here for the application pack.