Begin Seeking God Today

[Josiah] did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor David. He did not turn away from doing what was right.   2 Kings 22:2

The people of Judah had the benefit of better leadership than their brothers and sisters in the North. Every one of the nineteen northern kings “did what was evil in the LORD’s sight” or “refused to turn from the sins that [the previous king] had led Israel to commit” (see, for example, 2 Kings 3:2; 10:31), but in the South, a number of kings “did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight” (see, for example, 2 Kings 15:3).

Things took a turn for the worse in Judah when Manasseh came to the throne. He reigned for fifty-five years (see 2 Kings 21:1) and brought more trouble to God’s people than anyone else. “Manasseh led them to do even more evil than the pagan nations that the LORD had destroyed when the people of Israel entered the land” (21:9).

Manasseh promoted the worship of Molech and the evil practice of sacrificing children in a fire (see 2 Kings 21:6). After half a century of this, God’s anger was provoked. God’s people were called to be a light in the dark, but they were living in the same darkness as the people around them!

At the end of Manasseh’s reign, his son Amon reigned for two years before he was murdered. Then Amon’s son Josiah became king when he was only eight years old. He began to seek the Lord in the eighth year of his reign (see 2 Chronicles 34:3). As a teenager, he developed a heart for God, and with this foundation, he became a man of great character. It is never too early to seek God.

Here we have a godly young leader who wanted to get Judah back on track. What was he to do? He had no Bible training to draw on. His father and grandfather had not given him any kind of model to follow. Josiah grew up in a spiritually confused and biblically illiterate culture, and yet deep within his heart, there was a longing to know God.

Regardless of your age, your spiritual background, or your lack of Bible knowledge, you can begin seeking God. Don’t put it off another day.

For further reading, see 2 Kings 22