From Oblivious to Awake: Learning from Josiah
Introduction
Some people go through life completely oblivious! Do you see that?! You can bump into them almost every day! And you know why you can so easily bump into them? Yep, you guessed it, because they are oblivious! That which may be common sense to you, is like an uncommon sense to them! Have you ever met someone like that?
You’ve seen it: walking while glued to a phone, somehow missing a light pole until they crash right into it, or look out for that open man hole cover! When some are told some things are on a higher level, they look for an elevator?
It’s funny when it’s physical obliviousness… but spiritual obliviousness is no joke.
Missing a step can give you a bruise. Missing God can cost you eternity.
Question for you: If someone followed you around for a week, would they say you’re tuned in to God… or oblivious to God?
1. From Everyday Awareness to God-Awareness
As we get older, we usually get more aware of the world — how to work, fix things, make decisions.
But there’s an even greater kind of awareness: God-awareness.
What is that?
It’s knowing that all this had to come from somewhere: Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.”
It’s knowing that we are all sinners and need salvation.
It’s realizing that we all die someday and we need to figure it out before it’s too late!
Realizing as God so loved and forgave us, we should love and forgive others
Many sense there’s “something more,” but ignore it. Others hear about God yet still live as if He doesn’t exist. That’s what is called spiritual blindness. What’s worse, falling in a man hole, or being doomed for eternity?
What if you didn’t have religious friends or even the Bible, tho, to guide you, how would you even become God aware? How would you get there? There’s all sorts of things that point to God.
Question: What everyday things in your life point you back to God? Do you notice them, or do you rush right past them? Churches, Bible, where did that tree come from? Where did these complex humans with a brain, and automatic healing ability, that can walk, talk, think, and love come from?
2 Chronicles 34
34 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.
2. Josiah’s Awakening
Josiah became king at just 8 years old. That’s pretty young!
His father and grandfather were wicked kings:
Josiah’s father Amon (ruled briefly - own servants killed him)
His grandfather Manasseh (ruled 55 years - very wicked)
They weren’t good role models, but he couldn’t have known them for long, but still interesting that Josiah turned out good!
3 In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David. In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles and idols. 4 Under his direction the altars of the Baals were torn down; he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them, and smashed the Asherah poles and the idols. These he broke to pieces and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and so he purged Judah and Jerusalem. 6 In the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them, 7 he tore down the altars and the Asherah poles and crushed the idols to powder and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout Israel. Then he went back to Jerusalem.
So at 16, he began to seek God (v. 3).
So was Josaiah a good king or a bad king! Yay, a good king - did what was right in the eyes of the Lord!
At 20, he started tearing down idols (v. 3–7).
8 In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, to purify the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and Maaseiah the ruler of the city, with Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the temple of the Lord his God.
9 They went to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought into the temple of God, which the Levites who were the gatekeepers had collected from the people of Manasseh, Ephraim and the entire remnant of Israel and from all the people of Judah and Benjamin and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 Then they entrusted it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the Lord’s temple. These men paid the workers who repaired and restored the temple. 11 They also gave money to the carpenters and builders to purchase dressed stone, and timber for joists and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to fall into ruin.
12 The workers labored faithfully. Over them to direct them were Jahath and Obadiah, Levites descended from Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, descended from Kohath. The Levites—all who were skilled in playing musical instruments— 13 had charge of the laborers and supervised all the workers from job to job. Some of the Levites were secretaries, scribes and gatekeepers.
At 26, he began repairing the temple (v. 8–13).
What made him do that? Who knows? Is that recognizing there’s a God hole in everyone’s heart and a desire to come to know God?
3. Hearing God’s Word for the First Time
14 While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the temple of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses. 15 Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan.
16 Then Shaphan took the book to the king and reported to him: “Your officials are doing everything that has been committed to them. 17 They have paid out the money that was in the temple of the Lord and have entrusted it to the supervisors and workers.” 18 Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.
So, they start fixing up the temple and lo and behold they find the “book of the law” aka the first 5 books also known as the Pentateuch. — God’s Word, long forgotten.
So… they were so far gone that they didn’t even have the Bible (5 books at that time) and they weren’t aware of what it said or even read it at all! Imagine trying to be a believer without the Bible? We take it for granted these days! Everyone has a bible, even more than one, even phone apps and computer programs and websites! They had nothing!!!
Question: What would happen to your walk with God if the Bible, Churches, christian friends disappeared from your life tomorrow? Would your faith survive?
So how much God awareness do you think they had and instruction to do what’s right?
It's even more amazing that Josiah was following the Lord without a Bible in hand?
How can you know God’s will if you don’t read His instruction manual? The Bible is our teacher!
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
Is God’s Word as shocking to you as it was to Josiah?
4. Josiah’s Response to God’s Word
19 When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes. 20 He gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant: 21 “Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that is poured out on us because those who have gone before us have not kept the word of the Lord; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book.”
When Josiah heard Scripture for the first time, imagine how eye opening it must have been when everything around him was so depraved? He tore his clothes!!! (showing his grief and shame).
He realized:
God’s commands had been ignored.
The nation had earned God’s judgment.
He immediately realized that the Lord’s anger was burning against the nation because they had strayed so far that they lost the Bible, the temple was in shambles, the people had turned to idolatry and were doing detestable things!
Instead of shrugging it off or blaming others, Josiah humbled himself. And God responded:
“Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself… I have heard you” (v. 27).
Question: When was the last time God’s Word truly broke your heart and moved you to action?
5. Dire News for Judah
22 Hilkiah and those the king had sent with him went to speak to the prophet Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the New Quarter.
23 She said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, 24 ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people—all the curses written in the book that has been read in the presence of the king of Judah. 25 Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and aroused my anger by all that their hands have made, my anger will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched.’ 26 Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: 27 Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the Lord. 28 Now I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place and on those who live here.’”
So she told them that God was already angry and already decided to bring disaster upon Judah, so they were a dead nation, they just didn’t know it yet! This would be the upcoming Babylonian invasion and exile into captivity. Judah’s long history of idolatry and breaking the covenant has guaranteed this judgement.
However, because Josiah listened to God, God listened to Josiah - isn’t that a great phrase! So basically Judah would still be destroyed, just that God would delay until after Josiah’s death.
This is the key verse in this chapter: 27 Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the Lord.
James 4:8 says 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Josiah showed his humbleness and humility before God and was rewarded for it! Never go to God cocky, we are less than nothing compared to his almighty holy righteousness!
It’s like Josiah wrote the book on the 7 habits of highly effective spiritually aware people!
29 Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 He went up to the temple of the Lord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. 31 The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book.
32 Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to it; the people of Jerusalem did this in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.
33 Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
6. Lessons from Josiah: How Not to Be Spiritually Oblivious
A. Seek God Early and Continually
Josiah started young — but it’s never too late. (Jer. 29:13)
B. Eliminate the Negative (Spiritual Clutter)
Josiah tore down idols. We must tear down anything that competes with God in our lives.
C. Accentuate the Positive (Make God’s Word Central)
Josiah acted when he heard Scripture. We can’t follow God if we don’t know what He says.
D. Stay Humble
God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).
E. Don’t Mess with Mr. In Between
Some people just live in Leodicia and just float through life and let their fire grow dim.
7. The Danger of Staying Oblivious
The Israelites saw miracles — the Red Sea, manna, pillars of fire — and still turned away.
Balaam’s donkey spoke to him — and he still resisted God.
Peter saw Jesus walk on water — and still denied Him three times.
Don’t you find that strange that these people saw God’s miracles but remained oblivious? Was it willful ignorance?
Question: What has God already shown you or what prayers have been answered — and have you lived differently because of them?
If it can happen to them, it can happen to us.
The safeguard: keep our eyes open to God’s presence, our ears tuned to His Word, and our hearts soft to His correction.
Conclusion
Don’t wait for a crisis to wake you up spiritually.
If God has opened your eyes, what will you do with it? Will you remain oblivious or will you act on it?
This story shows us Josiah’s path from being oblivious as a child and how he quickly transitioned to being Awake and drawing closer to God. Is Josiah’s story, your story? Or do you float thru life oblivious. I hope not.
Josiah didn’t just feel bad about the way things were, he actually did something about it and even led the people to turn back to the Lord.
Josiah saw the value in turning back to the Lord! Do you?
Turn your eyes upon Jesus!
Look and Live!
Be Thou My Vision
Open My Eyes, That I May See
I Surrender All
Have Thine Own Way Lord
Trust and Obey
