1 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.
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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.
Josiah became king after his father was assassinated. His father, Amon, is said to have done evil in the eyes of the LORD and ruled for two years. This is the same characterization that was given to Josiah’s grandfather, Manasseh. Manasseh reigned for fifty-five years. At one point in his reign the LORD allowed him to be taken into captivity by the king of Assyria. Disgracefully, he was led away after having a ring placed in his nose like an ox. In his humility he sought the LORD and was restored as king to finish his rule. Josiah assumed rule in the footsteps of two generations of bad rulers.
Not long ago a sixteen year old boy in Texas was sentenced to probation after he pled guilty to manslaughter and assault while intoxicated. The sentence came after psychologists testified that the boy suffered from affluenza. Because he came from an affluent family (thus the term affluenza) and his parents spoiled him, he never learned that there are consequences for bad decisions. Four innocent people are dead and their killer received probation because he was too wealthy to know better.
Parental failure is no excuse for poor decisions. Modern psychology and sociology might suggest otherwise. Popular television show hosts might proclaim parental failure is the cause of bad behavior and the child should not be held accountable for his or her actions. God says otherwise.
Josiah’s immediate family history is an example of poor parenting. Our positional authority as parents allows to use the parenting technique of, “Do what I say, not what I do,” but children do grow up and that positional authority loses its effect. Children become adults and make their own decisions.
Josiah is an example of doing the right thing contrary to what was learned by watching his father. He became an effective leader, a godly leader, and restored a national adherence to God’s law.
Who do you blame for your failures? Your parents? Your grandparents? Your neighborhood? Maybe your current vocation? Perhaps it’s time to quit casting blame, accept responsibility for your own decisions, and seek to live a godly life under the leadership of the Holy Spirit regardless of all the obstacles you had to overcome to get where you are. Josiah did just that.