What if the Bible were forgotten? Picture a future where churches are empty, no one reads Scripture, and even pastors have lost the Word of God. Sound extreme? We may be closer than you think.

A Nation in Decline

Imagine the United States as a secular nation. Some atheists argue it already is and intend to keep it that way. Let’s continue.

Churches have largely closed and fallen into disrepair. We’re on trend, too. A 2021 Gallup poll shows U.S. church membership dropped from 70 to 47 percent in one generation. The VP of the National Council of Churches estimates 100,000 U.S. churches—about one-quarter—will close in the next several years.

Now, imagine that no one reads the Bible. In fact, they don’t even know what it is. We’re not there yet, but we’re gaining traction. Lifeway Research indicates that only 20% of Americans have read the Bible, and only 32% of churchgoers read it daily. God’s Word is becoming a dusty relic, much as it was during the reign of King Josiah.

A Rediscovery

Now that you have that scenario in mind, consider the possibility of a turning point.

Imagine that a President (or King, if you’re British) orders that the old church buildings undergo repairs, much like when King Josiah ordered temple repairs in the eighteenth year of his reign. While overseeing repairs, one of the Religious Clergy finds a Bible, a copy of the Book of the Law. Perhaps copies have been stored in a locked office or an attic. It’s been decades, if not more, since a Bible has been on display. Maybe it started with Bible apps on phones, and the old books became obsolete, archaic. Either way, they’ve been out of sight for a very long time.

He brings a Bible to a book historian specializing in the Old Testament and historical texts, perhaps Wesley Huff. This mirrors how Hilkiah found the Book of the Law in the temple and gave it to Shaphan the scribe. Huff then brings the book to the President and reads the Law to him, revealing its contents.

National Conviction

Upon hearing the words, the President is beside himself. He feels immediate conviction, mourns for the state of the United States, for how far the people have fallen collectively, and fears the wrath of the LORD. This is exactly how King Josiah, the young King of Judah, responded when he heard the words of the Book of the Covenant. Even at a young age, Josiah understood the gravity of forgetting God’s Law.

Since the old books were put away, the people have continued to follow their own thoughts. They’ve begun to follow other religions—some are New Agers, some are spiritual, some are Buddhists, some are Hindu, others are Muslim. They each go to their own houses of worship and perform rituals. Some are void of any religion at all. In Josiah’s time, the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and even the men of Judah had turned to idol worship and served false gods.

Even the pastors have become secular moral relativists, universalists. “All paths lead to one place.” They no longer preach from the Word; it’s lost. They, too, have turned to worldly ways and other religions. Similarly, the priests of the high places in Josiah’s day had led God’s people astray from the true God.

In the absence of the Word, moral relativism becomes the guide. Sex outside of marriage, pornography, prostitution, and abortion are all okay. It’s now normal to consult with psychics, spiritists, and mediums—they’re on every corner, and embedded in Artificial Intelligence (AI). The children of Israel had also fallen into similar practices, consulting spiritists and mediums, and worshiping at every pagan worship site.

And in some ways, we’re already there.

A Bold Declaration

The President, filled with conviction, gathers everyone, perhaps through a national address broadcast on every TV and radio channel. He announces changes: from now on, he will lead the people in the ways of the LORD, keeping all the words of the book that was found.

This was exactly what King Josiah did. He gathered the elders of Judah, all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, and the prophets, all God’s people, to the house of the Lord. There he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the temple of the Lord.

He orders the removal of anything contrary to the Word, replaces leaders who support false religions, destroys their sites and idols, outlaws prostitution and abortion, closes psychic and spiritist businesses, and reinstates biblical festivals like Passover.

Thus Josiah did what was right in the sight of the Lord and walked in the ways of his father David. Josiah’s reforms were comprehensive. He removed the priests of the high places who burned incense to false gods. He destroyed the pagan worship sites throughout the land of Israel, from the northern tribes of Israel to Judah. He even extended his religious reform beyond the borders of the Southern Kingdom, showing his commitment to the God of his father, David.

An Ancient Story Reimagined

Does this sound vaguely familiar?

It’s a futuristic rendition of the story of King Josiah from 2 Kings 22–23 and 2 Chronicles 34–35, two of the historical books in the Old Testament that chronicle the reigns of the kings of Judah.

“Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him.” —2 Kings 23:25

Among all the good kings of Judah, including King David, King Solomon, and King Hezekiah, none compared to Josiah in his wholehearted devotion. Even Josiah’s father, King Amon, had done evil in the eyes of the Lord, yet this young king chose to do the right thing and follow the word of the Lord.

King Josiah’s reign began when he was just an eight-year-old boy. At sixteen, this young man of God began to seek the God of his father, David. By the time he reached the eighteenth year of Josiah, when the Book of the Law was discovered, he had already begun his reforms. The discovery of the Book of Deuteronomy, believed by many scholars to be the book found during the temple repairs, accelerated his mission of spiritual renewal.

The Josiah narrative intersects with Jeremiah’s prophecies. The prophet Jeremiah began his ministry during King Josiah’s reign, and later witnessed the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian Empire. The bad news was that despite Josiah’s faithful reforms, the people of Judah would eventually face captivity because the nation’s heart had strayed too far from God for too long.

As I read through Josiah’s story in the books of the Bible, I found myself saying, “Oh, that sounds familiar”. “Oh, that wouldn’t go down very well in America”. “Oh, I could see the uproar if that happened.”

It was apparently difficult for those under Josiah’s reign to accept as well. The LORD allowed Josiah to be gathered to the grave with his fathers before he was able to see even more evil transpire, before the Southern Kingdom of Judah was brought into Babylonian captivity. The king of Egypt killed Josiah in battle, and after his death, the reforms didn’t last. The house of David continued to decline until the promised land was conquered.

It just shows me the human inclination toward evil. The light of goodness only makes it more apparent. Even the dramatic spiritual renewal under one of the good kings couldn’t permanently change the hearts of those who didn’t truly want to follow the Lord God of Israel.

Josiah’s Example for Today

Josiah’s example stands as one of the good examples in Scripture of wholehearted devotion to God. Though he inherited a kingdom steeped in idol worship, though his own father had rejected God’s way, and though the Book of the Law of the Lord had been lost for generations, Josiah chose to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord.

The name Israel means “struggles with God,” and throughout the Old Testament, we see ancient Israel continually struggling between following the true God and pursuing false gods. The story of King Josiah reminds us that one person fully committed to God’s Word can make a tremendous difference, even if only for a season.

Reflection and Call to Action

What have you noticed about the state of Christianity around you? Do you believe we’ve become a secular nation? How far off are we from the story of Josiah?

The ruler of the city today, whether president, governor, or mayor, faces the same choices Josiah did: to lead people back to God’s Law or to allow spiritual decline to continue. But we don’t need to wait for leaders to act. Spiritual renewal can begin with each of us.

I encourage you to challenge the statistics. If you aren’t reading the Word of God daily, begin today. If your Bible has been collecting dust, open it. Let the words of the Law convict, correct, and restore. Follow the example of this young king who, at a young age, chose to seek God with his whole heart.

Let revival start with you!

Invitation

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