“Under his (Josiah) direction the altars of the Baal 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.” 2 Chronicles 34:4 NIV
When I read that verse, because it does not take long to read it, in my mind I think that this was done in a day or two. But Simeon would have been the most southern tribe while Naphtali would have been the most northern. Now my calculations may not be 100% accurate, but to put things into perspective, the stretch between these two tribes would be about 300 kilometres. Definitely not a day trip – especially during that time!
What stood out to me was that God used a young man for His glory and His purpose. (At this point in his reign, Josiah would have been 20.) God used someone who was in their youth who had energy and health to travel along with the ability to take down and scatter altars of foreign gods.
Before Josiah took on the task of his ‘clean sweep’ of Judah and Jerusalem, “he began to seek the God of his father David” at the young age of 16. God can, and will, use anyone – those in their youth or those in their aging years. But we need to submit to Him. May we too, seek the will of our Lord, the God of David.
Lock Your Wings 
Interesting. I thought it was like a day too!
This stood out for me: “When the king heard what was written in the Law, he tore his clothes in despair.”
2 Chronicles 34:19 NLT
There’s a saying “when you know better, than you do better” and we can apply it to so many areas of our life. Our response to residential schools, changing our diet, and even our personal examination of the bible could also change how we act. Josiah now knows better so repenting is a step to begin healing.
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