King josiah

December 10, 2025

Josiah is a righteous king of Judah just before the exile to Babylon. He is a warrior king that brought Israel back to its roots and clearly demonstrates the use of the military problem solving model. The historic context is that Judah is drifting spiritually as exemplified by desecration of the temple and inappropriate temple practices. Josiah knows he needs to seek God’s guidance in order to take steps to bring Judah back to God’s law. The prophetess, Huldah, relays God’s message (2 Kings 22:16-20), essentially He has had enough of bad leadership, the country will be destroyed. But because Josiah is righteous and carries the people with him, the destruction is postponed. Josiah rededicates Israel to the original covenant, to keep God’s commandments with all their heart and soul, to recognize God’s supremacy. Josiah does this by “cleaning house,” so to speak, or more accurately, cleaning the temple. Josiah was honest and faithful, a truly great king in the OT. After his death the fall of Jerusalem was fast.

Josiah had a method and this is the point for us today. We can all start a revival in our own spaces. But how: 1. Put God first, 2. Gather your team, 3. Get back in the word, 4. Be honest about your starting point, 5. Own the changes experienced, 6. Reorient your people sphere, 7. Take action, and 8. Continue to assess and reassess, remain vigilant. This is strikingly similar to the military problem solving model: identify the problem, gather facts, generate options, select an option, implement, supervise, and reassess.