God’s Big Story: Josiah

King Josiah Teaching Series Overview

• Current series: Back half of Old Testament focusing on great figures

• Today: King Josiah - “Rediscovering the Word”

• Upcoming weeks:

  1. Isaiah (next week)

  2. Jeremiah

  3. The Exile

• Context: Prophets ministered during Josiah’s reign before judgment/exile

Josiah’s Story & Generational Patterns

• Became king at age 8, reigned 31 years in Jerusalem

• Timeline of spiritual development:

  • Age 16: Began seeking God of David

  • Age 20: Started purging kingdom of idols, high places, carved images

  • Age 26: Began repairing God’s temple

• Generational contrast:

  • Grandfather Manasseh: Most evil king in Bible history

    • Murdered own children, burned them alive

    • Put idols in temple, tried to eliminate Mosaic Judaism

  • Father Ammon: Terrible ruler, murdered by own staff after 2 years

  • Josiah: Chose to follow Lord despite family legacy

Discovery of God’s Word

• Temple workers found ancient book during repairs (likely penned by Moses)

• Manasseh had tried to destroy all Torahs/scriptures

• When read to Josiah, he tore clothes in repentance

• Realized kingdom had broken every covenant rule

• Sent officials to prophetess Huldah for divine guidance

  • High priest couldn’t access Ark of Covenant (temple not operational)

  • Huldah delivered God’s message about coming judgment

  • God’s mercy toward Josiah due to his tender heart and humility

Women in Leadership Discussion

• Huldah the prophetess instructed high priest, king, and elders

• Biblical precedent for women teaching men in positions of authority

• Principle of mutual submission modeled after Trinity

• Both men and women needed to image God and serve in leadership

• Full exploration planned for summer Esther series

Seven Principles About God’s Word

1. Bible is book about God, not God himself

   • Jesus is “the Word” - Bible leads us to God but isn’t object of worship

2. Bible interprets Bible

   • Use Scripture to understand Scripture

3. Has layers of interpretation and prophetic application

4. Can be misused against God (devil quoted Psalm 91 to Jesus)

5. Alive through Holy Spirit’s power

6. Story of Father getting His children back

7. Contains chiasms (geometric centers revealing main points)

Chiastic Structure Examples

• Jesus’ teaching: “No one can serve two masters” - center point about heart devotion

• Pentateuch (Genesis-Deuteronomy): Centers on Leviticus atonement

  • Main theme: God dwelling with people despite sin problem

• Revelation: Entire book structured as chiasm

  • Center: Satan thrown down, God’s kingdom established

• Psalm 118:8 (middle verse of entire Bible): “Better to trust in Lord than put confidence in man”

• Romans 3:21-26: Theological center showing God as both just and justifier

Practical Application

• Get Bible translation you love and mark it extensively

• Start with book-by-book reading, ask Holy Spirit for guidance

• Use companion resources for deeper understanding

• Write takeaways, questions, connections directly in Bible

• Pray for supernatural desire to read Scripture

• Let Bible cut you (conviction) rather than using it against others

2026 Church Focus

• Tagline: “Pray, Purge, Emerge”

• Go deep in prayer like Josiah seeking God

• Purge what needs removing from lives (sin, dead weight)

• Emerge into what God is growing in 2026