The Child-King

From: Josiah and Revival By: William Woldridge Fereday

• 7 min. read • grade level: 9

Solomon, in his book of Ecclesiastes (which contains much sound wisdom concerning “things under the sun”) says, “Woe to thee, O land, when thy King is a child (Eccl. 10:16¹⁶Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! (Ecclesiastes 10:16)). In earlier days than those of Josiah, Jehovah said with regard to Israel: “I will give children to be their princes, and with childishness shall they rule over them” (Isa. 3:4⁴And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. (Isaiah 3:4)). This was judgment upon a people who did not value His word, and who had no desire to walk in His ways. It is hard to say which is worse for a nation, a child in years or a man with a childish mind. In the book of Ecclesiastes we read again: “Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished” (Eccl. 4:13¹³Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished. (Ecclesiastes 4:13)). God’s thought in connection with kingship is expressed in His description of David in Psalm 78:72⁷²So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands. (Psalm 78:72): “He fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.” A land blessed with such a ruler is blessed indeed; but David was far from perfect, and God’s ideal King will not be seen until our Lord Jesus returns from heaven.

It is startling to read in 2 Chronicles 34:1¹Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. (2 Chronicles 34:1): “Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign.” This was surely not as it should be! Every nation needs strong and sound leadership, that evil may be suppressed, and that righteousness may prevail. What could a child of eight do with a turbulent people far advanced in iniquity, and dangerously near to overwhelming, judgment? The sequel will show that Jehovah had mercy on the child, and also upon the nation. Josiah shines upon the page of inspiration as one of its brightest lights. His name means “Given of Jehovah.” This is suggestive. Such a pious and conscientious king was a priceless gift to the people of Judah at a critical juncture. Through him Jehovah made a last tender appeal to his erring people before expelling them from the land. Would that the reign of Josiah could have been a long one! Alas, his own folly cut it short!

This young king’s father Amon was murdered at the early age of twenty-four. He was a very wicked man who profited nothing by Jehovah’s stern dealings with his own father Manasseh. The doings of these kings must be kept in mind if we would understand the wonderful work of the Spirit of God in Judah during the thirty-one years of Josiah’s administration (2 Chron. 33:21-25²¹Amon was two and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned two years in Jerusalem. ²²But he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as did Manasseh his father: for Amon sacrificed unto all the carved images which Manasseh his father had made, and served them; ²³And humbled not himself before the Lord, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more. ²⁴And his servants conspired against him, and slew him in his own house. ²⁵But the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead. (2 Chronicles 33:21‑25)).

Manasseh was twelve years old when he succeeded his father Hezekiah. He was therefore born during the fifteen years of extension of life which were granted to Hezekiah in answer to his prayers and tears (Isa. 38:5⁵Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. (Isaiah 38:5)). There can be no doubt that Manasseh was carefully instructed in the ways of God, for Hezekiah said: “the father to the children shall make known Thy truth” (Isa. 38:19¹⁹The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth. (Isaiah 38:19)). Let every Christian father note this carefully, and follow Hezekiah’s good example (read also Psa. 78:1-8¹<<Maschil of Asaph.>> Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. ²I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: ³Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. ⁴We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. ⁵For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: ⁶That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: ⁷That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: ⁸And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God. (Psalm 78:1‑8)). In spite of his early advantages, Manasseh became the wickedest king that Judah had ever known. His enormities made it impossible for Jehovah to tolerate the presence of the people in His land. Manasseh practiced every form of idolatry; he indulged deeply in spiritism; and he freely slaughtered all who dared to oppose his evil ways. After many years of these devilries, in defiance of many warning messages sent to him by Jehovah, the king of Assyria was allowed to come up against him. In the days of Hezekiah, an earlier king of Assyria came against Jerusalem and its king to his own ruin. But it was otherwise with Manasseh; the invader dragged him from his throne, and carried him away to a prison in Babylon. (Babylon at that time was not an independent kingdom, but was subject to the king of Assyria). Manasseh’s downfall brought him to his senses. “When he was in affliction, he besought Jehovah his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed unto Him: and He was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that Jehovah He was God” (2 Chron. 33:12-13¹²And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, ¹³And prayed unto him: and he was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God. (2 Chronicles 33:12‑13)). His energy after his return to his own country was remarkable. He sought to extirpate all the evils that he had set up; he repaired the long-disused altar of Jehovah, and “commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel” (2 Chron. 33:16¹⁶And he repaired the altar of the Lord, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel. (2 Chronicles 33:16)). But whatever good Manasseh may have accomplished in his later years he failed to influence Amon his son. He had taught him to serve the devil, and he persisted in that dread service. “He humbled not himself before Jehovah as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more” (2 Chron. 33:23²³And humbled not himself before the Lord, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more. (2 Chronicles 33:23)). When he ascended the throne of Judah after his father’s long reign of fifty-five years, his ways were so abominable that he was murdered within two years. It is written of both these kings that “he was buried in the garden of Uzza” (2 Kings 21:18, 26¹⁸And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza: and Amon his son reigned in his stead. (2 Kings 21:18)
²⁶And he was buried in his sepulchre in the garden of Uzza: and Josiah his son reigned in his stead. (2 Kings 21:26)). Thus beneath centuries of accumulated rubbish there lie these two kings-Manasseh and Amon, father and son. The father was sixty-seven years old when he died, and the son was twenty-four; the father has gone to heaven, and the son has gone to hell; and, awful thought, his father taught him the way to hell. Gladly would Manasseh have undone the mischief that he had wrought in his unconverted days, but it was impossible. The evil had gone too deeply into the hearts of the people and of his own son in particular, to be eradicated by his influence. It is easier to put souls upon the downward road than to pull them off it again.

The early manifestation of piety in Josiah arrests us. His father, as we have seen, was an exceptionally wicked man, and of his mother we know nothing, save that she was “Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath” (2 Kings 22:1¹Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath. (2 Kings 22:1)). From whence then did the child Josiah get spiritual instruction? From his grandfather Manasseh, undoubtedly. The thoroughness with which the latter sought to undo the evil work of his former years would fill him with concern for his grandson. If Amon scoffed at his father’s entreaties and plunged still more deeply into iniquity, there was hope that the child would pay heed. Josiah was six years old when Manasseh died. What is implanted in the mind during the first six years of a child’s life is not easily uprooted. Timothy owed much to his pious mother and grandmother. Of his father nothing is recorded save that he was a Greek. So carefully was Timothy trained spiritually that Paul could say to him later on: “From a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 1:5⁵When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. (2 Timothy 1:5); 2 Tim. 3:15¹⁵And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:15)). It has been said that filling the mind of a child with the Scriptures is like the laying of a fire, which a simple match will cause to blaze up. Let a Christian parent who may read these lines not neglect this service. Children are a serious responsibility concerning which we must give account in the day of the Lord Jesus.

A number of years ago I baptized a man eighty-five years old and a lad of fifteen. The contrast impressed me deeply, and in my address I remarked that I scarcely knew for which of these we should be most thankful to God. In the one case we had a soul saved, but a life lost, and in the other we had not only a soul saved, but a life saved also. In Manasseh and Josiah we see something similar. The former we shall undoubtedly meet in Heaven—a sinner saved by grace, but his life was largely wasted; we shall also meet Josiah in heaven, but with him there was a life saved, which was fruitful for God during many years.

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