Israel not only inherited the law of God but also his wisdom, and this wisdom took shape in the lives of great people and Ben Sira taught about this. The teacher of wisdom Ben Sira presented King Josiah as one of the most illustrious and righteous kings of Judah in the last part of his sapiential book along with the kings David and Hezekiah; and about the kings of Judah, the master Ben Sira with wisdom wrote: "Except for David, Hezekiah, and Josiah, they all were wicked" Ben Sira 49:4. The Fear of God (constancy, firmness, devotion, equanimity and stability), the spiritual gift that unites men with God, accompanied Josiah throughout his life: "Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the LORD their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the LORD, the God of their ancestors" 2 Chronicles 34:33.
Due to his notable actions, Josiah achieved glory like his ancestor David, although the Second Book of Kings and the Second Book of Chronicles relate that he died in battle fighting bravely against the king of Egypt Necho.
Among the actions of Josiah, it is worth highlighting that Josiah undertook a religious reform opposite to that of his grandfather Manasseh, a reform that began with the discovery in the temple of an important book, probably this book was Deuteronomy. The Bible teaches that Manasseh sinned gravely against God by imposing idolatry and impiety, Josias tried to reverse what Manasseh had done, and despite his efforts, Josiah could not change the destiny of the kingdom of Judah due to the sins of his grandfather.
With these words Ben Sira described Josiah:
"The name JOSIAH is like blended incense,
made lasting by a skilled perfumer.
Precious is his memory, like honey to the taste,
like music at a banquet.
For he grieved over our betrayals,
and destroyed the abominable idols.
He kept his heart fixed on God,
and in times of lawlessness practiced virtue" Ben Sira 49:1-3.
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