Before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his mind and with all his heart and with all his strength according to all the law of Moses, and no one like him arose after him. In spite of all that, the Lord did not turn from the fury of His great burning anger, which burned against Judah because of all that Manasseh had provoked Him with. - 2 Kings 23:25-26
"In spite of all that," God's judgment still fell on the nation of Judah.
As king, Josiah could not have possibly done more to lead his people to repentance and faith in YHWH, but his efforts just came too late in the process to stop the angry, burning retribution of the Lord. Though there would eventually be a partial restoration, followed by the offer of complete redemption (in Jesus Messiah), first there would be some wrath.
Does God have a "tipping point?" Is it true that He will let you wander, but the tether by which we are held will eventually yank us back to obedience, or at least awareness?
All I know is this, God loves us enough to chastise us and is holy enough that He must.
A fault, opportunely rebuked, is like a cure timely taken. - Arthur Capel
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