2 Chronicles 34:27 Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend Thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the Lord.
The same conditional promise worked out well for Josiah, as it did for all six good kings of Judah. Josiah had begun temple reforms. Hilkiah, the priest, had found a disused book of the law of the Lord given by Moses. This was most likely the Book of Deuteromy, or at least a part of it. When Josiah heard the words of the book read to him by the prophetess, Huldah, he immediately repented and set about to do everything written therein. The reforms were deep and immediate. Things really changed for the better.
(Unfortunately, soon after Josiah died his evil sons succeeded him, and the spiritual life of the kingdom deteriorated so badly again that God used Babylon to crush the city and the kingdom and the temple, and send the people into exile. This devastating judgment occurred as predicted in Deuteronomy as the consequential curse of sin, disobedience and idolatry came into effect.)
But at least the blessings of repentance and faith were felt for a while. And, once again, “these things were written for our learning.” The conditions are real, the promises are real, and these things continue to happen in out lives to the degree that we listen to God’s Law and Gospel. The conditional promises will come true on condition. The blessings and curses are embedded principles of life.
What were the conditions that Josiah met that we can learn from? 1) His heart was tender, letting the Law hammer on his stony heart; 2) He humbled himself, admitting his sinfulness before a holy God; 3) He heard the words of God and did them; 4) He rent his clothes and wept, signifying godly repentance and faith. The Word and the Spirit has a transforming effect on the soul. The upshot is that the Lord hears the tearful prayers of a convicted and penitent heart, and changes things for the good.