2 Chronicles 34:12
And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forward; and other of the Levites, all that could skill of instruments of musick.
The faithful work described belongs to the reformation that took place in the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign. That reformation had been prepared by the silent yet powerful influence of the prophets' messages regarding the Babylonian captivity. It was brought about in a wholly unexpected manner through the discovery and study of a portion of Scripture that for many years had been misplaced and lost. Through that reformation threatened judgments were averted for a season.
Hearing God's law leads to deep repentance. That repentance leads to a return to the Lord. This was the pattern in Josiah's day, and it is the response expected from John's preaching of God's message.