| Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.” |
| —2 Kings 22:8 |
Have you ever discovered something you thought had been lost forever? I’m not talking about leaving your glasses on the top of your head, or forgetting where you last laid down your car keys—although that can cause panic for a short while! No, I’m talking about discovering something neither you, nor anyone you know, has seen for a very long time—something that finding it has life changing results.
In the story of young King Josiah—as recorded in 2 Kings 22-23—he decided to remodel the old Temple in Jerusalem, the symbol of the great Jewish heritage with all its history. In order to accomplish this work, King Josiah needed to learn how large the funds for such a task had grown under Hilkiah the high priest at the temple.
Josiah sent his secretary, Shaphan, to the high priest to get the report on the finances. While in his presence, the high priest showed Shaphan something the high priest had discovered while making his account of the collections. This priest showed to Shaphan some scrolls containing the Book of the Law that God had given to Moses centuries before.
Shaphan took the scrolls to King Josiah and read them. At hearing the words, the King tore his robes and wept. His words recorded in 2 Kings 22:13 reveal what he said:
“Great is the Lord’s anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.”
However, in spite of the guilt the people owned because of their many years of unfaithfulness, the Lord had mercy on Josiah and caused him to avoid seeing judgment brought to his people.
In a public meeting, King Josiah read this Book of the Law to the people and renewed the Covenant in the presence of the Lord. All the people pledged themselves, as well. To seal their commitment, the King ordered every statue, high place, shrine, and altar to false gods, mediums, and spiritists removed. The King also renewed the celebration of the Passover. No celebration like this had happened in hundreds of years.
What would happen in America, if the general population rediscovered the written Word of God? Would we weep and wail, spend days in fasting and prayer, renew baptismal vows, marriage vows, and remove anything from our public squares that smacked of obedience to the false gods of our own culture?
As God’s people, let us take up this Word from God found in the example of King Josiah. Let us renew our own commitment to God and His written Word as our rule in life and as the power of God for salvation to all people. Then, let us pray that God will help men, women, boys, and girls in our society rediscover the sacred writings that belong to them. Let us pray that they will read God’s written Word and, as a result, bow before the God who sent both the Living Word and that written Word, in order to bring salvation to this desperately needy world.
