2 Chronicles 34:14, 21
“While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the temple of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD that had been given to Moses.” —(King Joash ordered) “Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found.”
As a young boy of eight, Josiah became king. He began to do right and cleanse the land of detestable idols and practices. He raised money in order to restore the Temple, which had fallen into disrepair. In the process of bringing out the money which had been collected in the temple, the priest Hilkiah found the Word of God!
Most of the kings of Israel and Judah had been wicked in the sight of God. They failed to obey God’s laws and decrees which had been given to Moses on Mount Horeb. Across the centuries, God’s judgment had fallen on Israel and Judah because of their refusal to follow the commands of the Lord. Even the priests and Levites were far from God.
Stop and think about that for a few minutes. These were God’s chosen people. He had revealed Himself to them repeatedly, yet they had turned their back on Him. So complete was their spiritual neglect, they did not even know the Law existed in the temple.
The question arises as to where the priests had been. They must not have been in the practice of going into the temple or they would have known of the existence of the Law of the Lord.
Once the Law was found, Josiah summoned all the people, from the least to the greatest, and read the entire Book of the Covenant in their hearing. He then made a covenant to follow and obey all of the Lord’s commands, regulations and decrees with all of his heart and soul. (I love Josiah!)
It may be that you may have misplaced God’s Word in your own life. In fact, it is possible that you have never even been aware of its existence. Your life may be so clouded by the thinking and ways of the world that the things of God have little or no meaning in your life. How tragic!
God has repeatedly said in His Word that He will honor and bless those who honor Him and call on His name. It is impossible to do that without spending time in God’s Word. You may try to argue that you are not a reader, so reading the Bible does not apply to you. Sorry Charlie! That is not going to cut it! Psalm 119:11 says; “I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” Here is a news flash—you can’t hide God’s Word in your heart without reading His Word. It is an imperative.
Your life might be like Judah in today’s Scripture. Things are in a big mess. You may have chaos and ruin all around you. It is at this time that you need to slip back into the house of the Lord and discover His Word once again. That is the key—the living Word. If you attend a church where the Word is not proclaimed from beginning to end—keep searching!
There are some churches where a Scripture may be read, but then it is nothing more than theories or lessons that are based upon the ideas of men rather than from God’s Word.
Paul charged Timothy, his son in the faith, about how to preach. In Second Timothy 4:2 he says: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”
I pray that you will discover God’s Word and covenant to do what it tells you to do.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
— Pastor Cecil