Word of God

Context: King Josiah (2 Chronicles 34:1-3,7, 2 Kings 22:3-6, 2 Chronicles 33:5,7)

• Josiah became the king of Judah, when he was 8 years old
  • Josiah reigned for 31 years
  • Did what was right in God’s eyes
  • Walked like his father David – never departed
    • Even as a teenager, stared seeking the God of his father David
      • 8th year of his reign – 16 years old
      • Matthew 7:7 … Seek, and you will find …
    • At 20, started cleaning up Judah and Jerusalem – all of Israel
      • High places, Asherah poles, engraved & molten images
  • When he was 26 (18th year of reign), planned repairs to the house of God
    • Sent his scribe Shaphan with the plans to Hilkiah, the high priest
• Note: Josiah’s grandfather Manasseh (2 Chronicles 33:5,7):
  • He built altars for all the army of the sky in the two courts of Yahweh’s house
  • …set the engraved image of the idol, which he had made, in God’s house…

What was found in the house of God? What was its message? (2 Kings 22:8-12, 2 Chronicles 34:14)

• God’s law given by Moses or the Law of Moses – the first five books of the Bible
  • Food for thought: Law of Moses, the Bible they knew, was lost?
    • Kings were supposed to make a copy and read it everyday
• All the curses in Deuteronomy 28 would come to them and they will be destroyed if,
  • They don’t listen to God’s voice and don’t keep his commandments
• Situation at this point was so messed up – that they lost God’s Book of Law
  • So, how does one even keep his commandments?
    • Josiah was basically following what David did
      • Looks like he had no clue about the Law of Moses
      • The example set by David – survived many generations!

How did King Josiah respond? (2 Kings 22:11-12,18-19)

• He tore his clothes and asked Hilkiah, Shephan and others to go enquire God about it
  • Because he was afraid of God’s words against all himself and people of Judah
    • King Josiah knew his fathers didn’t listen to the words of this “Book”
      • And didn’t do according to all that he said

What was God’s response? (2 Kings 22:16-20)

• Regarding the place and its people
  • Everything that Josiah read was going to happen
• Regarding Josiah, king of Judah
  • Because he was willing to listen, humbled himself and wept before God
    • God heard him!  And this evil won’t happen in his lifetime!

Bonus question!  Since it was all good news for Josiah.  Did he relax? (2 Chronicles 34:30,33)

• He took all the people of Judah and read the Law of Moses to them!
  • Consequence?  All of his days, no one departed from following God!

Conclusion / Application

• Josiah followed God right from his young age and never departed from it
  • King Josiah, as a leader, was focused on the well being of the people too
• Do I keep the “Word of God” with me and read it everyday?  Or is it lost in my life?

Main Passage 2 Kings 22:8-20 – World English Bible (WEB)

8 Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in Yahweh’s house.” Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan, and he read it. 9 Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hands of the workmen who have the oversight of Yahweh’s house.” 10 Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has delivered a book to me.” Then Shaphan read it before the king.

11 When the king had heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes. 12 The king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, 13 “Go inquire of Yahweh for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found; for great is Yahweh’s wrath that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that which is written concerning us.”

14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the second quarter); and they talked with her. 15 She said to them, “Yahweh the God of Israel says, ‘Tell the man who sent you to me, 16 “Yahweh says, ‘Behold, I will bring evil on this place, and on its inhabitants, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read. 17 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched.’” 18 But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of Yahweh, tell him, “Yahweh the God of Israel says, ‘Concerning the words which you have heard, 19 because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before Yahweh, when you heard what I spoke against this place, and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and have torn your clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard you,’ says Yahweh. 20 ‘Therefore behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place.’”’” So they brought this message back to the king.

Notes / Cross References

2 Chronicles 34:1-3,7 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 He did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes, and walked in the ways of David his father, and didn’t turn away to the right hand or to the left. 3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, the Asherah poles, the engraved images, and the molten images. 7 He broke down the altars, and beat the Asherah poles and the engraved images into powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel, then returned to Jerusalem.

2 Kings 22:3-6 3 In the eighteenth year of king Josiah, the king sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to Yahweh’s house, saying, 4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money which is brought into Yahweh’s house, which the keepers of the threshold have gathered of the people. 5 Let them deliver it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of Yahweh’s house; and let them give it to the workmen who are in Yahweh’s house, to repair the damage to the house, 6 to the carpenters, and to the builders, and to the masons, and for buying timber and cut stone to repair the house.

2 Chronicles 34:14 When they brought out the money that was brought into Yahweh’s house, Hilkiah the priest found the book of Yahweh’s law given by Moses.

Deuteronomy 17:18-19 18 It shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write himself a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the Levitical priests. 19 It shall be with him, and he shall read from it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear Yahweh his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them;

Deuteronomy 28:45 All these curses will come on you, and will pursue you and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you didn’t listen to Yahweh your God’s voice, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded you.

2 Chronicles 34:30 The king went up to Yahweh’s house, with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the Levites, and all the people, both great and small; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in Yahweh’s house. 

2 Chronicles 34:33 Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that belonged to the children of Israel, and made all who were found in Israel to serve, even to serve Yahweh their God. All his days they didn’t depart from following Yahweh, the God of their fathers.

2 Chronicles 33:7 He set the engraved image of the idol, which he had made, in God’s house, of which God said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever.