Finding life in the records of the Kings

I wrote my last post about King Hezekiah and how he established purity in the kingdom for the first time in generations. Today I'm going to continue in my study from 2 Chronicles 34 and look at how beautiful the reign of King Josiah was. Another long post warning...

So Hezekiah purified the people and the temple. His son, Manasseh, and grandson, Amon, both defiled the people once again. And then came Josiah.

Josiah was 8 when he became king. When he was 16 he began following the ways of the Lord for himself. When he was 20 here is what he did:

³ In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David. In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles and idols. ⁴ Under his direction the altars of the Baals were torn down; he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them, and smashed the Asherah poles and the idols. These he broke to pieces and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. ⁵ He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and so he purged Judah and Jerusalem. ⁶ In the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them, ⁷ he tore down the altars and the Asherah poles and crushed the idols to powder and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout Israel. Then he went back to Jerusalem.

I love that! He is not messing around. Young, 20 year old Josiah, goes and does what his fathers could not. He destroyed the idols and scattered them on the graves of those who worshiped them! How about that for getting it done?

But this is my favorite part. Years later, Josiah decides to clean up and rebuild the temple again. He charges the priests to pay the laborers. Here's what happens next...

¹⁴ 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 through Moses. ¹⁵Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the LORD.” He gave it to Shaphan.

¹⁶ Then Shaphan took the book to the king and reported to him: “Your officials are doing everything that has been committed to them. ¹⁷ They have paid out the money that was in the temple of the LORD and have entrusted it to the supervisors and workers.”¹⁸ Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.

¹⁹ When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes. ²⁰ He gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah,^[a] Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant: ²¹ “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. Great is the LORD’s anger that is poured out on us because those who have gone before us have not kept the word of the LORD; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book.”

This is the part that made me cry. Hilkiah is doing what he was told and he stumbles upon the Torah. The book of the law of Moses, the life-blood of the people of Judah. I picture him, eyes wide, holding the book over his head and running out of the temple shouting, "I found it! I've found the book of the Law!".

Hilkiah give the book to Shaphan who then runs to the King and presents his report, very nonchalant. He ads at the end, "Hilkiah gave me this book". That cracks me up and breaks my heart at the same time. These people have been without this teaching from the Lord for generations and now that they've found it they don't know what to do with it.

Shaphan opens it and begins to read the words to the King. Josiah's only response is to tear his robes. Josiah sends his men to inquire of the Lord and find out about the book. He recognizes that the Kingdom has been in rebellion and has not followed these commands for many generations.

This section of scripture ends with one more surprise. The prophet to whom the King's official go to counsel with is a woman named Huldah.

I love me God, my King and the wondrous ways He works. (grin)