Food
for Thought:
Bible Study: What We Learn from Josiah
February 10 , 2008
Dr. Mark Ruppert
II Kings 22:1-23:7
The other day I read an advertisement that caught my attention.
It was entitled: “I would like a job with your family.” The
advertisement read as follows: I would like a job as tutor, teacher
and advisor to your family. I will never take a vacation. I will
never be out of humor. I don’t drink or smoke. I won’t borrow your
clothes or raid your refrigerator. I will be up as early as anyone
in the household and will stay up as late as anyone wishes. I will
help solve any problems your children might have. I will give you
the satisfaction of knowing that no question your children ask will
go unanswered. For that matter, I will answer any of your own
questions on subjects ranging from ‘How we got here?’ to ‘Where are
we headed?’ I will help settle bets and differences of opinion. I
will give you information that will help you with your job your
family and all of your other interests.
In short, I will give you the knowledge that will insure the
continued success of your family. I am your Bible. Do I get the
job?”
This morning we begin our 5-week study on the Spiritual
Disciplines. Thomas Kelly says, “Deep within us all there is an
amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a Divine
Center.” During the next several weeks I pray that we, you and I,
will get in touch with that inner sanctuary as we seek to go deeper
in our walk with Christ.
Today we will focus on our first Spiritual Discipline: Bible
Study. But to focus on this Spiritual Discipline, we are going to
look to the Biblical character of Josiah. So let me set the stage.
Just like his great-grandfather, Hezekiah before him, Josiah ranks
right up there as one of the most important kings of all the kings
of Judah. He was only eight years old when he was crowned king.
Josiah spent the first eighteen years as king under the tutelage and
guardianship of the elders and the priests. His first recorded
independent act as king is found in our chapter 22 when, at the age
of twenty-six, he ordered the restoration of the temple. In II
Kings 22:2 we read that Josiah, “did right in the sight of the Lord,
and walked in all the way of his father David; he did not turn aside
to the right or to the left.” And in the Book of Chronicles, it
says that after seeking the God of his father David at the age of
16, Josiah, at 20, began his crusade to purge Judah of idolatry.
His mother, Jedidiah, which means “beloved,” must have been a godly
woman who along with pious leaders of the temple, helped her son
overcome the influence of his wicked father.
So the first independent job that he takes on is the restoration
of the run down, cluttered temple that had been deserted during
Manasseh’s evil reign. And it was during the renovation that
Hilkiah, the high priest, finds a copy of the book of the Law of
Moses.
Apparently the scroll has either been lost or forgotten for some
75 years- the 55 years of Manasseh’s reign, the two years of Amon’s
reign, and the 18 years between Josiah’s coronation as 8-year-old
and the discovery when he was 26. Faithful priests must have hid
the scroll in some secret chamber years earlier. Now there are some
scholars who believe that Hilkiah actually knew where to look for
the scroll because he had hidden and protected if for many years
[and brought it forth intentionally at this time]. (John Gray, I
and II Kings, Old Testament Library, Philadelphia: Westminster,
1963, p. 681) Whatever the case, the scroll is brought out and
dusted off after all these years- keep that thought in mind as I
continue.
The scroll, which many scholars believe contained the earliest
form of the book of Deuteronomy, brought it to Shapan the secretary,
who reads the scroll, reports the finding to the king, and reads
them to him. II Kings 22:11 says, “When the king heard the words of
the book of the law, he tore his clothes.” The king was so overcome
by the Word of God and convicted that he tore his clothes as a
symbol of repentance. Then He needs to have the words interpreted
for him to fully understand, for as the second part of verse 13
says, “For great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against
us, because our ancestors did not obey the words of this book, to do
according to all that is written concerning us.” So they go to the
prophetess Huldah who interprets the book for them and tells them
they will not see the disaster. Verse 19 reads, “because your heart
was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the lord, … and verse
20 says, “Your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will
bring on this place.” II Kings 23:3 tells us that the king made a
covenant to follow the Lord, keeping his commandments, his decrees,
and his statutes.
And in II Kings 23:7 he really cleans the temple of the pagan
cults that had taken over the temple and restored true temple
worship to the one, true God.
Let me share 6 lessons or truths that come from this passage
about Josiah that we can apply to our own lives. First, when we
are doing God’s will we learn more about God’s will.
Think about it- Josiah, even though he had limited knowledge, God
revealed more and more of that will in the midst of his obedience.
He knew what was right- repair the temple of the God of his ancestor
King David and God made more and more apparent to him- the book was
found or brought forth because the time was right and He learned of
the Word of God.
Have you ever prayed to God asking Him to show you His will? I
sure have. Has it always been plain and clear? I don’t know about
you but God’s will is not like going to order a Wendy’s hamburger
where you can pick and choose those elements in His will that we
would like to obey. Somehow I think that God reveals His will to
those who are already doing it and committed to it and who are
engaged in doing that part of His will that they already know.
Jesus said in John 7:17, “Anyone who resolves to do the will of God
will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking
on my own.”
A second truth- whenever we disregard spiritual values
they gradually become forgotten. The people had not heard the
Word of God for 75 years. How could that be, we ask? Quit simple.
Two words- Neglect and Compromise. The
people hadn’t seen or heard the Word of God for 75 years so out of
sight, out of mind. And there was compromise for we read in II
Kings 23:4 and following that the temple, the place of worship of
the most Holy God had been taken over by Baal worship and the
vessels of Baal, idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had put
in place who made offerings to Baal, the sun, the moon, the
constellations and on and on.
They had substituted the one true God with other gods and false
priests. And Josiah had enough. He cleansed the temple of all that
had nothing to do with the worship of the One True God and He,
Himself, as we read in the first part of chapter 23, He read the
Word of God to the elders of Judah and all Jerusalem- the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the prophets- everyone heard
it from the lips of the king.
When we neglect the Word of God and do not make it a part of our
daily lives, when we compromise our faith we open ourselves up for
that which is not of God to creep in and take over. May we not
neglect the Word of God or compromise it for it will bring
heart-ach, trouble and brokenness.
Truth #3- This wonderful story reminds us that the
providential transmission of the Word of God through the
centuries is as miraculous as it is inspiring.
Think about it- it is the 7th century B.C. when Josiah is
reigning and it was this one copy, as far as we know, that kept the
chain of transmission alive so that the Word of God could be passed
down into the future. “Like a trickle of water that finds its way
through the rock and sand to become at last a great river in the
valley below, so God has preserved and transmitted His word from
generation to generation, sometimes through a channel that seems
precariously thin. There are millions of copies now, but this one
dusty forgotten scroll lay buried in the rubble of the temple for
seventy-five years as the only link to the Bible’s future. We can
be thankful for God’s providential watch-care over the long process
of transmission that brought the Bible to us today.” (The
Communicator’s Commentary, 1, 2 Kings, Russell H. Dilday, Word
Books, p. 474.)
A fourth truth- The power of the inspired Word of God.
Upon hearing the reading of the scroll, II Kings 22:11 says,
“When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his
clothes.” The Word of God can challenge us, convict us, correct us,
affirm us. It says in Hebrews 4:12, “Indeed, the word of God is
living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until
it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge
the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
A fifth truth- proper interpretation is important.
Josiah needed someone who was a trained, faithful, God-called
interpreter to help him understand the meaning of the book. That is
why the prophetess Huldah was consulted. That is why, if we are
serious in our study of scripture, we need scholarly commentaries at
our side and other biblical resources like a Concordance, The
Interpreter’s Bible Dictionary, just to name a few to help us
understand.
The great Reformer, Martin Luther, said that the most uneducated
person who loves the Lord and prays for understanding can, with the
illumination of the Holy Spirit, interpret the Bible better than an
unbelieving scholar. And yet it is also true that Godly and
reverent scholarship can reveal insights into God’s Holy Word that a
less skilled interpreter might miss. Friends, this is a book of
costly treasures that have stood the test of time. It is as true
yesterday as it is today and will be tomorrow. If we want to really
know what God has to say to us we need to be serious students who
are constantly reading this Holy Book and other books that speak to
it in order to learn and understand. As we open this Holy Book we
need to ask for guidance from the Holy Spirit that He will reveal
the truths of scripture to us, even those that seem hard to
understand.
Josiah was so wise when he asked for the biblical scholars of his
day and said in verse 13, “Go inquire of the Lord for me, for the
people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book.”
And 6th and final- as followers of Christ, we must to be
students of this Holy Book. The great preacher Alexander
White, when he was too old to climb into the pulpit would get up
every morning to prepare a sermon, even though he never preached
them. He did so until the day he died. He was convinced that study
of the Word was essential to saving himself. May we follow
Alexander White’s example and make this book part and parcel to us.
We will never be disappointed. The study of this letter that God
has written to you and to me is crucial. For our sakes, let’s read
it. Amen.
Key Points
King Josiah-
Setting the stage
Josiah’s first independent job- restoration of the temple
Finding “the book” – thought to contain the earliest
form
of the book of Deuteronomy
Six lessons
or truths that come from our passage about King Josiah that we can
apply to our lives:
First, when we are ______ God’s will we _____ more
about God’s will
Have
you ever prayed to God asking Him to show you
His will?
Second, whenever we _______ spiritual values they
gradually become forgotten
How?
Two words: _________ and
__________
Truth
#3- this wonderful story reminds us that the
___________ transmission of the Word of God through
the centuries is as miraculous as it is inspiring
A fourth truth- the
______ of the inspired Word of God
II Kings 22:11;Hebrews 4:12
A
fifth truth- proper _________ is important
And 6th and
final- as followers of Christ, we must be
__________ of this Holy Book
Conclusion:
The study of this letter that God has written to you and me is
crucial. For our sakes, let’s read it.
Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.)
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