Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
What is the greatest discovery you’ve ever made? Maybe something about your heritage past which you discovered in an old box of faded photographs or family lineage? Maybe some buried treasure that you discovered under the sand at the beach or underground around your house as you were planting flowers? Join me today in one of the greatest discoveries of all time which was made during a restoration project of the great Temple of God in Jerusalem in 622bc.
2 Chronicles 34:14 and 2 Kings 22:8 give us this record: “Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD that had been given through Moses. Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary: ‘I have found the Book of the Law in the Temple of the LORD!” Now pause for a moment here to consider what this means! The Book of the Law was the Pentateuch, the scrolls which we know as the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. They were written by Moses and were placed for safe keeping in the Tabernacle under the watch care of the priests. Moses died about 1400bc. Of course, copies had been made by scribes and ‘seers’ over the centuries, but I presume what was left of these original Moses scrolls had been carefully preserved and may have been among what was discovered that day in 622bc.
Particularly significant in this Book of the Law was of course all the laws God had given Moses regarding the uniqueness of His people in life including the 10 Commandments, and worship including the Levitical law, and the Covenant relationship God wanted with His people.
Remember when Moses died, and Joshua was called by God to lead the next generation into the Land of Promise God had said to Joshua: “Be strong and courageous. Be careful to obey the Law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep the Book of the Law always on your lips, meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it…” (Joshua 1:7,8)
It is very clear that for God’s people, beginning with Moses, then Joshua and all succeeding leaders, their familiarity with the Book of the Law of God was paramount. As the people gathered for the Festivals of God, the Priestly reading of the law given by God was very important so the people would know God’s laws.
But as we’ve seen in the heritage of King Josiah, he was preceded by both a father and grandfather who saw no value in God’s laws nor the worship of God. Thus, the Jewish people of that era had been discouraged and, in some cases, prevented from worshiping the God of Israel in the Temple in accordance with the laws of worship God had given Moses.
Amazingly it appears that Hilkiah the priest had either never seen these sacred scrolls or had forgotten where they were! We don’t know exactly where in the dust filled Temple the “Book of the Law of God” was found, nor in what condition they were, but for Hilkiah the priest these scrolls were far more valuable than if he had found a pile of solid gold bars. I’m convicted by the Spirit of God to ask us a few questions right here, my “Walking with Jesus” friends:
* Has there ever been a time when you had forgotten where your copy of God’s Word was in your house, because it had been so long since you’d opened your Bible?
* Is it possible that even now, your Bible has dust on it due to neglect?
* Have you and I lost some of our respect for and value of the Holy Word of God?
In the shock of this discovery, it appears the very first thing the priest Hilkiah did was to show the scrolls to Shaphan the secretary whom I presume was regularly bringing a report to King Josiah about the restoration project at the Temple. Shaphan knew there was only one thing he could do with this exciting news, and the record says: “Then Shaphan took the book to King Josiah and reported to him: ‘Your officials are doing everything that has been committed to them… Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.’ And Shaphan read from the Book of the Law in the presence of the king. When King Josiah heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes, and he gave this order to Shaphan and Hilkiah and his officials: ‘Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the remnant of 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.” (2 Chronicles 34:16-21)
Now pause right here with me for a moment my “Walking with Jesus” friends. How do you and I, our families and our friends, respond when we hold God’s Book, the Bible, in our hands? And how do our hearts and minds respond to what is written in God’s Word as we read it or hear it read? Do you see a widespread apathy toward God’s Word in your part of the world? Do we understand the great danger of apathy toward God’s Word?
The great prophet Isaiah had died perhaps 50 years or more earlier and we have no record of anyone the people held in such high esteem spiritually so when King Josiah sent his officials to go inquire of God, I find it amazing where they went. The record says: “Hilkiah the priest and those the king had sent with him went to speak to the prophet Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum, son of Tokahth… She lived in Jerusalem in the New Quarter. She said to them, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: ‘Tell the man who sent you to me…’ I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people – all the curses written in the book that has been read in the presence of the king of Judah…” (2 Chron. 34:22-24)
I wonder if Huldah stopped right there to let Hilkiah the priest and those with him catch their breath and absorb the harsh news they would have to bring back to king Josiah? In this moment of pause I have a question for us to ponder. It seems clear Hilkiah, and the others knew exactly where to go to inquire of God… Huldah the prophet, who was the wife of Shallum. Do you find it interesting there either was no male prophet of God in Jerusalem or at least not one who was as well respected as the female prophet Huldah?
Can you think of other times in Israel’s history when God has spoken through or used a Godly woman to lead His people because no such godly man was to be found, no God-fearing man was willing to lead? I think of Deborah (Judges 4) whom God raised up to lead Israel during a critical time of the Judges when no man was willing. And of course, we think of Esther whom God raised up to be Queen with the most powerful man in the world, King Xerxes who did not know God. You may know the Jewish annual festival of Purim celebrates God’s rescue of His people from the genocide planned by Haman as prayerful, courageous Queen Esther unveiled the wicked plot and plead for mercy for her people Israel. (Esther 7)
May I ask that you look around your part of the world. Do you see some women who have a deep passion for God, a love for God’s Word, a willingness for God to use them for His glory, regardless of the cost? Do you see many God honoring women with a deep passion for worship of Holy God and for reading and meditating on His Word and for prolonged prayer with God? Do you see God accomplishing His great purposes in and through many of these God honoring women, the Huldah’s of your day and mine? My friends, I have had the great privilege of knowing many modern-day Huldah’s in my lifetime. I knew some when I was growing up as a son of missionaries in the country of Haiti.
I knew some in my young adult years, and especially I’ve been privileged to know several over the past 30 years or so, several of them older widows. Some of you are listening to my voice right now and I thank God for you Hilda, and Clem, and Mme Ilamon, and Kneel, and Loon and other dear Huladh’s.
I even have the great privilege of being married to a modern-day Huldah. God is doing in and through my dear wife great things for His glory and accomplishment of His purposes as God nurtures her hunger for God’s Word and prayer, and as she finds great fulfillment in the assignments God entrusts to her. I wonder who the Huldah’s are, whom you know and who have been a blessing in your life?
I think we need to pause right here thanking God for this Huldah in Josiah’s day, and the modern-day Huldah’s who are a blessing to our world. Here’s a song to help us celebrate these women, and tomorrow let’s meet right here to see what God did next with Josiah and this great discovery.
Today’s Scripture: 2 Chron. 34:14-24.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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