THE BOOK OF THE LAW WAS FOUND

PROCLAMATION

“And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of The Lord.  And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.”  2 Chronicles 34:15 (KJV)

EXPLANATION

The words of First and Second Chronicles were written as one book under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by Ezra the scribe and priest and historical Bible scholar according to Jewish tradition.  After King Amon was killed, his son Josiah was made king in his stead.  Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign.  Although he was a child when he began, he did that which was right in the sight of The Lord.  When he was sixteen he began to seek after The God of David.  He purged Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Ashram, and the carved and molten images of idol gods. He broke down the altars of Baals and he burned the bones of his priests. (2 Chronicles 34:1-7)  Then he commissioned the repair of the house of The Lord.  He paid the men who did the work and they worked faithfully.  While they were repairing the house of The Lord a priest found a book of the law of The Lord given by Moses.  They delivered the book to Josiah.  When he heard the words of the law he tore his clothes because he knew that his fathers had not followed it. (2 Chronicles 34:8-19)  Then he sent a group of men to go inquire of The Lord for me and Judah concerning the words of the book.  So the went to Huldah the prophetess and spoke to her regarding the book.  She told them to tell the king, “Thus saith The Lord, …I will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants … for they have forsaken Me and have made offerings to other gods … but because your heart is tender and you humbled yourself before God … I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, our eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place and upon the inhabitants.”  They left her and took what she had told them back to the king. (2 Chronicles 34:20-28)  When he heard her words, Josiah gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem, and the priests and Levites, and he went to the temple and read to the them words of the Book of The Covenant that had been found in the house of The Lord.  Then he stood up and made a covenant before The Lord vowing to walk after Him and to keep His commandments.  Afterwards he made all those present join in that covenant with him.  In all the days of his life he did not turn away from The Lord. (2 Chronicles 34:29-33)

APPLICATION

Most of us have a Bible but too many of us only open it on Sunday when we are in the worship service.  We are to read, and study, The Word of God daily and search it to find out if what we heard is true.  (Acts 17:11)  The Bible is God’s Holy Word, and He meant for us to live it and not just read or hear it. (James 1:22)  The Bible is a guideline for Christian living.