December 12, 2015
Scripture Reading: Matthew 1:8-11; 2 Kings 22:1-13
8Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
9Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
11and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
1Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath. 2He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.
3In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphan son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the Lord. He said: 4“Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the Lord, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people. 5Have them entrust it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. And have these men pay the workers who repair the temple of the Lord— 6the carpenters, the builders and the masons. Also have them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the temple. 7But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are honest in their dealings.”
8Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. 9Then Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him: “Your officials have paid out the money that was in the temple of the Lord and have entrusted it to the workers and supervisors at the temple.” 10Then 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.
11When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes. 12He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant: 13“Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.”
Questions for Reflection:
What was your life like when you were eight years old? What did you spend most of your time doing? What were you excited about? What were you worried about? Compare your life to Josiah, who at the age of eight becomes the king. How is his leadership described in verse 2? This stands in contrast to what the people of Israel had experienced over and over again. Repeatedly throughout the book of Kings and Chronicles, you see the kings “did evil in the eyes of the Lord.”
What did Josiah order to have happen in verses 3-7? What do we learn about Hilkiah and the men working on the temple in verse 7? Could this description be given of you? Are you honest in all your dealings? Do your business practices, the way you conduct your life in the marketplace, reflect your relationship with God?
What did Hilkiah find while renovating the temple? What was Josiah’s response when he heard the Law read? What does Josiah confess to when the Law is read to him? It’s one thing to read the Bible; it’s another thing to allow the Bible to read you. Please do not just do the daily Bible readings so that you can acquire new facts and bits of trivia. Knowing who Josiah was is irrelevant to our lives if we do not develop a heart that seeks to honor God like Josiah had. Spend time in prayer today asking God to give you a passion for His Word. Ask Him to make the Bible alive in you, to bless your study and conform your life to His pattern.