A few years ago, Dr. Laura became famous as host of her own radio talk show. You’ve probably heard of her. Dr. Laura told a story about a young woman carrying several large brown paper bags through a grocery store parking lot one Sunday afternoon. She made it about halfway across the busy shopping center’s driveway, when she heard a man’s voice shouting, "Lady! Lady!" Startled, she almost dropped her groceries, and then turned to see a frantic young man pushing a shopping cart, in which sat a smiling two year-old boy. "Lady," the attendant said while trying to catch his breath, "you forgot your kid!" This mom was so distracted with getting her arms loaded with groceries that she walked out of the store, forgetting her little boy in the child’s safety seat of her shopping cart. It’s remarkable, the things that we can lose when we’re not paying attention to them. People lose their keys, remote controls, tools and other things on an almost regular basis. People sometimes lose their jobs, because they did not do their work the way they should have. Men, driving their car to a previously unvisited location…need I say more about this? And sometimes parents even lose their children in groceries stores. It’s frustrating when we lose things. But it is exciting to find those lost items again. This morning we read some of 2 Kings 22 and 23 which is a story not about losing God’s Word, but about finding God’s Word. Well hear more of the story in a while but it seems unbelievable that the "Book of the Law" should be lost in the temple! That would be like losing the only copy of a Bible in a church building and not missing it for years. But that was the case, the book of the law and been left somewhere in the dust of the Temple of God. How could this happen? Josiah was eight years old when he began his reign as King. The kings that had ruled Judah for the past fifty-seven years had not really followed the pattern God had for his people. As a result, through the neglect of these rulers, the Temple was in desperate need of repairs. Josiah, who was trying to be attentive to what God required, ordered the repairs to be made. It was during this renovation that that the high priest announced, "I have found the Book!" Not unlike our own culture, the Kingdom of Judah had allowed God’s Word to drift from the centre of their lives. There are some significant lessons that we can learn from Josiah in rediscovering God’s Word. What was Josiah’s attitude after the Book was found?
First, he... read the word: 2 Kings 22:8 - Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read it before the king. It is to Josiah’s credit that he wanted to hear what the book said. He didn’t have to read it. He could have simply ordered it placed back in the temple, there to sit unread collecting dust as it had for years before. But instead, Josiah ordered it to be read in his presence. The people of God had let their faith slip. They worshiped false Gods. Things were not going well in their relationship to God. They allowed the only copies of God’s Word to be so neglected that it had literally been lost. Consequently, it was hard to expect Josiah and his generation to have a true sense of what kind of faith life God was looking for. That is, it was hard until they found the scrolls and read them. Today, we live in a culture that has not literally lost the Bible, but in many ways, we might as well have. Someone once said, "If all the neglected Bibles were dusted simultaneously, we would have a record-breaking dust storm, and the sun would go into eclipse for a whole week". Just like the people of Judah there are consequences of not connecting with and reading God’s Word today. How do we know what God wants from us? We cannot have a Biblically informed faith without, and this should be obvious, the Bible to inform. Romans 10:17 says, "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17) Charles Dickens once addressed a letter to his son Henry while he was away at college, advising him to keep out of debt and confide all his troubles to his father. The letter concluded as follows: "I most strongly and affectionately impress upon you the priceless value of the New Testament, and the study of that book as the one unfailing guide in life. Deeply respecting it, and bowing down before the character of our Savior, you cannot go wrong, and will always preserve at heart a true spirit of reverence and humility... and remember that I tried to make the New Testament understandable to you and lovable by you, even when you were still a mere baby!" That’s an example to follow. Taking the time to share the Bible with those we influence. Pointing to it as what Dickens calls the "one unfailing guide in life.” I have not always done a good job at this as a Dad. But recently it is getting better. But I cannot take credit for this. It’s because of our year of the bible focus. We picked up the children’s version of the Bible and have been reading it at dinner on occasion. Very often, as I am engaged in a vigorous appreciation of my meal, Joshua will ask, “Dad, are you going to read the Bible?" For about two seconds I am usually conflicted, my spaghetti is calling, but I have most times responded by reading it to them. We are hearing the word in my house. And we are talking about what the passage means. What if this kind of thing were happening in various families and relationships within our influence? I know it is in a lot of cases. But if this was a regular pattern how much better would this world be? How long has it been since we put down the fork read the Bible with family or friends? Why not begin now? If there was ever a time when we need to hear God, it is now!
The first lesson we learn from Josiah is to Read the Word! The second is to...Recognize what the word is saying to us. 2 Kings 22:11 - When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes. [12] And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and [the others], saying, [13] "Go, 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 our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us." Many people resist the message they hear the message of God. Jesus was crucified because of His message. His disciples were thrown in prison for talking about his teachings. Some of us are tempted to ignore the truths that we hear and then go on about their lives. Josiah, on the other hand, recognized the importance of this book and the message within it. He tore his clothes as a sign of sorrow for the sins of his people, and then he turned from sin "to follow the Lord and keep his commands.” While reading the Bible is important, it means nothing if we do not accept it as the true word of God, and adapt our lives to its message. Love for God’s word should lead to obedience. Why? Because love is not an emotion alone. It involves making choices that reflect the validity if our love. Here’s an example of this. In her best-selling book, “No Bad Dogs”, trainer Barbara Woodhouse writes “Thousands of dogs appear to love their owners, they welcome them home with enthusiastic wagging of the tail and jumping up, their follow them about their houses happily and to the normal person seeing the dog, the affection is true and deep. But to the experienced dog trainer this outward show is not enough. The true test of real love and obedience takes place when the dog has got the opportunity to go out on its own as soon as the door is left open by mistake and it goes off and doesn’t return for hours. True love and obedience is apparent when a door is left open and the dog still stays happily within earshot of its owner. For the owner must be the be-all and end all of a dog’s life.” The real test of receiving and obeying what God has to say isn’t seen in our words. David Jeremiah writes, “It is found in this. When we have the opportunity to wander away, to disobey, to leave his presence…do we choose instead to stay close to him…to obey?” James 1:22 says “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” So the question is how do I read the Bible? Do I read it with application in mind? Is it a historical document or a life-changing guide to the intentions of God for us? Do we respond to it the way Josiah did, as the words of God poured directly into your life. Do we make the necessary changes in our lives as we get a clearer picture of what it is saying? Being a devoted follower of God means always being willing to change when you discover personally the truth of his word.
There is a third lesson that we learn from Josiah. After he responded to hearing the word he was …RESCUED FROM JUDGMENT. 2 Kings 22:19 - because your heart was responsive, and you humbled yourself before the Lord, when you heard what I have spoken against this place and against its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the Lord. [20] Therefore I will gather you to your fathers and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.” God told Josiah that he would be delivered from His wrath because of two reasons: (1) his "heart was responsive" and (2) because he had humbled himself "before the Lord." Josiah’s reaction reveals that responding to God and following the plan of his word can result in a changed life. When we respond to God our lives can follow a pattern that leads away from judgment into freedom. How does this occur? Through God’s word we learn about Jesus, and as a result, our hearts can open more to his work in us. We encounter life-changing truth. And we have a chance to obey that truth. Josiah, because of his obedience to God, avoided the personal impact of facing God’s judgment. God still judged the nation but not in Josiah’s lifetime. Josiah’s response to God had a concrete impact in his life. He could be free from the fear of God’s judgment and in a similar way so can we. But it starts with listening and responding to God’s word.
There is one more lesson that we learn from Josiah. After Josiah had experienced God’s grace, he REALIZED THE NEED TO TELL OTHERS ABOUT WHAT HE HAD DISCOVERED. 2 Kings 23:1 “Then the King called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. He went up to the temple of the Lord with the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets-all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord.” As soon as he realized the importance of God’s word, Josiah taught it to others. He read the covenant in the presence of "all the people... from the least to the greatest.” When Josiah read what he had discovered to the people of God he sparked a spiritual revolution. The whole kingdom was changed. He did everything he could to eliminate the worship of false Gods. He reinstituted the Passover, which had been unobserved for many years. He did all that he could to spread the influence of the God who had revealed his word to him. Like Josiah, we have heard God’s Word. Many of us sitting here have been changed by coming into contact with Jesus, who the Bible points to as Saviour of the world. Good gifts are not meant to be kept to ourselves. Good news is for sharing. V. Havner said, the good news “is not something we come to church to hear; it is something we go from church to tell."
Like Josiah, we truly live in a time when it can seem like the Bible has been lost. Ask the average person about what the bible teaches and many times you will get a blank look. But the word of God is powerful. It changes us and God refuses to let his word to us to be pushed to the side. If the bible is not well read, well known, and understood in the culture around us then I think that something becomes clear. We are part of the cure for this problem. Josiah’s experience teaches us that discovering and hearing the word of God can have a powerfully transforming effect on people and therefore a culture.
As a result of what we have heard today we can and should: