2 Chronicles 34: 14-33
On bringing out the money that had been collected in the temple, Hilkiah the priest came across a book of the law of the LORD from Moses' time. He showed the book to Shaphan, the scribe, who when reporting to the King about the work and payment of the temple repairs read the book to him.
When King Josiah heard God's laws and all the terrible things which would happen to them if they disobeyed he rent his clothes. He ordered Shaphan and various others to go and enquire of the LORD regarding the signs of his wrath in Israel and Judah.
The group of men visited a prophetess, Huldah, who gave them a message to the king from God: God would bring to pass all the calamities that were prophesied in the book as a consequence of their idolatry and provocation of God's anger, but because Josiah had shown repentance it would not be during his lifetime.
On hearing God's message Josiah called all of Jerusalem to the temple where he read them the book. After publicly making a promise to the LORD to keep his commandments with all his heart and soul he ordered all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to also take a stand to it.
All Jerusalem observed God's commands and Josiah continued to remove pagan worship throughout Israel, who also all served the LORD during his reign.
It seemed to stand out to me when I read verse 18 - 'Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book'.
How commonplace it sounds to say that somebody has given you a book! 'Oh yes', you might answer, with some interest, 'What's it called - is it any good?' Perhaps Josiah's initial reaction may have been the same - but perhaps from Shaphan's manner he may have realised that it was more than just a book.
Strong's Concordance tells us that in the early monarchy the chief scribe was the highest official next to the king. Part of Shaphan's job was to receive and evaluate all royal correspondence, answer the unimportant himself and give the rest to the appropriate official or the king himself. So, for Shaphan to be telling the king about this book already marked it as being important.
This 'book' was probably the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy). Today we are blessed with the whole Bible, but do we consider it as important as Shaphan and Josiah did? Do we consider it's message important enough to be given to the leaders of our land and to guide law making? To be considered with such awe that when we realise we haven't obeyed it we feel guilty and repent before God? Does it make you weep, dear reader, when you realise how you constantly go your own way and how unable you feel to be able to obey and love God with all your heart, soul and mind?
We are so blessed today - not only do we have God's first message in the Pentateuch - his laws, commands, and the rightful temple worship for approaching to God and obtaining forgiveness for sins - but we have God's new message. A message to tell us that because we have a sinful nature we can never keep his laws perfectly, but God has lovingly provided a substitute in his dear Son Jesus, so that his people might be forgiven and have eternal life with him in glory.
Incidently, how striking that Josiah's seeking after God, purging the land of idols and repairing of the temple appear to have been up to this point without having read God's word! How this speaks to us of the powerful work of the Holy Spirit in the heart to give desires after God and then a knowledge of how to live in ways pleasing and honouring to God.
Those of us who are blessed with Bibles - the most precious book of all time - may we lovingly and prayerfully read it, seeking after God to reveal himself to us through it, that we might be able to say as the Psalmist, 'Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path' (Psalm 119:105).
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