Read the Word Outloud

And he [Josiah] read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord- 2nd Kings 23:2

We left off looking at Hezekiah who was king of Judah but he died and soon there was another king who established idolatry back after it was just taken out of the kingdom. After him there was another king who followed after the previous him and he died. Then finally Josiah who was only 8 years old reigned, not much is said about what he did at 8 but we know that he wanted to have some repairs done to the temple and while they were repairing the temple they rediscovered a book. Some scholars think this was Deuteronomy and others just don't know. But this book called "The Book of the Covenant" talked about the law and the importance of it. King Josiah first read it and then went to the temple and gathered all the people to hear it being read. From that point on in his life he wanted to walk in the ways of the Lord, asked for forgiveness for their past and desired that the nation served the Lord. There was reform in Judah and God spared Israel for a few more years before Jerusalem is destroyed.

The reason I bring this up is that I think we to can easily forget certain things that are written in scripture. We have a tendancy to become complacent or thinking that we may be veterans in our faith that we overlook the "simple things." Have you ever went read something that you know you read a few hundred times in the Bible but you realize and get convicted because you may have neglected that part. The king could have wanted this rediscovered book to be hidden or brush it off as not relevant to their culture, but instead he read it to the culture. God's word is so important for our culture because it pierces our hearts and I hope and pray that we can be like Josiah and read it before them, not lacking in anything.

God Bless,

PJ