Can we come now together to 2nd Kings chapter 22 And we are
going to complete this chapter tonight by the grace of God.
And I invite you to come to verse eight of Second Kings
chapter 22. There are many things that stir
my heart about the Scriptures. One thing that never fails to
move my soul is what the Word of God says about itself.
You are very aware that the Bible repeatedly discusses and
declares and testifies to its own divine authorship, its
reliability, its necessity, sufficiency, and supremacy in
sanctifying us and satisfying us.
And for us to absorb what the Word of God says about its own
revelation is not only instructive, but inspires us to
understand the treasure that the Scriptures truly are.
Now I bring this up by way of introduction because it leads us
perfectly into the very core of our study this evening.
You see, what we're going to witness in the rest of this
chapter is a pivotal moment in the life of King Josiah and the
Kingdom of Judah as a whole. And this transition that is
going to take place will be the result of Josiah being
encountered by the written Word of God.
It is spectacular to see, but we have to remind ourselves of some
facts. In the 12th year of Josiah's
reign he brought reform to the country, and that continued
until the 18th year of his administration.
And in the 18th year, he turned his attention to the temple of
the Lord, the House of worship, and he sought to repair it
because in recent history, and for many years actually, the
temple had been neglected. And not just neglected, it had
been vandalized by idolatry. And so there is a process that
was started by King Josiah. He, he sought to raise funds and
he put men to work to see the temple honored again.
And it was in that pursuit that a discovery was made by some of
Josiah's top officials. And I want you to read with me
what it is in Second Kings 22, verse 8.
Let's read down to verse 11. And Hilkiah the high priest,
said to Chiffon the secretary, I found the book of the law in the
House of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to
Chiffon, and he read it. And Chiffon the secretary came
to the king and reported to the king, Your servants have emptied
out the money that was found in the house and have delivered it
into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the House
of the Lord. Then Chiffon the secretary told
the king, Hill Kai, the priest has given me a book, and Chiffon
read it before the king. When the king heard the words of
the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.
Father, we ask with total sincerity that you would teach
us. Lord, we echo the psalmist cry
who said, Oh how I love your law.
It is my meditation all the day. Lord, we are people who have
gathered here because we love Your law and we pray that you
would bring illumination to our hearts that we may understand it
the way you've called us to know it, and that we may apply it to
our lives the way You've intended it to be applied.
Lord, we ask that you would you would truly transform us as a
result of what we will uncover here in this passage.
We give you maximum glory and honor in advance for what You
will do as a result of what we will study.
In Jesus name we pray these things.
Amen. How strange is it to read that
the High Priest found the Book of the Law in the House of God
as though its presence there was unexpected.
Now most of us here I'm sure understand that the 10
Commandments were to be placed in the Ark of the Covenant, but
very few remember what item was to be placed beside the Ark of
the Covenant. If you need a reference, this is
an important one. It's in Deuteronomy 31 verse 26.
I will read it to you. This is what Moses commanded the
people of Israel to do before they even entered into the land
of promise. He had said this.
Take this book of the Law, and put it by the side of the Ark of
the Covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a
witness against you. So a copy of the law was to be
protected and preserved by placing it beside the ark of the
Covenant, which resided in the innermost century of the temple.
Now if that was where the Book of the Law was to be, then why
is it that Hilkiah the priest speaks about it's discovery as
though it was a surprising sight?
That's the impression that we get here, that Hilkiah finds the
book of the Law and he communicates its discovery.
But it should be a given. That's where the Book of the Law
was to be found. And here's the answer.
Because for so long the Word of God was ignored and bypassed by
the very people of God. Look back at verse 8 quickly and
notice how Hilkiah gives the book of the law to this man
named Shafan, who was a secretary.
And we read here that Shafan, when he received it, opened the
book and he began to read it. Now, that seems to imply that
there is a level of unfamiliarity, that Shafan here
never engaged with its words before, that he is new to this
content and he's a leader. So here's what you're supposed
to get from this, that the leaders in the Kingdom of God
don't seem to be very familiar with the oracles of God.
This seems to be like a strange thing to them.
And if it was unfamiliar to the leaders of this Kingdom, how
much more so the rest of the people?
In fact, did you see what happened to King Josiah when
Chiffon took the book? He updated the king with the
recent project of the temple being reconstructed and he
mentions how the book was found to what to find the king in
utter shock and grief, as though he had never engaged with the
word. As though this was the first
time that the king himself is hearing the word of God.
Now, why should that be a concerning observation for us?
Any idea you can answer if you know why is the King's reaction
something that should concern us exactly?
We've seen this over and over in our study of the kings.
We're told in Deuteronomy 1718 that the kings were to have a
personal copy of the law. It was to be approved by the
priest, and it was to be read daily by the king.
So if King Josiah was to have a copy, then why act in this way
when the book of the Law is being read in your presence?
Shouldn't you have known it? Shouldn't you been aware?
But there's even more to this that makes it so amazing.
Go to Deuteronomy 31. Now look at verse 9.
So in Deuteronomy 31, verse 26, we read that the book of the Law
was to be placed beside the Ark of the Covenant.
But before that, Moses gave instructions of what the people
were to do with the book of the Law, at least as a nation.
In Deuteronomy 31, nine, we read.
Then Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priest, the sons
of Levi, who carried the ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and to
all the elders of Israel, and Moses commanded them.
At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of
release, at the Feast of Booths, when all Israel comes to appear
before the Lord your God at the place that He will choose, you
shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
So the priests were to take the law and shine it bright like a
lighthouse to the rest of the nation and faithfully proclaim
it and read it to the people. Every seven years this was to
take place. They were committed to gather.
They were commanded to listen on top of the regular instruction
that they would receive by the priest on a daily basis.
Now, if you keep this practice in mind and you realize that
Josiah found the book of the law in the 18th year of his reign,
simple math will show that this observance should have been
honored at least twice, at least twice under his government.
And clearly he hasn't. Why?
They just found the book. They just found it.
So now we're we're getting idea, an idea of just how dire things
are even under Josiah's leadership.
And I don't know about you, but when I discovered this, I
thought to myself many things. A flood of questions came to my
mind, but the main one was this second.
Kings 22 opens up with a wonderful commendation about
Josiah, that he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord,
that he walked in the ways of David.
How did he do that without the book of the law?
What standard did Josiah used in the past six years as he was
bringing reform to the nation? I believe the best answer is
that there must have been some kind of oral teaching and
tradition that was passed down. And though we're left in the
dark with this, there could be fragments of the Scriptures that
were preserved and used and shared among the righteous,
though incomplete enough to guide Josiah in a righteous
direction. Now, I don't want to spend too
much time speculating. What I want to do instead in
this introduction is look at clearly three things, at least
three or three things that are powerfully inspirational
relating to the Word of God. The first thing I want to
observe, and we're all just in verse 8 right now, by the way,
looking at verse 8, at least three things #1 being God's
protection over His Word. You won't come to that
conclusion if you read the story in isolation.
You have to include the wider narrative of the kings.
Think about some of the wicked leaders that sat on the same
throne that Josiah was sitting on in our study.
Think of Athalia, think of a has, think of Manessa, these
individuals that not only promoted idolatry among the
people of God, but even dare to defile the temple of God.
And through all those cycles of pollution and persecution, what
do you find in the second Kings 22 verse 8?
The word of God survived. The Word of God was preserved,
it was untouched, it was kept. That becomes even more
remarkable when you realize that so many of the things in the
temple were tampered with. Let me give you an example in
the parallel account of Second Kings 22.
After they made this discovery, another reformation takes place,
and Josiah now begins to give further instruction.
And I want to just read to you what he tells the priest again
after they find the book of the Law.
Listen to this in Second Chronicles 35.
It says here in verse 2 he appointed the priest to their
offices and encouraged them in the service of the House of the
Lord. And he said to the Levites, who
taught all Israel and who are holy to the Lord, put the holy
ark in the house that Solomon the son of David, king of Israel
built. You need not carry it on your
shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and
his people Israel. What stands out to you from
that? The Ark of the Covenant was not
in the temple. Where was it?
We don't know. So just imagine all the things
that were misplaced, all the things that were again
mishandled, dishonored, moved, and yet the Word of God was
found in the House of God. Here's how this applies to us.
Throughout Scripture, and even in recorded history following
the completion of the Canon, men have dared to try and destroy
the Word of God to no avail. Governments have tried to bury
it, burn it, silence it. Philosophers, great thinkers,
religions have attempted to compete with it.
And yet the Word of God, the true Word of God, remains as
relevant as ever. Do you know why?
Because God promised that it would endure and abide forever.
He promised that. And this is just a glimpse of
how His invisible hand was guarding His Word and that
through all the evil that was taking place, nothing could
touch what He had provided man concerning himself, God's
protection over His Word. That's what we find here in
verse 8. But we also see, secondly, God's
reward for the righteous. It would be a great mistake to
assume that the leaders of this Kingdom accidentally stumbled
upon the work and the Word of God.
Undoubtedly, this is divine Providence in motion.
And when you consider the timing of the book of the law being
discovered, then we are granted a wonderful insight.
Think about it. Josiah has proven to the Lord
that to the best of his ability he would honor him though he was
limited in his knowledge. He sought to bring pleasure and
blessing to the heart of God as he firstly sought to be pious
himself and that promote others to worship the true and living
God. And here's what we find that God
watching his servant as a result of his pure heart and his
consistent sacrifice, allowed and arranged for the complete
Word of God to be uncovered. For what reason?
To bring the Reformation to new heights.
That's what we're going to find in Second Kings 23.
And this is how we learn. This is what we find in this
truth. When you and I are faithful with
what we have and what we know now, God is prepared to give us
more. God is ready to give you and I
more when you are faithful, what you have and what you know now,
greater insight, deeper revelation, and sometimes more
open doors and opportunities for you to advance his work.
I see here that God blesses Josiah to do more, to know more
because with what he had, he was faithful.
And this is something that challenged me because we're
introduced to Josiah at 8 becoming king, and then at 16 he
sought God for himself, and then at 20 he led a spiritual reform
and he did all of that without a Bible.
Does that convict anybody else? That convicts me.
So what excuse do you and I have in our lack of pursuit of the
Lord, in our slothfulness and serving God, when God has given
us everything that we need to know about Him?
That stirred me. That moved me.
You have a man, you had a teenager at 16 and later at 20
who stood out in history for his walk with God, and he didn't
even have the Bible. We should be the most motivated
generation in all of church history.
The access that we have to the Word of God, the availability to
men of God who bring greater light to the Word of God,
everything that is at our disposal should make us the most
energized and faithful generation of Christians that
has ever been known. The third thing, we're still in
verse 8. The third thing to consider is
God's warning to His church. This is how this passage should
alarm us. You and I have to be careful not
to lose the Word of God in the House of God.
It's tragically possible for churches and their buildings to
possess Bibles yet lose it in practice because they don't read
it carefully, they don't study it passionately, and more
importantly, they rarely apply it the way it's calling us to
apply it. This story serves as a sobering
reminder of how ministries can display Bibles.
Yet those Bibles may hold no authority over the leadership in
the people. Was the Bible in the temple?
Yes, but it was layered with dust unless it is cracked open
and actually read and expounded and explained and obeyed.
It doesn't matter how many Bibles you have.
It doesn't matter if you have Bible in the name of your
church. Is it any wonder that corruption
persisted for so long in the land?
This is where the Word of God has been all, all along.
It was buried, it was in the dark, and surely because of
that, it played a major role in the erosion of society.
Here's what that means for us. If we don't value God's Word in
here, why should we expect them to be curious about it out
there? If it's not something that we
treasure and we value and we sing about and we love to learn
from and more importantly, to live by, why will people out
there care for it? They won't.
So this is a warning that you can lose the Bible in a church.
It can be there, you can put it on something like that, but
until it is read, until it is digested, until it is lived,
we're not fulfilling its design. Speaking of valuing God's Word,
there's a character in this story that stood out to me, and
he can easily be overlooked. Chiffon, the secretary, not much
is said about him, but what we do have about him reveals that
he must have been a faithful servant.
He was a support to the king and his efforts.
There is no hint whatsoever that he was to face or that he was
suspicious or that he was wicked.
And why I mentioned Shafan here is because for our instruction
we read about his reaction to the Word of God.
And I believe it's a reflection on how some believers fail to
esteem the Scriptures as they ought to.
Here's what I mean by that. First thing I want you to notice
is this man Chiffon and his initial reaction to the Word of
God being read. Look back at verse 8 and Helkaid
the high priest said to Chiffon the secretary, I found the book
of the law in the House of the Lord, and Helkaid gave the book
to Chiffon and he read it. Where's the reaction?
There isn't any saying what's the big deal?
Well, I think there's a big deal when you compare it to how
Josiah responds to it. You remember what he did.
Look again at verse 11. When the king heard the words of
the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.
Huh. Why did the king react this way
and not the other leaders, including the priest, Chiffon,
and the priest? They didn't tear their clothes,
but the king did. I think that's telling.
And this analysis of Chiffon only becomes more convincing
when you look at the second thing.
The second thing I want you to notice is the priority of his
news when he brought an update to the king.
Look again at verse 9. And Chiffon the secretary came
to the king and reported to the king.
Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the
house and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have
the oversight of the House of the Lord.
Then Chiffon the secretary told the king, he'll kind.
The priest has given me a book. What was on Chiffon's mind as a
priority? The money, the workmen, the
physical repair of the temple. And then he brought up the fact
that they found the Bible as though the Word of God was an
afterthought. Is that possible for Christians
too? Absolutely.
It's most definitely possible for Christians even to not have
the Word of God as their priority, neither in their
ambitions nor their affections. There are more important things
to attend to. There are more exciting things
to discuss. And we find here that there is
insight, perhaps to why it is. And maybe you're in this place
and you can't figure out why you find greater excitement and
thrill and delight in other things more than the glorious
truth of God's Word. Perhaps Chiffon's perception of
the Scriptures teaches us something, which is our final
observation. Did you notice how this man
references the Book of the Law? Look again at verse 10.
What does he say? Then Chiffon the secretary told
the king. Hilkiah, the priest has given me
a book. Wait a minute, Chiffon, you were
in the temple when Hilkiah told you what?
The book of the Law has been found, and you took it with you.
You walked to the king and you said, Oh yeah, by the way,
Hilkiah found a book. How do you see the Bible?
Is it just a book among other books?
Of course not. Innumerable books have been
written about this incomparable book.
But we have to go beyond acknowledging the Bible's
uniqueness. You can't just stay there.
You have to establish what the Bible truly is if you're ever,
and I'm ever going to have the chance of feasting on it.
I read somewhere that the Bible is the heart of God in print.
What a simple but breathtaking thought.
The Bible is the heart of God in print.
Absolutely it is. And you and I have to believe
that this book is an inexhaustible, life giving, soul
transforming collection of divine truth miraculously
provided and protected by God Himself, for you to know who He
is and become more like Him. That's the Bible.
I have read quite a few books, but I can say with total honesty
that after reading through it once, I put it on my shelf never
to visit it again. I've never been able to do that
with the Bible. Do you know why?
Because it's God's voice. That's why when you read this
word or hear it being read, you are hearing God speak.
And if you don't see this Bible for the gift that it is, the
miraculous DNA that it possesses, then you are in
danger of just seeing it as a book.
Now you wouldn't say that you're a Christian, but in practice it
may just be to you another book. Unlike Shafan, Josiah's heart
recognized that this is not just any book.
It was God's book. And if we truly believe that
this is the word of the Lord, then I am sure that we will
respond to it and like manner we will see some similar
characteristics in Josiah. Let me show you what I mean.
We stopped at verse 11, but let's now continue in verse 12.
And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Haikam the son
of Shafan, and Akbar the son of Micaiah.
And she found the secretary, and Asahi the King's servant,
saying, Go, inquire the Lord for me, and for the people, and for
all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been
found. For great is the wrath of the
Lord that is kindled against us because our fathers have not
obeyed the words of this book to do according to all that is
written concerning us. Verse 11 to verse 13.
What do we see here? The appropriate response to the
written Word of God, Number one, verse 11.
God's word has to touch your heart.
What does the king do when he hears the words?
He tears his clothes. A sign of great mourning, of
loss, of grief. Clearly Shafan pass through some
of the passages about judgement as we're going to see, but the
the the clothes being torn was a was a symptom was a reaction to
a heart that's been touched. Here's what you have to ask
yourself. Please ask yourself this.
Does God's word touch your heart or does it just tickle your
brain? Big difference.
I'm not saying that you have to cry every time that you hear you
hear a sermon or you come to your devotions, but does it move
the innermost part of who you are?
Does it touch you? Does it stir you?
Do you carry it with you in your heart?
That's what we see here with this man.
He didn't just sit back and analyze.
He didn't just compare. It was like a harpoon to the
chest. It penetrated the seat of his
emotions, sure, but also the throne of his will, his
perception, his worldview, his inlook, his outlook.
Does the Bible do that to you? But the word of God inflaming
our feelings is is not the main thing.
What we find in verse 12, the Bible became top priority.
The word of God, the will of God became priority number one to
this man. How do we know that?
Well, he summons not one, but five of his top officials to
fetch for a profit, to receive greater guidance and clarity
about what he had just heard. Question Does it take five
people to find somebody? No, you just need one.
So why does he find 5 of the leaders?
Because he wants to stop everything else.
This is emergency protocol. We need to find a prophet who's
going to give us light on what we just heard, and he gets the
best of his men to do so. So unlike Chiffon, this is top
priority to the king. What is the Bible rank for you?
How high do you esteem it? How much do you Revere it?
What's the worth that you've placed on the written Word of
God? You know what this man does?
Stop everything. Stop absolutely everything.
I needed to know where to go from here.
I can't remain in the dark. Lastly, verse 13, the Word of
God being read. Move this king into action.
Go inquire of the Lord for me #1 for me.
He talks about the people and Judah after, but first for me.
This is important for preachers. The Word of God has to cut your
heart before it cuts anybody else's.
It has to move you before it moves anybody else.
It has to be applied to you in terms of application, in terms
of change, repentance, before it can be issued to anybody else.
What does this mean for me, me, me, me.
And then how does this apply to my role as a leader?
So in the mind of this king, the Word of God effects and
influences every aspect of his life.
There's not one compartment that's left untouched.
Me and the people, the nation, me as a king.
What, what, what do I have to do now?
What does this imply? How much does the Word of God
govern your life? Some parts?
Just your morning time? Or is it harnessed?
Is it something that guides you and directs you and informs you
and shapes your thinking and rebukes you where you're wrong
and comforts you where you need encouragement?
This man shows us exactly where the Word of God needs to be,
everywhere, every part. And so they go, and as they go
we see something interesting. Verse 14 So al Qaeda priest and
Haikam and Akbar and Shafan and Isaiah went to hold out the
prophetess. The wife of Shalom, the son of
Tikvah, son of Har has keeper of the wardrobe.
Now she lived in Jerusalem in the second quarter and they
talked with her. Who was the prophet that was
working with Josiah during his reform?
Anybody remember good Jeremiah? Was there another one?
We didn't mention this in our Bible study, but it's worth
bringing up. Now apart from Jeremiah, who
else did God raise up to assist the king and bringing the people
to the Lord? Zephaniah.
You can look at this in your own time.
Zephaniah 11. We're told there that the man
Zephaniah was commissioned by God during the reign of Josiah.
Those are prominent prophets. So you have these two leading
prophetic voices in the land. Why did the king dispatch his
man to go to hold that? The prophetess who's Holder and
not to Jeremiah or Zephaniah? We're not told, but I believe
the fact that we are told here where she lived may give us a
clue. Where did she live?
In Jerusalem in the second quarter, which was in close
proximity to the Temple. I think this shows that Holder
was more readily available to receive a word from the Lord and
give it by extension to the King and the leaders, while the other
prophets were not as accessible. The fact that her address is
mentioned may be an indication that she was someone that could
be easily reached. Moreover, there is no indication
that hold of the Prophet has had a wide public ministry, a public
ministry at all. What's more likely is that she
was a gifted woman who had great insight and sensitivity to the
Spirit of God who from time to time was approach for private
consultation because obviously she was known, she wasn't just a
random prophetess. I mentioned this in passing
because you'll have some who will point to halt of the
Prophetess as a proof text that women can be spiritual leaders
in the church. And there is absolutely no
indication that Hall that possesses any kind of authority
over any man. In fact, we're specifically told
what that she is the wife of Shalom and Shalom was what in
charge of the wardrobe, which was most likely the wardrobe of
the priests. So this is not a text that you
can go to to say women can be pastors.
Now she's a flash on the pan. She appears very quickly and she
disappears just as fast. That is not the discount that
God uses her, though. If anything, this is to inspire
us that sisters and the Lord can be so filled with the Spirit of
God and so bestow with wisdom that they can have a major,
wonderful contribution to blessing God's Kingdom and
advancing His work. That's what we find here.
To say that this is something that supports woman elders is
just an abuse of this text. Take it for what it is.
God uses woman, not just men. God can fill woman with his
spirit and with great insight to actually even help brothers in
the Lord. That's what we're supposed to
take from this. What's more important is the
message that she has for the king and the Kingdom.
Let's read from verse 15 down to 19.
And we're, we're finished here in our study.
And she said to them, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel,
tell the man who sent you to me. Thus says the Lord, Behold, I
will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants.
All the words of the book that the king of Judah has read,
because they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other
gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of
their hands. Therefore my wrath will be
kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched.
But to the King of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord,
thus shall you say to him. Thus says the Lord, the God of
Israel, regarding the words that you have heard, because your
heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the
Lord, when you heard how I spoke against this place and against
its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a
curse. And you have torn your clothes
and have wept before me. I also have heard you declares
the Lord. There are so many things that we
can draw from this message. One thing I want to bring to
your attention before the main thing.
Notice how she begins in verse 15 that says the Lord the God of
Israel. Tell the man who sent you to me,
go to verse 18, but to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire
of the Lord. Holda is inspired by the Spirit
of God to address the king initially as the man.
Is this disrespect? No, it's the Spirit of God
speaking. God wants to emphasize and
remind the king exactly that you are a man.
And the word of God has a way of reminding us who of who we truly
are over and over again, no matter our position, no matter
your accolades, no matter your pedigree, God's word never fails
to humble us if we receive what it has to say.
Yes, she will acknowledge the fact that he is indeed a king, a
leader, But first, Josiah, before God, you're a man.
Josiah had no problem with that. And here's the main thing again.
You can imagine what we can take from this, but I don't want to
overwhelm anyone. My prayer, my sincere prayer, is
that there's one thought that you would leave from this place.
It's this one. This is a strong word.
Judgement is coming not to the Kingdom of Israel.
They already were exiled. It's now coming to the Kingdom
of Judah, and nothing can change it.
It's going to manifest ultimately in their own exile.
This is tragic. It can't get any worse than
this. The people of God being removed,
not just the people of God. We saw that with the Kingdom of
Israel, but the dynasty of David.
This is almost unthinkable, but it's true.
It's going to happen. However, Josiah receives a
personal promise. You are not going to see this in
your lifetime. This judgement that I have
planned will be suspended until you die.
You will not have to witness the horrors of God's chastisement.
You will live in peace. On what basis?
For one incredible reason. This is the main point that I
want us to leave with. Please look again at verse 19.
The Lord says because your heart was penitent and you humbled
yourself before the Lord when you heard how I spoke against
this place. God rewarded Josiah for how he
responded to the word of God when it was read.
Here's what that means for you and I.
The Lord takes into account what happens in your heart every time
you encounter the Scriptures, whether with your eyes or
through your ears. Every single time God looks at
your heart and mind. To see how we respond to the
Word of God. And one of the immediate rewards
is what we find in verse 19, when we have the humility and
the eagerness and the longing to receive from God's Word.
What did you see at the end? I also, I've heard you, declares
the Lord Josiah, because you heard me carefully, humbly,
passionately. I'm going to hear you.
You know what that shows me? God first considers how you hear
Him before He considers how He hears you.
Having trouble in your prayers being answered?
Can I recommend something? How have you been hearing God's
word? What's your heart posture been
like as God's words been preached to you week after week?
How do you hear God's word when you're face to face with it on
your own? What's your heart like?
Because I want to tell you something.
God considers how you hear His word before He even considers
hearing what you have to say to Him.
Because you've heard me, I'm going to hear you.
And I can show you text after text after text from Genesis to
Revelation that proves that same truth over and over again.
If you find yourself nowhere near Josiah's heart posture
toward the Word of God, what have you done about it?
Maybe at one point it was there. Your heart was touched.
It was a top priority in your life.
It has governed every aspect of your existence.
But those convictions are being lost, or they have been lost.
You've deviated from that. Well, have you ever at any point
prayed with the psalmist, prayed, for example, in Psalm
119, verse 36? Incline my heart to your
testimonies and not to selfish gain.
Do something with this art because for too long it's been
dull towards your word. It's been far too easily
distracted and satisfied and lesser pathetic things in this
life. Oh, what does he say, Josiah?
I've been looking and watching. How have you responded to my
words? So now I'm ready to hear what
you have to say. Do we find anything like this in
the New Testament? Absolutely.
If you've been with us in the Gospel of Mark, why don't we end
here? Go to Mark chapter 4 just to see
what Jesus says about this principle.
Mark 4 verse 24 Jesus and verse 24 we read and he said to them,
pay attention to what you hear with the measure you use.
It will be measured to you and still more will be added to you.
For the one who has, more will be given, and for the one who
has not, even what he has will be taken away.
Pay attention to what you hear. Implying what?
That in the presence of God's Word you're not paying
attention. That's possible.
And what happens if I don't pay attention?
Nothing. No, actually no, not nothing.
Over time, whatever you do have, it'll be taken away.
Say, what does that mean? Well, it happens in the natural
many ways. What happens if you stop
exercising? Do you just remain as you are?
How I wish. You lose muscle, you lose
endurance. You lose strength.
What happens if you don't practice a language?
You just stay at that same level of understanding and
communication. Absolutely not.
I can testify to it. You lose.
You lose words, sentences, grammar to the point where you
have to revisit basic language skills and knowledge to retrieve
what you had lost. That's exactly what Jesus is
saying here. Something is dulled, something
is blunted in your spiritual insight over time when you fail
to pay attention continually to the word Word of God.
But what's the reward? If you do?
Then more will be given. Isn't that what we see with
Josiah? More was given.
He had little to work with. But six years later as he's
doing what he can to serve God. Here's the complete book.
And when it's revealed to him, his heart was moved and so God
rewards him even more. You heard me, I'll hear you.
And Josiah, as we're going to find in the next chapter, will
be one of the greatest kings that Judah has ever known.
Let me read the last verse of chapter 22.
The Lord promised to him. Therefore, behold, I will gather
you to your Father's, and you shall be gathered to your grave
in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that
will bring upon this place. And they brought back word to
the king. What would you do if you heard
that God was going to judge the people under your care, not in
your lifetime, but eventually? What kind of motivation would
that leave you with to do anything during your
administration? What you're going to see Josiah
do, even though he would be spared from judgement, even
though judgement was definite, makes him even more
inspirational. But we can't go there yet, can
we? Let's pray.
Father, we've heard your word, We've heard your word about the
Word, and Lord, we're here because we value your word.
But Lord, it's possible to be here and not really be here.
And so we ask you leaving this place, that you would give us
the same spirit as this man who was urgent, who was humble, who
was hungry for the words of this book.
Lord, if any of us possess the spirit of this secretary
chiffon, we may not be evil or outright, outright wicked, but
we're casual. We're preoccupied by other
things in life and in practice. This book is just a book
changes. Lord, we pray what the psalmist
said. I will run in the way of your
commandments when you enlarge my heart.
So enlarge our hearts this evening so that we would chase
after the things of God. Thank you for speaking to us.
Help us with renewed strength and focus to pay attention to
what we hear that we may know your full reward in this life.
We ask these things in the name of the word of God, Jesus
Christ, Amen and Amen. Let's stand and worship the
Lord.