1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:04,800 Can we come now together to 2nd Kings chapter 22 And we are 2 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:07,840 going to complete this chapter tonight by the grace of God. 3 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:11,880 And I invite you to come to verse eight of Second Kings 4 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:19,760 chapter 22. There are many things that stir 5 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:24,880 my heart about the Scriptures. One thing that never fails to 6 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:31,120 move my soul is what the Word of God says about itself. 7 00:00:32,759 --> 00:00:37,640 You are very aware that the Bible repeatedly discusses and 8 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:42,280 declares and testifies to its own divine authorship, its 9 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:51,120 reliability, its necessity, sufficiency, and supremacy in 10 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:55,240 sanctifying us and satisfying us. 11 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:00,120 And for us to absorb what the Word of God says about its own 12 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:05,120 revelation is not only instructive, but inspires us to 13 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:09,360 understand the treasure that the Scriptures truly are. 14 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:13,840 Now I bring this up by way of introduction because it leads us 15 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:17,480 perfectly into the very core of our study this evening. 16 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:21,120 You see, what we're going to witness in the rest of this 17 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:25,440 chapter is a pivotal moment in the life of King Josiah and the 18 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:30,760 Kingdom of Judah as a whole. And this transition that is 19 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:36,040 going to take place will be the result of Josiah being 20 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:40,640 encountered by the written Word of God. 21 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:48,120 It is spectacular to see, but we have to remind ourselves of some 22 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:51,720 facts. In the 12th year of Josiah's 23 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:57,960 reign he brought reform to the country, and that continued 24 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:01,280 until the 18th year of his administration. 25 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:06,800 And in the 18th year, he turned his attention to the temple of 26 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:10,720 the Lord, the House of worship, and he sought to repair it 27 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:15,960 because in recent history, and for many years actually, the 28 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:19,320 temple had been neglected. And not just neglected, it had 29 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:27,160 been vandalized by idolatry. And so there is a process that 30 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:32,360 was started by King Josiah. He, he sought to raise funds and 31 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:36,920 he put men to work to see the temple honored again. 32 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:43,520 And it was in that pursuit that a discovery was made by some of 33 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:47,720 Josiah's top officials. And I want you to read with me 34 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:51,040 what it is in Second Kings 22, verse 8. 35 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:56,960 Let's read down to verse 11. And Hilkiah the high priest, 36 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:01,800 said to Chiffon the secretary, I found the book of the law in the 37 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:05,560 House of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to 38 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:10,160 Chiffon, and he read it. And Chiffon the secretary came 39 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:14,160 to the king and reported to the king, Your servants have emptied 40 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:17,240 out the money that was found in the house and have delivered it 41 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:21,120 into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the House 42 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:24,160 of the Lord. Then Chiffon the secretary told 43 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:29,400 the king, Hill Kai, the priest has given me a book, and Chiffon 44 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:34,360 read it before the king. When the king heard the words of 45 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:38,640 the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes. 46 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:48,240 Father, we ask with total sincerity that you would teach 47 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:52,680 us. Lord, we echo the psalmist cry 48 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:55,880 who said, Oh how I love your law. 49 00:03:56,520 --> 00:04:00,920 It is my meditation all the day. Lord, we are people who have 50 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:04,840 gathered here because we love Your law and we pray that you 51 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:08,640 would bring illumination to our hearts that we may understand it 52 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:11,880 the way you've called us to know it, and that we may apply it to 53 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:14,280 our lives the way You've intended it to be applied. 54 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:19,279 Lord, we ask that you would you would truly transform us as a 55 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:21,920 result of what we will uncover here in this passage. 56 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:27,560 We give you maximum glory and honor in advance for what You 57 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:30,080 will do as a result of what we will study. 58 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:32,480 In Jesus name we pray these things. 59 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:40,200 Amen. How strange is it to read that 60 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:48,120 the High Priest found the Book of the Law in the House of God 61 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:53,160 as though its presence there was unexpected. 62 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:58,920 Now most of us here I'm sure understand that the 10 63 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:04,400 Commandments were to be placed in the Ark of the Covenant, but 64 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:09,920 very few remember what item was to be placed beside the Ark of 65 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:12,640 the Covenant. If you need a reference, this is 66 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:16,240 an important one. It's in Deuteronomy 31 verse 26. 67 00:05:16,280 --> 00:05:19,600 I will read it to you. This is what Moses commanded the 68 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:22,880 people of Israel to do before they even entered into the land 69 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:25,520 of promise. He had said this. 70 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:31,920 Take this book of the Law, and put it by the side of the Ark of 71 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:35,520 the Covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a 72 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:42,760 witness against you. So a copy of the law was to be 73 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:47,760 protected and preserved by placing it beside the ark of the 74 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:52,360 Covenant, which resided in the innermost century of the temple. 75 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:57,960 Now if that was where the Book of the Law was to be, then why 76 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:04,600 is it that Hilkiah the priest speaks about it's discovery as 77 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:06,840 though it was a surprising sight? 78 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:12,080 That's the impression that we get here, that Hilkiah finds the 79 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:15,160 book of the Law and he communicates its discovery. 80 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:19,080 But it should be a given. That's where the Book of the Law 81 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:22,920 was to be found. And here's the answer. 82 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:28,600 Because for so long the Word of God was ignored and bypassed by 83 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:33,160 the very people of God. Look back at verse 8 quickly and 84 00:06:33,160 --> 00:06:36,600 notice how Hilkiah gives the book of the law to this man 85 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:38,320 named Shafan, who was a secretary. 86 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:42,280 And we read here that Shafan, when he received it, opened the 87 00:06:42,280 --> 00:06:46,760 book and he began to read it. Now, that seems to imply that 88 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:52,040 there is a level of unfamiliarity, that Shafan here 89 00:06:52,040 --> 00:06:55,800 never engaged with its words before, that he is new to this 90 00:06:55,800 --> 00:07:01,920 content and he's a leader. So here's what you're supposed 91 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:06,600 to get from this, that the leaders in the Kingdom of God 92 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:10,960 don't seem to be very familiar with the oracles of God. 93 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:15,040 This seems to be like a strange thing to them. 94 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:20,200 And if it was unfamiliar to the leaders of this Kingdom, how 95 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:21,880 much more so the rest of the people? 96 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:26,800 In fact, did you see what happened to King Josiah when 97 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:30,640 Chiffon took the book? He updated the king with the 98 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:35,520 recent project of the temple being reconstructed and he 99 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:43,880 mentions how the book was found to what to find the king in 100 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:48,880 utter shock and grief, as though he had never engaged with the 101 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:51,200 word. As though this was the first 102 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:56,240 time that the king himself is hearing the word of God. 103 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:00,680 Now, why should that be a concerning observation for us? 104 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:04,520 Any idea you can answer if you know why is the King's reaction 105 00:08:04,520 --> 00:08:09,040 something that should concern us exactly? 106 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:12,400 We've seen this over and over in our study of the kings. 107 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:17,400 We're told in Deuteronomy 1718 that the kings were to have a 108 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:20,560 personal copy of the law. It was to be approved by the 109 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:23,880 priest, and it was to be read daily by the king. 110 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:29,240 So if King Josiah was to have a copy, then why act in this way 111 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:31,680 when the book of the Law is being read in your presence? 112 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:36,880 Shouldn't you have known it? Shouldn't you been aware? 113 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:43,559 But there's even more to this that makes it so amazing. 114 00:08:44,320 --> 00:08:47,880 Go to Deuteronomy 31. Now look at verse 9. 115 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:51,520 So in Deuteronomy 31, verse 26, we read that the book of the Law 116 00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:53,560 was to be placed beside the Ark of the Covenant. 117 00:08:53,720 --> 00:08:56,600 But before that, Moses gave instructions of what the people 118 00:08:56,600 --> 00:09:01,680 were to do with the book of the Law, at least as a nation. 119 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:04,800 In Deuteronomy 31, nine, we read. 120 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:07,880 Then Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priest, the sons 121 00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:11,160 of Levi, who carried the ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and to 122 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:13,840 all the elders of Israel, and Moses commanded them. 123 00:09:14,120 --> 00:09:18,040 At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of 124 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:22,000 release, at the Feast of Booths, when all Israel comes to appear 125 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:24,880 before the Lord your God at the place that He will choose, you 126 00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:29,120 shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 127 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:36,240 So the priests were to take the law and shine it bright like a 128 00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:40,040 lighthouse to the rest of the nation and faithfully proclaim 129 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:45,160 it and read it to the people. Every seven years this was to 130 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:47,600 take place. They were committed to gather. 131 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:51,000 They were commanded to listen on top of the regular instruction 132 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:54,760 that they would receive by the priest on a daily basis. 133 00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:59,560 Now, if you keep this practice in mind and you realize that 134 00:09:59,880 --> 00:10:03,560 Josiah found the book of the law in the 18th year of his reign, 135 00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:07,840 simple math will show that this observance should have been 136 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:13,440 honored at least twice, at least twice under his government. 137 00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:16,080 And clearly he hasn't. Why? 138 00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:19,840 They just found the book. They just found it. 139 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:25,600 So now we're we're getting idea, an idea of just how dire things 140 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:28,000 are even under Josiah's leadership. 141 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:31,480 And I don't know about you, but when I discovered this, I 142 00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:35,560 thought to myself many things. A flood of questions came to my 143 00:10:35,560 --> 00:10:38,600 mind, but the main one was this second. 144 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:41,880 Kings 22 opens up with a wonderful commendation about 145 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:45,480 Josiah, that he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, 146 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:48,280 that he walked in the ways of David. 147 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:51,960 How did he do that without the book of the law? 148 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:59,760 What standard did Josiah used in the past six years as he was 149 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:09,680 bringing reform to the nation? I believe the best answer is 150 00:11:09,680 --> 00:11:11,960 that there must have been some kind of oral teaching and 151 00:11:11,960 --> 00:11:18,240 tradition that was passed down. And though we're left in the 152 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:23,040 dark with this, there could be fragments of the Scriptures that 153 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:29,600 were preserved and used and shared among the righteous, 154 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:35,640 though incomplete enough to guide Josiah in a righteous 155 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:38,560 direction. Now, I don't want to spend too 156 00:11:38,560 --> 00:11:41,120 much time speculating. What I want to do instead in 157 00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:46,080 this introduction is look at clearly three things, at least 158 00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:51,080 three or three things that are powerfully inspirational 159 00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:55,880 relating to the Word of God. The first thing I want to 160 00:11:55,880 --> 00:11:58,560 observe, and we're all just in verse 8 right now, by the way, 161 00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:02,720 looking at verse 8, at least three things #1 being God's 162 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:06,480 protection over His Word. You won't come to that 163 00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:09,040 conclusion if you read the story in isolation. 164 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:12,160 You have to include the wider narrative of the kings. 165 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:16,400 Think about some of the wicked leaders that sat on the same 166 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:20,040 throne that Josiah was sitting on in our study. 167 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:28,200 Think of Athalia, think of a has, think of Manessa, these 168 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:31,680 individuals that not only promoted idolatry among the 169 00:12:31,680 --> 00:12:37,160 people of God, but even dare to defile the temple of God. 170 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:42,920 And through all those cycles of pollution and persecution, what 171 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:44,840 do you find in the second Kings 22 verse 8? 172 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:50,520 The word of God survived. The Word of God was preserved, 173 00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:56,360 it was untouched, it was kept. That becomes even more 174 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:59,360 remarkable when you realize that so many of the things in the 175 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:03,640 temple were tampered with. Let me give you an example in 176 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:06,200 the parallel account of Second Kings 22. 177 00:13:06,680 --> 00:13:12,400 After they made this discovery, another reformation takes place, 178 00:13:12,920 --> 00:13:15,560 and Josiah now begins to give further instruction. 179 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:19,240 And I want to just read to you what he tells the priest again 180 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:21,120 after they find the book of the Law. 181 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:23,440 Listen to this in Second Chronicles 35. 182 00:13:24,560 --> 00:13:27,640 It says here in verse 2 he appointed the priest to their 183 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:30,520 offices and encouraged them in the service of the House of the 184 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:32,920 Lord. And he said to the Levites, who 185 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:37,280 taught all Israel and who are holy to the Lord, put the holy 186 00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:40,360 ark in the house that Solomon the son of David, king of Israel 187 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:42,560 built. You need not carry it on your 188 00:13:42,560 --> 00:13:44,760 shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and 189 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:48,240 his people Israel. What stands out to you from 190 00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:51,120 that? The Ark of the Covenant was not 191 00:13:51,120 --> 00:13:53,600 in the temple. Where was it? 192 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:57,560 We don't know. So just imagine all the things 193 00:13:57,560 --> 00:14:00,280 that were misplaced, all the things that were again 194 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:08,240 mishandled, dishonored, moved, and yet the Word of God was 195 00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:13,400 found in the House of God. Here's how this applies to us. 196 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:17,920 Throughout Scripture, and even in recorded history following 197 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:25,080 the completion of the Canon, men have dared to try and destroy 198 00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:30,000 the Word of God to no avail. Governments have tried to bury 199 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:36,560 it, burn it, silence it. Philosophers, great thinkers, 200 00:14:37,960 --> 00:14:40,800 religions have attempted to compete with it. 201 00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:45,120 And yet the Word of God, the true Word of God, remains as 202 00:14:45,120 --> 00:14:47,200 relevant as ever. Do you know why? 203 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:51,080 Because God promised that it would endure and abide forever. 204 00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:54,560 He promised that. And this is just a glimpse of 205 00:14:54,560 --> 00:15:00,920 how His invisible hand was guarding His Word and that 206 00:15:00,920 --> 00:15:05,120 through all the evil that was taking place, nothing could 207 00:15:05,120 --> 00:15:09,680 touch what He had provided man concerning himself, God's 208 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:11,560 protection over His Word. That's what we find here in 209 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:14,760 verse 8. But we also see, secondly, God's 210 00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:19,320 reward for the righteous. It would be a great mistake to 211 00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:25,440 assume that the leaders of this Kingdom accidentally stumbled 212 00:15:25,440 --> 00:15:27,560 upon the work and the Word of God. 213 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:33,040 Undoubtedly, this is divine Providence in motion. 214 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:38,600 And when you consider the timing of the book of the law being 215 00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:41,840 discovered, then we are granted a wonderful insight. 216 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:46,280 Think about it. Josiah has proven to the Lord 217 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:51,520 that to the best of his ability he would honor him though he was 218 00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:55,600 limited in his knowledge. He sought to bring pleasure and 219 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:59,680 blessing to the heart of God as he firstly sought to be pious 220 00:15:59,680 --> 00:16:02,120 himself and that promote others to worship the true and living 221 00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:06,160 God. And here's what we find that God 222 00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:10,000 watching his servant as a result of his pure heart and his 223 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:14,880 consistent sacrifice, allowed and arranged for the complete 224 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:20,160 Word of God to be uncovered. For what reason? 225 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:22,640 To bring the Reformation to new heights. 226 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:25,160 That's what we're going to find in Second Kings 23. 227 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:31,440 And this is how we learn. This is what we find in this 228 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:34,720 truth. When you and I are faithful with 229 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:40,160 what we have and what we know now, God is prepared to give us 230 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:44,960 more. God is ready to give you and I 231 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:48,600 more when you are faithful, what you have and what you know now, 232 00:16:50,960 --> 00:16:57,400 greater insight, deeper revelation, and sometimes more 233 00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:00,400 open doors and opportunities for you to advance his work. 234 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:07,400 I see here that God blesses Josiah to do more, to know more 235 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:10,760 because with what he had, he was faithful. 236 00:17:14,319 --> 00:17:17,960 And this is something that challenged me because we're 237 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:23,960 introduced to Josiah at 8 becoming king, and then at 16 he 238 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:30,240 sought God for himself, and then at 20 he led a spiritual reform 239 00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:35,200 and he did all of that without a Bible. 240 00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:41,240 Does that convict anybody else? That convicts me. 241 00:17:43,320 --> 00:17:50,840 So what excuse do you and I have in our lack of pursuit of the 242 00:17:50,840 --> 00:17:54,760 Lord, in our slothfulness and serving God, when God has given 243 00:17:54,760 --> 00:17:57,400 us everything that we need to know about Him? 244 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:01,840 That stirred me. That moved me. 245 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:08,120 You have a man, you had a teenager at 16 and later at 20 246 00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:14,960 who stood out in history for his walk with God, and he didn't 247 00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:22,360 even have the Bible. We should be the most motivated 248 00:18:22,360 --> 00:18:24,080 generation in all of church history. 249 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:33,240 The access that we have to the Word of God, the availability to 250 00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:37,120 men of God who bring greater light to the Word of God, 251 00:18:38,360 --> 00:18:42,440 everything that is at our disposal should make us the most 252 00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:46,920 energized and faithful generation of Christians that 253 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:52,080 has ever been known. The third thing, we're still in 254 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:57,040 verse 8. The third thing to consider is 255 00:18:57,040 --> 00:19:02,400 God's warning to His church. This is how this passage should 256 00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:05,800 alarm us. You and I have to be careful not 257 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:08,840 to lose the Word of God in the House of God. 258 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:17,760 It's tragically possible for churches and their buildings to 259 00:19:17,760 --> 00:19:25,720 possess Bibles yet lose it in practice because they don't read 260 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:33,880 it carefully, they don't study it passionately, and more 261 00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:37,760 importantly, they rarely apply it the way it's calling us to 262 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:43,440 apply it. This story serves as a sobering 263 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:47,840 reminder of how ministries can display Bibles. 264 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:50,520 Yet those Bibles may hold no authority over the leadership in 265 00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:53,920 the people. Was the Bible in the temple? 266 00:19:54,000 --> 00:20:01,680 Yes, but it was layered with dust unless it is cracked open 267 00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:08,040 and actually read and expounded and explained and obeyed. 268 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:10,760 It doesn't matter how many Bibles you have. 269 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:13,560 It doesn't matter if you have Bible in the name of your 270 00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:18,560 church. Is it any wonder that corruption 271 00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:21,360 persisted for so long in the land? 272 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:25,320 This is where the Word of God has been all, all along. 273 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:31,720 It was buried, it was in the dark, and surely because of 274 00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:37,320 that, it played a major role in the erosion of society. 275 00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:41,800 Here's what that means for us. If we don't value God's Word in 276 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:45,000 here, why should we expect them to be curious about it out 277 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:48,760 there? If it's not something that we 278 00:20:48,760 --> 00:20:52,040 treasure and we value and we sing about and we love to learn 279 00:20:52,040 --> 00:20:55,920 from and more importantly, to live by, why will people out 280 00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:58,520 there care for it? They won't. 281 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:05,160 So this is a warning that you can lose the Bible in a church. 282 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:11,160 It can be there, you can put it on something like that, but 283 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:16,120 until it is read, until it is digested, until it is lived, 284 00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:24,880 we're not fulfilling its design. Speaking of valuing God's Word, 285 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:27,760 there's a character in this story that stood out to me, and 286 00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:33,440 he can easily be overlooked. Chiffon, the secretary, not much 287 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:37,360 is said about him, but what we do have about him reveals that 288 00:21:37,360 --> 00:21:39,720 he must have been a faithful servant. 289 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:43,200 He was a support to the king and his efforts. 290 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:47,160 There is no hint whatsoever that he was to face or that he was 291 00:21:47,160 --> 00:21:48,920 suspicious or that he was wicked. 292 00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:54,840 And why I mentioned Shafan here is because for our instruction 293 00:21:55,320 --> 00:21:59,280 we read about his reaction to the Word of God. 294 00:21:59,840 --> 00:22:07,480 And I believe it's a reflection on how some believers fail to 295 00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:09,600 esteem the Scriptures as they ought to. 296 00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:14,440 Here's what I mean by that. First thing I want you to notice 297 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:19,680 is this man Chiffon and his initial reaction to the Word of 298 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:23,360 God being read. Look back at verse 8 and Helkaid 299 00:22:23,360 --> 00:22:26,000 the high priest said to Chiffon the secretary, I found the book 300 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:28,920 of the law in the House of the Lord, and Helkaid gave the book 301 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:32,360 to Chiffon and he read it. Where's the reaction? 302 00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:36,240 There isn't any saying what's the big deal? 303 00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:38,640 Well, I think there's a big deal when you compare it to how 304 00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:41,400 Josiah responds to it. You remember what he did. 305 00:22:41,520 --> 00:22:44,080 Look again at verse 11. When the king heard the words of 306 00:22:44,080 --> 00:22:45,760 the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes. 307 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:51,560 Huh. Why did the king react this way 308 00:22:52,320 --> 00:22:56,840 and not the other leaders, including the priest, Chiffon, 309 00:22:56,840 --> 00:22:59,160 and the priest? They didn't tear their clothes, 310 00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:02,800 but the king did. I think that's telling. 311 00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:07,520 And this analysis of Chiffon only becomes more convincing 312 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:08,720 when you look at the second thing. 313 00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:12,480 The second thing I want you to notice is the priority of his 314 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:14,480 news when he brought an update to the king. 315 00:23:15,360 --> 00:23:18,200 Look again at verse 9. And Chiffon the secretary came 316 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:19,600 to the king and reported to the king. 317 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:22,680 Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the 318 00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:25,480 house and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have 319 00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:27,000 the oversight of the House of the Lord. 320 00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:30,280 Then Chiffon the secretary told the king, he'll kind. 321 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:36,840 The priest has given me a book. What was on Chiffon's mind as a 322 00:23:36,840 --> 00:23:43,880 priority? The money, the workmen, the 323 00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:48,040 physical repair of the temple. And then he brought up the fact 324 00:23:48,440 --> 00:23:55,600 that they found the Bible as though the Word of God was an 325 00:23:56,080 --> 00:24:01,080 afterthought. Is that possible for Christians 326 00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:05,040 too? Absolutely. 327 00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:11,520 It's most definitely possible for Christians even to not have 328 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:14,680 the Word of God as their priority, neither in their 329 00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:21,040 ambitions nor their affections. There are more important things 330 00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:24,920 to attend to. There are more exciting things 331 00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:32,960 to discuss. And we find here that there is 332 00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:35,960 insight, perhaps to why it is. And maybe you're in this place 333 00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:43,200 and you can't figure out why you find greater excitement and 334 00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:48,240 thrill and delight in other things more than the glorious 335 00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:55,400 truth of God's Word. Perhaps Chiffon's perception of 336 00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:59,200 the Scriptures teaches us something, which is our final 337 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:03,400 observation. Did you notice how this man 338 00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:07,600 references the Book of the Law? Look again at verse 10. 339 00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:11,600 What does he say? Then Chiffon the secretary told 340 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:14,920 the king. Hilkiah, the priest has given me 341 00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:23,720 a book. Wait a minute, Chiffon, you were 342 00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:26,240 in the temple when Hilkiah told you what? 343 00:25:27,360 --> 00:25:35,040 The book of the Law has been found, and you took it with you. 344 00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:40,880 You walked to the king and you said, Oh yeah, by the way, 345 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:47,800 Hilkiah found a book. How do you see the Bible? 346 00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:54,400 Is it just a book among other books? 347 00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:58,960 Of course not. Innumerable books have been 348 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:00,960 written about this incomparable book. 349 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:07,280 But we have to go beyond acknowledging the Bible's 350 00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:09,680 uniqueness. You can't just stay there. 351 00:26:10,120 --> 00:26:13,720 You have to establish what the Bible truly is if you're ever, 352 00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:18,040 and I'm ever going to have the chance of feasting on it. 353 00:26:19,880 --> 00:26:25,840 I read somewhere that the Bible is the heart of God in print. 354 00:26:27,360 --> 00:26:29,280 What a simple but breathtaking thought. 355 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:34,480 The Bible is the heart of God in print. 356 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:38,720 Absolutely it is. And you and I have to believe 357 00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:44,640 that this book is an inexhaustible, life giving, soul 358 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:48,240 transforming collection of divine truth miraculously 359 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:54,560 provided and protected by God Himself, for you to know who He 360 00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:59,560 is and become more like Him. That's the Bible. 361 00:27:01,360 --> 00:27:05,640 I have read quite a few books, but I can say with total honesty 362 00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:09,280 that after reading through it once, I put it on my shelf never 363 00:27:09,280 --> 00:27:13,000 to visit it again. I've never been able to do that 364 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:15,320 with the Bible. Do you know why? 365 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:22,280 Because it's God's voice. That's why when you read this 366 00:27:22,280 --> 00:27:27,520 word or hear it being read, you are hearing God speak. 367 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:38,000 And if you don't see this Bible for the gift that it is, the 368 00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:42,160 miraculous DNA that it possesses, then you are in 369 00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:45,360 danger of just seeing it as a book. 370 00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:51,960 Now you wouldn't say that you're a Christian, but in practice it 371 00:27:51,960 --> 00:28:00,880 may just be to you another book. Unlike Shafan, Josiah's heart 372 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:02,560 recognized that this is not just any book. 373 00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:07,240 It was God's book. And if we truly believe that 374 00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:10,680 this is the word of the Lord, then I am sure that we will 375 00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:14,880 respond to it and like manner we will see some similar 376 00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:18,680 characteristics in Josiah. Let me show you what I mean. 377 00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:22,720 We stopped at verse 11, but let's now continue in verse 12. 378 00:28:23,360 --> 00:28:26,640 And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Haikam the son 379 00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:29,080 of Shafan, and Akbar the son of Micaiah. 380 00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:32,240 And she found the secretary, and Asahi the King's servant, 381 00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:35,480 saying, Go, inquire the Lord for me, and for the people, and for 382 00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:38,720 all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been 383 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:40,720 found. For great is the wrath of the 384 00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:43,480 Lord that is kindled against us because our fathers have not 385 00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:47,320 obeyed the words of this book to do according to all that is 386 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:53,280 written concerning us. Verse 11 to verse 13. 387 00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:57,880 What do we see here? The appropriate response to the 388 00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:00,520 written Word of God, Number one, verse 11. 389 00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:02,920 God's word has to touch your heart. 390 00:29:04,920 --> 00:29:06,840 What does the king do when he hears the words? 391 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:10,840 He tears his clothes. A sign of great mourning, of 392 00:29:10,840 --> 00:29:15,000 loss, of grief. Clearly Shafan pass through some 393 00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:18,880 of the passages about judgement as we're going to see, but the 394 00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:24,400 the the clothes being torn was a was a symptom was a reaction to 395 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:27,760 a heart that's been touched. Here's what you have to ask 396 00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:29,080 yourself. Please ask yourself this. 397 00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:32,120 Does God's word touch your heart or does it just tickle your 398 00:29:32,120 --> 00:29:34,720 brain? Big difference. 399 00:29:36,840 --> 00:29:39,640 I'm not saying that you have to cry every time that you hear you 400 00:29:39,640 --> 00:29:43,840 hear a sermon or you come to your devotions, but does it move 401 00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:45,800 the innermost part of who you are? 402 00:29:49,480 --> 00:29:51,840 Does it touch you? Does it stir you? 403 00:29:51,840 --> 00:29:55,640 Do you carry it with you in your heart? 404 00:29:56,440 --> 00:29:58,120 That's what we see here with this man. 405 00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:02,400 He didn't just sit back and analyze. 406 00:30:03,520 --> 00:30:08,120 He didn't just compare. It was like a harpoon to the 407 00:30:08,120 --> 00:30:12,680 chest. It penetrated the seat of his 408 00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:17,680 emotions, sure, but also the throne of his will, his 409 00:30:17,680 --> 00:30:22,040 perception, his worldview, his inlook, his outlook. 410 00:30:22,240 --> 00:30:27,920 Does the Bible do that to you? But the word of God inflaming 411 00:30:27,920 --> 00:30:31,720 our feelings is is not the main thing. 412 00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:37,760 What we find in verse 12, the Bible became top priority. 413 00:30:37,760 --> 00:30:41,200 The word of God, the will of God became priority number one to 414 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:42,520 this man. How do we know that? 415 00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:48,320 Well, he summons not one, but five of his top officials to 416 00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:52,480 fetch for a profit, to receive greater guidance and clarity 417 00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:56,080 about what he had just heard. Question Does it take five 418 00:30:56,080 --> 00:31:00,720 people to find somebody? No, you just need one. 419 00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:05,520 So why does he find 5 of the leaders? 420 00:31:06,320 --> 00:31:08,560 Because he wants to stop everything else. 421 00:31:09,080 --> 00:31:12,480 This is emergency protocol. We need to find a prophet who's 422 00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:16,360 going to give us light on what we just heard, and he gets the 423 00:31:16,360 --> 00:31:23,680 best of his men to do so. So unlike Chiffon, this is top 424 00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:29,120 priority to the king. What is the Bible rank for you? 425 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:36,680 How high do you esteem it? How much do you Revere it? 426 00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:41,040 What's the worth that you've placed on the written Word of 427 00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:44,120 God? You know what this man does? 428 00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:48,200 Stop everything. Stop absolutely everything. 429 00:31:48,280 --> 00:31:50,360 I needed to know where to go from here. 430 00:31:50,880 --> 00:31:59,560 I can't remain in the dark. Lastly, verse 13, the Word of 431 00:31:59,560 --> 00:32:04,680 God being read. Move this king into action. 432 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:10,360 Go inquire of the Lord for me #1 for me. 433 00:32:12,960 --> 00:32:16,520 He talks about the people and Judah after, but first for me. 434 00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:22,120 This is important for preachers. The Word of God has to cut your 435 00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:23,680 heart before it cuts anybody else's. 436 00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:27,000 It has to move you before it moves anybody else. 437 00:32:28,160 --> 00:32:31,160 It has to be applied to you in terms of application, in terms 438 00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:35,600 of change, repentance, before it can be issued to anybody else. 439 00:32:35,960 --> 00:32:39,080 What does this mean for me, me, me, me. 440 00:32:39,640 --> 00:32:42,480 And then how does this apply to my role as a leader? 441 00:32:45,320 --> 00:32:49,160 So in the mind of this king, the Word of God effects and 442 00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:50,960 influences every aspect of his life. 443 00:32:50,960 --> 00:32:53,120 There's not one compartment that's left untouched. 444 00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:56,080 Me and the people, the nation, me as a king. 445 00:32:56,080 --> 00:32:57,600 What, what, what do I have to do now? 446 00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:03,840 What does this imply? How much does the Word of God 447 00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:10,120 govern your life? Some parts? 448 00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:16,000 Just your morning time? Or is it harnessed? 449 00:33:18,280 --> 00:33:21,040 Is it something that guides you and directs you and informs you 450 00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:26,040 and shapes your thinking and rebukes you where you're wrong 451 00:33:26,040 --> 00:33:28,960 and comforts you where you need encouragement? 452 00:33:31,080 --> 00:33:33,960 This man shows us exactly where the Word of God needs to be, 453 00:33:33,960 --> 00:33:43,000 everywhere, every part. And so they go, and as they go 454 00:33:43,840 --> 00:33:53,400 we see something interesting. Verse 14 So al Qaeda priest and 455 00:33:53,400 --> 00:33:57,520 Haikam and Akbar and Shafan and Isaiah went to hold out the 456 00:33:57,520 --> 00:34:00,600 prophetess. The wife of Shalom, the son of 457 00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:03,920 Tikvah, son of Har has keeper of the wardrobe. 458 00:34:04,280 --> 00:34:07,080 Now she lived in Jerusalem in the second quarter and they 459 00:34:07,080 --> 00:34:15,239 talked with her. Who was the prophet that was 460 00:34:15,239 --> 00:34:17,679 working with Josiah during his reform? 461 00:34:18,360 --> 00:34:21,679 Anybody remember good Jeremiah? Was there another one? 462 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:25,920 We didn't mention this in our Bible study, but it's worth 463 00:34:25,920 --> 00:34:28,080 bringing up. Now apart from Jeremiah, who 464 00:34:28,080 --> 00:34:32,719 else did God raise up to assist the king and bringing the people 465 00:34:32,719 --> 00:34:36,719 to the Lord? Zephaniah. 466 00:34:38,120 --> 00:34:39,360 You can look at this in your own time. 467 00:34:39,679 --> 00:34:42,040 Zephaniah 11. We're told there that the man 468 00:34:42,040 --> 00:34:45,239 Zephaniah was commissioned by God during the reign of Josiah. 469 00:34:46,440 --> 00:34:51,880 Those are prominent prophets. So you have these two leading 470 00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:57,280 prophetic voices in the land. Why did the king dispatch his 471 00:34:57,280 --> 00:35:01,560 man to go to hold that? The prophetess who's Holder and 472 00:35:01,560 --> 00:35:09,640 not to Jeremiah or Zephaniah? We're not told, but I believe 473 00:35:09,640 --> 00:35:13,520 the fact that we are told here where she lived may give us a 474 00:35:13,520 --> 00:35:15,160 clue. Where did she live? 475 00:35:15,560 --> 00:35:18,800 In Jerusalem in the second quarter, which was in close 476 00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:26,280 proximity to the Temple. I think this shows that Holder 477 00:35:26,280 --> 00:35:31,200 was more readily available to receive a word from the Lord and 478 00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:35,080 give it by extension to the King and the leaders, while the other 479 00:35:35,080 --> 00:35:39,240 prophets were not as accessible. The fact that her address is 480 00:35:39,240 --> 00:35:43,000 mentioned may be an indication that she was someone that could 481 00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:48,040 be easily reached. Moreover, there is no indication 482 00:35:48,040 --> 00:35:51,280 that hold of the Prophet has had a wide public ministry, a public 483 00:35:51,280 --> 00:35:54,680 ministry at all. What's more likely is that she 484 00:35:54,680 --> 00:35:58,040 was a gifted woman who had great insight and sensitivity to the 485 00:35:58,040 --> 00:36:02,960 Spirit of God who from time to time was approach for private 486 00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:06,760 consultation because obviously she was known, she wasn't just a 487 00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:11,440 random prophetess. I mentioned this in passing 488 00:36:11,440 --> 00:36:14,160 because you'll have some who will point to halt of the 489 00:36:14,160 --> 00:36:18,000 Prophetess as a proof text that women can be spiritual leaders 490 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:21,160 in the church. And there is absolutely no 491 00:36:21,160 --> 00:36:25,000 indication that Hall that possesses any kind of authority 492 00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:28,960 over any man. In fact, we're specifically told 493 00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:34,520 what that she is the wife of Shalom and Shalom was what in 494 00:36:34,520 --> 00:36:37,840 charge of the wardrobe, which was most likely the wardrobe of 495 00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:41,960 the priests. So this is not a text that you 496 00:36:41,960 --> 00:36:45,120 can go to to say women can be pastors. 497 00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:50,680 Now she's a flash on the pan. She appears very quickly and she 498 00:36:50,680 --> 00:36:55,160 disappears just as fast. That is not the discount that 499 00:36:55,160 --> 00:36:59,280 God uses her, though. If anything, this is to inspire 500 00:36:59,280 --> 00:37:02,320 us that sisters and the Lord can be so filled with the Spirit of 501 00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:06,440 God and so bestow with wisdom that they can have a major, 502 00:37:06,440 --> 00:37:09,320 wonderful contribution to blessing God's Kingdom and 503 00:37:09,320 --> 00:37:12,120 advancing His work. That's what we find here. 504 00:37:13,480 --> 00:37:16,640 To say that this is something that supports woman elders is 505 00:37:16,640 --> 00:37:20,840 just an abuse of this text. Take it for what it is. 506 00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:26,040 God uses woman, not just men. God can fill woman with his 507 00:37:26,040 --> 00:37:29,880 spirit and with great insight to actually even help brothers in 508 00:37:29,880 --> 00:37:31,560 the Lord. That's what we're supposed to 509 00:37:31,560 --> 00:37:36,200 take from this. What's more important is the 510 00:37:36,200 --> 00:37:39,240 message that she has for the king and the Kingdom. 511 00:37:39,840 --> 00:37:42,400 Let's read from verse 15 down to 19. 512 00:37:42,400 --> 00:37:44,120 And we're, we're finished here in our study. 513 00:37:45,280 --> 00:37:49,080 And she said to them, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 514 00:37:49,480 --> 00:37:54,400 tell the man who sent you to me. Thus says the Lord, Behold, I 515 00:37:54,400 --> 00:37:58,320 will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants. 516 00:37:58,640 --> 00:38:01,560 All the words of the book that the king of Judah has read, 517 00:38:01,840 --> 00:38:05,440 because they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other 518 00:38:05,440 --> 00:38:08,960 gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of 519 00:38:08,960 --> 00:38:11,520 their hands. Therefore my wrath will be 520 00:38:11,520 --> 00:38:15,040 kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched. 521 00:38:15,600 --> 00:38:18,400 But to the King of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, 522 00:38:18,640 --> 00:38:22,080 thus shall you say to him. Thus says the Lord, the God of 523 00:38:22,080 --> 00:38:25,440 Israel, regarding the words that you have heard, because your 524 00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:28,720 heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the 525 00:38:28,720 --> 00:38:32,640 Lord, when you heard how I spoke against this place and against 526 00:38:32,640 --> 00:38:35,600 its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a 527 00:38:35,600 --> 00:38:37,880 curse. And you have torn your clothes 528 00:38:37,880 --> 00:38:42,160 and have wept before me. I also have heard you declares 529 00:38:42,840 --> 00:38:47,760 the Lord. There are so many things that we 530 00:38:47,760 --> 00:38:52,400 can draw from this message. One thing I want to bring to 531 00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:54,120 your attention before the main thing. 532 00:38:55,120 --> 00:38:58,920 Notice how she begins in verse 15 that says the Lord the God of 533 00:38:58,920 --> 00:39:02,720 Israel. Tell the man who sent you to me, 534 00:39:05,080 --> 00:39:09,000 go to verse 18, but to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire 535 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:12,880 of the Lord. Holda is inspired by the Spirit 536 00:39:12,880 --> 00:39:17,440 of God to address the king initially as the man. 537 00:39:19,800 --> 00:39:22,040 Is this disrespect? No, it's the Spirit of God 538 00:39:22,040 --> 00:39:27,680 speaking. God wants to emphasize and 539 00:39:27,680 --> 00:39:31,680 remind the king exactly that you are a man. 540 00:39:34,920 --> 00:39:37,600 And the word of God has a way of reminding us who of who we truly 541 00:39:37,600 --> 00:39:42,720 are over and over again, no matter our position, no matter 542 00:39:42,720 --> 00:39:47,440 your accolades, no matter your pedigree, God's word never fails 543 00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:49,600 to humble us if we receive what it has to say. 544 00:39:50,840 --> 00:39:53,520 Yes, she will acknowledge the fact that he is indeed a king, a 545 00:39:53,520 --> 00:39:58,880 leader, But first, Josiah, before God, you're a man. 546 00:40:00,760 --> 00:40:05,000 Josiah had no problem with that. And here's the main thing again. 547 00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:08,880 You can imagine what we can take from this, but I don't want to 548 00:40:08,880 --> 00:40:13,160 overwhelm anyone. My prayer, my sincere prayer, is 549 00:40:13,160 --> 00:40:15,760 that there's one thought that you would leave from this place. 550 00:40:15,800 --> 00:40:19,760 It's this one. This is a strong word. 551 00:40:20,240 --> 00:40:23,400 Judgement is coming not to the Kingdom of Israel. 552 00:40:23,400 --> 00:40:26,200 They already were exiled. It's now coming to the Kingdom 553 00:40:26,200 --> 00:40:29,040 of Judah, and nothing can change it. 554 00:40:29,560 --> 00:40:32,400 It's going to manifest ultimately in their own exile. 555 00:40:32,920 --> 00:40:36,200 This is tragic. It can't get any worse than 556 00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:37,880 this. The people of God being removed, 557 00:40:38,040 --> 00:40:40,680 not just the people of God. We saw that with the Kingdom of 558 00:40:40,680 --> 00:40:43,240 Israel, but the dynasty of David. 559 00:40:44,880 --> 00:40:47,320 This is almost unthinkable, but it's true. 560 00:40:47,320 --> 00:40:52,640 It's going to happen. However, Josiah receives a 561 00:40:52,640 --> 00:40:58,560 personal promise. You are not going to see this in 562 00:40:58,560 --> 00:41:01,560 your lifetime. This judgement that I have 563 00:41:01,560 --> 00:41:05,440 planned will be suspended until you die. 564 00:41:06,200 --> 00:41:11,000 You will not have to witness the horrors of God's chastisement. 565 00:41:13,480 --> 00:41:17,440 You will live in peace. On what basis? 566 00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:22,680 For one incredible reason. This is the main point that I 567 00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:26,200 want us to leave with. Please look again at verse 19. 568 00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:32,280 The Lord says because your heart was penitent and you humbled 569 00:41:32,280 --> 00:41:38,600 yourself before the Lord when you heard how I spoke against 570 00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:48,280 this place. God rewarded Josiah for how he 571 00:41:48,280 --> 00:41:51,880 responded to the word of God when it was read. 572 00:41:55,600 --> 00:41:56,800 Here's what that means for you and I. 573 00:41:58,040 --> 00:42:05,680 The Lord takes into account what happens in your heart every time 574 00:42:05,680 --> 00:42:11,640 you encounter the Scriptures, whether with your eyes or 575 00:42:11,640 --> 00:42:17,760 through your ears. Every single time God looks at 576 00:42:17,760 --> 00:42:21,560 your heart and mind. To see how we respond to the 577 00:42:21,560 --> 00:42:28,800 Word of God. And one of the immediate rewards 578 00:42:28,800 --> 00:42:33,320 is what we find in verse 19, when we have the humility and 579 00:42:33,320 --> 00:42:37,040 the eagerness and the longing to receive from God's Word. 580 00:42:37,680 --> 00:42:44,280 What did you see at the end? I also, I've heard you, declares 581 00:42:44,280 --> 00:42:51,360 the Lord Josiah, because you heard me carefully, humbly, 582 00:42:51,920 --> 00:42:54,240 passionately. I'm going to hear you. 583 00:42:54,240 --> 00:43:00,640 You know what that shows me? God first considers how you hear 584 00:43:00,640 --> 00:43:03,280 Him before He considers how He hears you. 585 00:43:07,560 --> 00:43:11,120 Having trouble in your prayers being answered? 586 00:43:11,120 --> 00:43:13,880 Can I recommend something? How have you been hearing God's 587 00:43:13,880 --> 00:43:18,440 word? What's your heart posture been 588 00:43:18,440 --> 00:43:23,040 like as God's words been preached to you week after week? 589 00:43:24,640 --> 00:43:27,000 How do you hear God's word when you're face to face with it on 590 00:43:27,000 --> 00:43:28,400 your own? What's your heart like? 591 00:43:29,480 --> 00:43:30,600 Because I want to tell you something. 592 00:43:31,120 --> 00:43:34,320 God considers how you hear His word before He even considers 593 00:43:34,320 --> 00:43:35,720 hearing what you have to say to Him. 594 00:43:36,840 --> 00:43:39,440 Because you've heard me, I'm going to hear you. 595 00:43:39,840 --> 00:43:43,520 And I can show you text after text after text from Genesis to 596 00:43:43,520 --> 00:43:48,280 Revelation that proves that same truth over and over again. 597 00:43:54,200 --> 00:44:00,520 If you find yourself nowhere near Josiah's heart posture 598 00:44:00,800 --> 00:44:03,840 toward the Word of God, what have you done about it? 599 00:44:05,040 --> 00:44:09,440 Maybe at one point it was there. Your heart was touched. 600 00:44:10,320 --> 00:44:12,240 It was a top priority in your life. 601 00:44:12,920 --> 00:44:16,240 It has governed every aspect of your existence. 602 00:44:16,840 --> 00:44:20,280 But those convictions are being lost, or they have been lost. 603 00:44:20,400 --> 00:44:26,200 You've deviated from that. Well, have you ever at any point 604 00:44:26,920 --> 00:44:29,800 prayed with the psalmist, prayed, for example, in Psalm 605 00:44:29,800 --> 00:44:32,840 119, verse 36? Incline my heart to your 606 00:44:32,840 --> 00:44:34,720 testimonies and not to selfish gain. 607 00:44:35,080 --> 00:44:39,920 Do something with this art because for too long it's been 608 00:44:39,920 --> 00:44:43,800 dull towards your word. It's been far too easily 609 00:44:43,800 --> 00:44:50,760 distracted and satisfied and lesser pathetic things in this 610 00:44:50,760 --> 00:44:56,880 life. Oh, what does he say, Josiah? 611 00:44:56,880 --> 00:44:59,640 I've been looking and watching. How have you responded to my 612 00:44:59,640 --> 00:45:01,000 words? So now I'm ready to hear what 613 00:45:01,000 --> 00:45:05,200 you have to say. Do we find anything like this in 614 00:45:05,200 --> 00:45:06,760 the New Testament? Absolutely. 615 00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:09,440 If you've been with us in the Gospel of Mark, why don't we end 616 00:45:09,440 --> 00:45:12,720 here? Go to Mark chapter 4 just to see 617 00:45:12,720 --> 00:45:15,320 what Jesus says about this principle. 618 00:45:22,200 --> 00:45:36,960 Mark 4 verse 24 Jesus and verse 24 we read and he said to them, 619 00:45:37,440 --> 00:45:41,560 pay attention to what you hear with the measure you use. 620 00:45:41,560 --> 00:45:44,800 It will be measured to you and still more will be added to you. 621 00:45:45,160 --> 00:45:48,960 For the one who has, more will be given, and for the one who 622 00:45:48,960 --> 00:45:52,520 has not, even what he has will be taken away. 623 00:45:54,360 --> 00:45:56,880 Pay attention to what you hear. Implying what? 624 00:45:57,600 --> 00:46:00,600 That in the presence of God's Word you're not paying 625 00:46:00,600 --> 00:46:01,960 attention. That's possible. 626 00:46:04,920 --> 00:46:06,640 And what happens if I don't pay attention? 627 00:46:06,640 --> 00:46:08,960 Nothing. No, actually no, not nothing. 628 00:46:09,680 --> 00:46:14,640 Over time, whatever you do have, it'll be taken away. 629 00:46:17,480 --> 00:46:20,080 Say, what does that mean? Well, it happens in the natural 630 00:46:20,080 --> 00:46:22,600 many ways. What happens if you stop 631 00:46:22,600 --> 00:46:25,440 exercising? Do you just remain as you are? 632 00:46:26,480 --> 00:46:31,960 How I wish. You lose muscle, you lose 633 00:46:31,960 --> 00:46:34,400 endurance. You lose strength. 634 00:46:35,640 --> 00:46:38,200 What happens if you don't practice a language? 635 00:46:38,800 --> 00:46:41,640 You just stay at that same level of understanding and 636 00:46:41,640 --> 00:46:43,080 communication. Absolutely not. 637 00:46:43,080 --> 00:46:46,720 I can testify to it. You lose. 638 00:46:47,560 --> 00:46:53,200 You lose words, sentences, grammar to the point where you 639 00:46:53,200 --> 00:46:58,520 have to revisit basic language skills and knowledge to retrieve 640 00:46:58,800 --> 00:47:01,400 what you had lost. That's exactly what Jesus is 641 00:47:01,400 --> 00:47:04,480 saying here. Something is dulled, something 642 00:47:04,480 --> 00:47:09,880 is blunted in your spiritual insight over time when you fail 643 00:47:10,040 --> 00:47:16,280 to pay attention continually to the word Word of God. 644 00:47:16,560 --> 00:47:17,960 But what's the reward? If you do? 645 00:47:18,840 --> 00:47:20,960 Then more will be given. Isn't that what we see with 646 00:47:20,960 --> 00:47:22,680 Josiah? More was given. 647 00:47:22,680 --> 00:47:26,120 He had little to work with. But six years later as he's 648 00:47:26,120 --> 00:47:28,840 doing what he can to serve God. Here's the complete book. 649 00:47:30,000 --> 00:47:32,960 And when it's revealed to him, his heart was moved and so God 650 00:47:32,960 --> 00:47:35,920 rewards him even more. You heard me, I'll hear you. 651 00:47:37,040 --> 00:47:39,400 And Josiah, as we're going to find in the next chapter, will 652 00:47:39,400 --> 00:47:41,240 be one of the greatest kings that Judah has ever known. 653 00:47:41,520 --> 00:47:43,440 Let me read the last verse of chapter 22. 654 00:47:44,080 --> 00:47:46,720 The Lord promised to him. Therefore, behold, I will gather 655 00:47:46,720 --> 00:47:49,240 you to your Father's, and you shall be gathered to your grave 656 00:47:49,240 --> 00:47:52,360 in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that 657 00:47:52,360 --> 00:47:56,720 will bring upon this place. And they brought back word to 658 00:47:57,000 --> 00:48:01,360 the king. What would you do if you heard 659 00:48:01,360 --> 00:48:08,160 that God was going to judge the people under your care, not in 660 00:48:08,160 --> 00:48:13,120 your lifetime, but eventually? What kind of motivation would 661 00:48:13,120 --> 00:48:15,320 that leave you with to do anything during your 662 00:48:15,320 --> 00:48:20,320 administration? What you're going to see Josiah 663 00:48:20,320 --> 00:48:23,040 do, even though he would be spared from judgement, even 664 00:48:23,040 --> 00:48:25,920 though judgement was definite, makes him even more 665 00:48:25,920 --> 00:48:29,360 inspirational. But we can't go there yet, can 666 00:48:29,360 --> 00:48:30,960 we? Let's pray. 667 00:48:55,040 --> 00:48:59,800 Father, we've heard your word, We've heard your word about the 668 00:48:59,800 --> 00:49:06,640 Word, and Lord, we're here because we value your word. 669 00:49:08,520 --> 00:49:12,520 But Lord, it's possible to be here and not really be here. 670 00:49:15,880 --> 00:49:20,960 And so we ask you leaving this place, that you would give us 671 00:49:20,960 --> 00:49:30,000 the same spirit as this man who was urgent, who was humble, who 672 00:49:30,000 --> 00:49:33,360 was hungry for the words of this book. 673 00:49:36,160 --> 00:49:38,880 Lord, if any of us possess the spirit of this secretary 674 00:49:38,880 --> 00:49:45,000 chiffon, we may not be evil or outright, outright wicked, but 675 00:49:45,000 --> 00:49:48,160 we're casual. We're preoccupied by other 676 00:49:48,160 --> 00:49:53,680 things in life and in practice. This book is just a book 677 00:49:55,280 --> 00:49:59,840 changes. Lord, we pray what the psalmist 678 00:49:59,840 --> 00:50:02,680 said. I will run in the way of your 679 00:50:02,680 --> 00:50:04,880 commandments when you enlarge my heart. 680 00:50:05,680 --> 00:50:10,760 So enlarge our hearts this evening so that we would chase 681 00:50:10,760 --> 00:50:15,240 after the things of God. Thank you for speaking to us. 682 00:50:15,920 --> 00:50:21,080 Help us with renewed strength and focus to pay attention to 683 00:50:21,080 --> 00:50:25,160 what we hear that we may know your full reward in this life. 684 00:50:26,080 --> 00:50:29,720 We ask these things in the name of the word of God, Jesus 685 00:50:29,720 --> 00:50:33,960 Christ, Amen and Amen. Let's stand and worship the 686 00:50:33,960 --> 00:50:34,200 Lord.