II Chronicles 34:15 “And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.”
Did you ever dream about being the king when you were a kid? I don’t know if Josiah ever dreamed about it, but he was eight years old when he was made king! Can you imagine an eight-year old ruling a country?! What we do know about Josiah is that he “did that which as right in the sight of the LORD” and “in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father.” (verses 2-3)
One of his first orders of business in verse 3 was to “purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.” After he purged out the wicked, he began to repair the house of God (verse 8). While repairing the house of God, Hilkiah, the priest, found a book of the law.
Why did they lose the book in the first place? They disregarded God’s Word because they lost their heart for God. Consequently, they lost what tied them to God as well (the book of the law). So how did they find the book? When they had a heart for God, they found it because they were looking for it! They were seeking God.
There is a great danger of “losing the book” in our everyday lives as well. Sometimes the danger comes in “not having time”; other times we think we “already got it” because we go to church three times a week, attend special revival meetings, or even work in a ministry where we are surrounded by the Book on a daily basis. Still yet, we can simply be content to hear about Bible truth instead of seeing it for ourselves.
Reading the Bible is a very practical thing. You have to give it time-you had better take time. For example, Leviticus will probably require more diligence to find out and think about what God has actually said; but make time to read the Bible. Take a verse, a paragraph, or a short chapter, and think about what you are reading.
Josiah also looked ahead and “caused all that were present . . . to stand to it.” (verse 32) His decision had both a current impact and a future impact on the people and their lives; and God’s Word will do the same for you today.
The point is not one particular system, one certain book of the Bible, or reading to earn some imaginary “badge” to piously display to those around you. Reading God’s Word is a matter of thinking-informing your thinking with what God has said. Think about what you read, look ahead to an application in your life, and ask questions so that you know what God has actually said. Reading the Bible takes time-so take time!
Prayer Requests:
1. Protection and provision for staff
2. Safety for groups driving home from camp tonight and tomorrow
3. Families traveling to the Ranch for Family Week I
Camp Quotes:
“Who is hiding your sin . . . you or God?” (Psalm 32:5,7)
-Evangelist Troy Carlson