sign in sign up
<<
Home , 2 Kings 22, Ahikam, Asaiah, Hilkiah, Shaphan

P a g e | 1

Third Presbyterian Church Tuesday Study Tour – Lesson 96 – The Book of the Law Found

2 Kings 22:1-20 (NIV) 1 was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in thirty-one years. His mother's name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left. 3 In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the LORD. He said: 4 "Go up to the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the LORD, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people. 5 Have them entrust it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. And have these men pay the workers who repair the temple of the LORD-- 6 the carpenters, the builders and the masons. Also have them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the temple. 7 But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are acting faithfully." 8 Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, "I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the LORD." He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. 9 Then Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him: "Your officials have paid out the money that was in the temple of the LORD and have entrusted it to the workers and supervisors at the temple."

10 Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king. 11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes. 12 He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and the king's attendant: 13 "Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD's anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us." 14 Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophetess , who was the wife of son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District. 15 She said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of , says: Tell the man who sent you to me,

16 'This is what the LORD says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book the king of Judah has read. 17 Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and provoked me to anger by all the idols their hands have made, my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.' 18 Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, 'This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: 19 Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD. 20 Therefore I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.'" So they took her answer back to the king.

P a g e | 2

Questions

1. What does it indicate about the spiritual condition of Judah that the Book of the Law had been missing for a long time? A. How valuable is the bible to you? Why? B. How do you think your life would look if the bible were to disappear for 10 years? C. What do you think society would look like if the bible was wiped from existence for 10 years? D. Do you actually feel that society is impacted by the bible? why? How? 2. In verse 11, the king heard the words of the Book of the Law he tore his robes. A. What is the most convicting thing you have ever heard from the Bible or a sermon? B. How did it change you from that point forward? 3. What are some of the different ways people respond when they hear that they are not obeying God? A. Why do they respond that way in your opinion? B. What are some ways you can share a message of a Christian living ungodly without coming across judgmental? 4. When Josiah realized that his people had not been obeying God he tore his clothes. A. Name something you thought was godly but learned that it was not and how did you learn of it? B. What was your reaction to your discovery? 5. What is one concrete step can you take to make sure that God’s Word is not lost to you and your family? 6. Because Josiah tore his robes when he heard of the people actions against God, he was spared disaster. Please share with the group an instance where your repentance to God spared you from something devastating? 7. What one thing will you concentrate on in order to have an attitude of consistent faithful service to God?

P a g e | 3

E. The Godly Reign of Josiah (Part 1)—His Temple Restoration and Discovery of God's Word: Two Major Concerns of the Believer, 22:1-20 (22:1-20) Introduction— World, Beautiful and Good, Evidence— Goodness, Nature, of World, Evidence— Mankind, Goodness of, Evidence— Righteousness, Acts of, Listed— World History, Power Shift, from Assyria to : when we look around at the world—thoughtfully and honestly—we see beauty within nature and in the attractiveness of people and their behavior. An honest evaluation also reveals people who are loving, kind, honest, just, caring, and helpful in ministry. People are seen encouraging one another and doing good deeds. They are also seen worshipping the true and living God, as God has instructed, loving one another and spreading the message of righteousness and love across the world. These two matters, righteousness and the worship of the true and living God, are the concerns to be dealt with in this passage of Holy Scripture. This is the story of Josiah, the great-grandson of , the most godly king who had ever ruled over the Southern . But when Josiah came upon the scene, his righteousness exceeded even that of Hezekiah. Among all the kings of Judah and Israel, there were only four reformers: Asa, , Hezekiah, and Josiah. Commentators considered Hezekiah and Josiah the most important because of the major reforms they carried out during their administrations. In looking at the politics of Josiah's day, one sees a major shift in power that needs to be noted. Russell Dilday gives an excellent summary of the power shift:

Momentous events were erupting around the biblical world in 638 B.C. when Josiah came to the throne in Jerusalem in 638 B.C. As the powerful influence of Assyria was waning, the savage invasion of the Scythians emerged on the horizon and lasted until 624 B.C. Finally, in 612 B.C. the capital of Assyria fell before a combined army of Scythians, Medes, and Babylonians. That paved the way for the ominous rise to world power of Babylon, whose "innocent" envoys had visited the court of Josiah's great-grandfather (2 Kings 20:12). In 627 B.C. the articulate voice of , reinforced by the preaching of Zephaniah and Nahum, began to be heard in Judah. While not one of these events is mentioned in this historical account of Josiah's reign, they must have had an enormous impact on the king, both during his formative years and during the active years of his national reforms.

In covering the life and reforms instituted by Josiah, five major events are discussed, two of which are in 2 Kings 22 and three in . Each of these events paints the picture of a deep concern that should fill the heart of every person. This is: The Godly Reign of Josiah (Part 1)—His Temple Restoration and Discovery of God's Word: Two Major Concerns of the Believer, 22:1-20.

1. (22:1-7) Righteousness, Concern for— Godliness, Example of— Testimony, of Godliness— Temple, Restoration of— Josiah, King of Judah, Reign of— Southern Kingdom of Judah, Kings of: in beginning the story of Josiah, two facts are immediately emphasized: his godliness and his restoration of the temple. Remember that his father Amon had been assassinated by his own royal officials, most likely a priestly party (2 Kings 21:23-26). Afterward, the people had reacted in a popular uprising and executed the king's assassins, placing Josiah upon the throne to succeed his father. Most likely the assassins had been anti-Assyrians, and the group who reacted against them and placed Josiah on the throne were pro-Assyrians who had feared retaliation from Assyria. Whatever the political reasons for the assassination, there was a deep concern by the godly leaders that the Davidic line, a true descendent of David, continue upon the throne. Thus, the story of Josiah begins.

1. Josiah was just a young boy when he began to reign, only eight years old (2 Kings 22:1). This meant that he was under the control and guidance of others until he became old enough to govern the nation on his own. P a g e | 4

Including the years of his rule as a child, he governed the nation for 31 years. He was killed in a battle with Egypt, dying at the young age of 39. His mother was Jedidah, who was probably a godly woman who reared her son Josiah in the knowledge of the LORD and gave him strong spiritual counsel. 2. Someone definitely had a strong, spiritual influence upon young Josiah, for he lived a righteous life in the sight of the LORD (2 Kings 22:2). In fact, Scripture says that he followed the godly example of David, never deviating from the righteous example set by the ancient king.

3. During his reign, Josiah had two major concerns: the restoration of the temple and the true worship of the LORD, the only living and true God (2 Kings 22:3-7). Because of his godly, righteous upbringing, a deep concern for worshipping the LORD was bound to grip the young king's heart. When he reached the age of 26— the eighteenth year of his reign—he made the critical decision to restore the temple and to reinstitute the true worship of the living LORD. Turning to his chief official, the secretary of state affairs, Shaphan, he directed him to manage the restoration project. Four clear instructions were given to the secretary of state:

⇒to assign the fundraising for the project to the High Priest Hilkiah (2 Kings 22:4) ⇒ to use the voluntary gifts from the worshippers to repair the temple ⇒ to give the money to the construction supervisors (2 Kings 22:5) ⇒ to have the supervisors use the money to pay the workers and to purchase the materials for the restoration project (2 Kings 22:6) Although the secretary of state was the general manager of the project, the supervisors were to be trusted with the money. Because of their honesty, there was no need to keep an account of the money. They were both responsible and faithful supervisors of the restoration project.

Thought 1. Josiah had a deep concern for righteousness and for true worship. The same concerns should grip our hearts. For righteousness and true worship determine our destiny, both individually and corporately, as a society and nation. Righteousness builds a character of integrity within people, and righteous individuals build up a nation. If a person is righteous, he is honest, just, true, moral, and law- abiding. He not only keeps the laws of the land but he also works diligently at his job in order to make a significant contribution to society. Righteousness builds the character of the individuals. And when there are enough of us with righteous characters, we build a nation of righteousness, a nation of enormous strength. As we will see, this was the experience of Josiah; and it can be the experience of any of us. Josiah had another concern from which we can also learn, the concern for true worship. True worship also determines our destiny. Common sense tells us this. Think about this glorious truth: God exists; He is living and He is loving. Therefore, if we worship the true and living God, then He is bound to accept us. He is the LORD God of the universe who created the world and all that is in it. He even sent His very own Son to die for our sins because He loves us so much. For that reason, it is God and God alone—the only true and living God—who is to be worshipped. Listen to what God's Holy Word says about these two concerns, concerns that should grip every one of our hearts: 1) The concern for righteousness must grip us.

"For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20). "Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame" (1 Cor. 15:34). P a g e | 5

"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness" (Ephes. 6:13-14). "Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God" (Phil. 1:11). "But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses" (1 Tim. 6:11-12).

2) The concern for consistent, faithful worship of the only living and true God must grip us.

"Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve" (Matthew 4:10). "And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read" (Luke 4:16). "And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen" (Luke 24:52-53).

2. (22:8-20) Word of God, Discovered by, Josiah— Word of God, Importance of— Law, Book of, Discovered— Bible, Importance of— Scriptures, Importance of— Josiah, Discovery of the Book of the Law— Hilkiah, Discovered God's Law— Huldah, a Prophetess, Predicted Judah's Fall— Judah, Fall of, Predicted: while restoring the temple, a most amazing, exciting discovery was made. God's Holy Word, "The Book of the Law," was discovered in the temple. For decades God's Word had been lost, at least for 75 years. For when the 55 years of 's reign is added to the 2 years of his son Amon's reign and to the 18 years of Josiah's childhood, God's Word had not been available to the people for at least 75 years. The significance of finding the scroll of God's Holy Word cannot be overemphasized.

How much of the law was discovered? Was it just the Ten Commandments? Or the , which was sometimes called "The Book of the Law"? Or was it the entire Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament? Scripture does not say, but considering that all Scripture seems to have been lost prior to this discovery and that copies of the Pentateuch were later passed down through the centuries even up into the present time, what was found was most likely the entire Pentateuch. Whatever the case, an exciting account of the discovery and the significant impact it had upon the nation is dramatically described by Scripture. 1. The High Priest himself was the person who discovered the Book of the Law in the temple (2 Kings 22:8). When the secretary of state Shaphan visited the construction site, the High Priest gave the Book of the Law to him. Note that the secretary of state read it. 2. Once Shaphan had read the book, he returned to King Josiah and gave the king a progress report on the construction project (2 Kings 22:9-10). Once the business matters were out of the way, he informed the king that a book had been discovered by the High Priest in the temple. He then read portions of the book to the king. 3. Sitting there listening to God's Word being read, King Josiah suddenly came under conviction. The fear of God and His judgment struck the king's heart and he began to weep (2 Kings 22:19). He actually tore his robes in an act of mourning over his sins and repentance before the LORD (2 Kings 22:11, 19). After gaining his P a g e | 6 composure, Josiah appointed a delegation to study the book and to seek the LORD for a full explanation of its message (2 Kings 22:12-13). The delegation included the following persons: ⇒ Hilkiah, the High Priest ⇒ Ahikam, who was the son of the secretary of state Shaphan ⇒ Asaiah, who was one of the king's royal officials 4. Only one charge was given to the delegation: to study and learn the meaning of the message in the book (2 Kings 22:13). Under heavy conviction from the LORD, Josiah gave two reasons for giving this charge to the delegation: ⇒ because the LORD's anger burned against him and his people in judgment ⇒ because they and their ancestors had sinned and disobeyed the LORD, not keeping the commandments that were written in the book Perhaps the covenant promises and curses of God are what was read (see outline—• Leviticus 26:1-46; outline—• Deut. 27–28; notes—• Leviticus 26:1-46; and notes—• Deut. 27–28). Whatever the Scripture was, Josiah was under deep conviction and sensed a desperate need to know if the judgments read to him were to take effect upon Judah. He needed to know if God would have mercy upon him and his people. Sensing deep conviction before the LORD, Josiah was compelled to unravel the meaning of the Scripture.

5. In seeking the LORD for the meaning, the delegation consulted with the prophetess Huldah (2 Kings 22:14-15). This prophetess was the wife of Shallum, who was the keeper of the royal wardrobe. She and her husband lived in Jerusalem, in a section known as the Second District. Jerusalem seems to have been divided into two districts or quarters (Neh. 3:9-12; Zeph. 1:10). Considering that this is the only time the prophetess Huldah is mentioned, it is interesting that the LORD would choose her for this most important task. For during these days, three well-known prophets were active throughout the nation of Judah: Nahum, Zephaniah, and Jeremiah. No reason is given by Scripture for God's choosing the prophetess Huldah over the three well-known prophets. Whatever reason we might give would be mere speculation. Regardless of the reason, the LORD honored this woman, the prophetess Huldah. The LORD gave her the important task of predicting the coming judgment of God's hand. She was commissioned by God to share the meaning of His Holy Word that had recently been discovered.

6. The prophetess declared that God was going to judge and destroy the city of Jerusalem and its people (2 Kings 22:16-20). Everything the king had read written in the book was to be executed (2 Kings 22:16-17): ⇒ because the people had forsaken the LORD and worshipped false gods ⇒ because the people had provoked the LORD to anger But despite the terrifying message of judgment in the book, the LORD had a very special message for King Josiah himself. God had heard his prayer: ⇒ because his heart had been tender, responsive to the Word of God ⇒ because he had grieved, showing deep concern over the people's sin and the coming judgment upon them ⇒ because he had humbled himself and wept before the LORD in personal repentance (2 Kings 22:18-19) For these three reasons God would show mercy to Josiah by doing two wonderful things for him (2 Kings 22:20). First, when he died, he would experience the peace of God within his heart. Second, he would personally escape God's judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem, be spared the sight of the coming anguish and condemnation of the people because of their sins.

P a g e | 7

Thought 1. What a lesson for us! To Josiah and his people, the Word of God had been lost. To many of us, the Word of God has been lost. For years, we have neglected and ignored His Word, acting as though we do not believe the Bible is the written Word of God. But if we truly believe that the Bible is God's Word, we must feast upon it. We must learn what God has to say to us. For if the Bible truly is what it claims to be, God's Word, and we have ignored and neglected it, what will God say to us when we face Him? Above all that is to be feared in this life is the neglect or denial of God and His Holy Word. Nothing on this earth is as important as doing exactly what God's Word says, obeying Him and keeping His commandments. But before we can keep His commandments, we must know what His commandments are. And there is only one way to learn God's commandments: by studying His Holy Word. Listen to what God says about His Holy Word:

"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me" (John 5:39). "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you" (John 15:3). "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth" (John 17:17). "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name" (John 20:31). "Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus" (Acts 1:16).

Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary - The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible – 2 Kings.