Loving the Word of God
After having found the book of the Law inside of the rubbish of the temple, Shaphan opened and began to read the covenant to king Josiah. This was a book that had not been opened in some time and certainly its commands were not being followed. After having heard about the wrath of God that was due to fall upon the people for having repeatedly broken the covenantal laws, king Josiah responded by tearing his clothes and humbling himself before an almighty God. Due to his responsiveness and humbled heart, God showed mercy and His wrath was put off during Josiah’s lifetime.
While speaking of kings and covenants might seem foreign to us “modern” day people, there is much we can learn from king Josiah’s experience. While it was not odd to find the book of the law in a temple, it certainly was odd that it had to be found in the first place! A temple without God’s laws being read? How could one leave out the very word of the one to be worshipped? Lest we be too judgmental, I wonder if we too don’t have a similar problem? We have constant access to the word of God but we often leave it forgotten – hidden in plain site but not opened. Do you know where your Bible is right now? When was the last time you read or attempted to obey it? Do we really consider the ways of God, delight in His decrees and hide His word inside of our hearts each and every day? We live in a world where all issues have become grey and absolute truth has been rejected. More than ever we need to humble our hearts before God and ask Him to teach us the difference between right and wrong. His word is:
God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work
(2 Timothy 3:16-17).
I love serving in God’s kingdom! I want get closer and closer to Jesus Christ so that I might hear His voice and obey His will. This can be very hard to obtain while so many other voices are competing for my attention. His word to me keeps me grounded steadfast in His love and on the narrow path!
