TRUE LOVE OF GOD
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Opening Prayer
Gracious Father, I commit to loving you with all my heart, soul, and mind. In the same spirit, I commit to loving my neighbors as myself!
Read 2 KINGS 22
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
The Book of the Law Found
22 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem 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 followed completely 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, Shaphan son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the Lord. He said: 4 “Go up to Hilkiah 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 honest in their dealings.”
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, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah 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 those who have gone before us 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, Akbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophet Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the New Quarter.
15 She said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, 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 aroused my anger by all the idols their hands have made,[a] 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 a curse[b] and be laid waste—and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. 20 Therefore I will gather you to your ancestors, 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.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 22:17 Or by everything they have done
- 2 Kings 22:19 That is, their names would be used in cursing (see Jer. 29:22); or, others would see that they are cursed.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
We honor God when we read his Word and apply it to our lives. We honor him, too, when we share it with others.
Two events about Josiah, king of Judah, are recorded in this chapter. First, he commands his officials to pay out the money that is in the temple of God and to entrust it to the workers and supervisors there. Josiah makes sure that the funding for the temple project goes to the workers and supervisors without exploitation (vv. 3–7). Second, when Josiah hears the words of the Book of the Law, his reaction is impressive. He tears his robes and weeps before the Lord (vv. 11, 19). He sends the high priest and two officials to inquire of the Lord for himself, for the people, and for all Judah about the judgment written in the book (v. 13). Huldah the prophet points out that God will let Josiah die in peace because of the king’s humility and responsive heart (vv. 19, 20).
We can quickly conclude from these two events that Josiah loves God, because he cares about the temple of the Lord and he responds humbly to the words of the Lord. Some details about Josiah are noteworthy. Impressively, this king knows that the temple workers and supervisors are honest people, to whom the money can be entrusted. This demonstrates that he is a down-to-earth king,
caring about his people. His fervent endeavor to inquire of the Lord about the Book of the Law focuses not only on his own well- being but also on that of his people and the nation. One common point stands out in these events: Josiah’s love of God is reflected in his love for the people.
The Pharisees in Jesus’ time were actively involved in all sorts of religious activities that only reveal their interest in themselves instead of God and other people. True worship is never divorced from loving our neighbors.
Apply
What are ways you can participate in meeting the needs of others outside of your close relationships and affiliations?
Closing prayer
Lord, grant me Josiah’s responsive heart and humility, rightly to love you, myself, and other people, not just with words, but with my actions.
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