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The Word is Found Again · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe,
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  Speaker 1: I have found the book of the law in the
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  Speaker 1: house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan,
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  Speaker 1: and he read it. 2 Kings 22.8 Dear Father, I
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  Speaker 1: will not allow my age or the maturity of my
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  Speaker 1: knowledge in my given space to stop me from relying
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  Speaker 1: on you and your word. Give me the heart of
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  Speaker 1: King Josiah. Give me the passion and dedication to observe
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  Speaker 1: your ways, no matter what I face or what I
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  Speaker 1: may be going through. Like the reading in 2 Kings
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  Speaker 1: 22 and 2 Chronicles 34, I too am making the decision,
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  Speaker 1: I too am making the decision to seek after and
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  Speaker 1: to stay in your holy word. I will praise you
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  Speaker 1: as I read through the Bible. knowing that between the
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  Speaker 1: pages are promises forevermore. Today I will rejoice in what
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  Speaker 1: you rejoice in. I will cry over what grieves you,
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  Speaker 1: because I now know that the level of my activity
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  Speaker 1: is connected to the level of my purity. Therefore realign
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  Speaker 1: my sight, fix my focus on you, and give me
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  Speaker 1: the strength to tear down any walls that hinder me.
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  Speaker 1: from living in your presence. In Jesus' name, amen. Thanks
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  Speaker 1: for making prayer a priority in your life. To hear
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  Speaker 1: the Bible come to life, stay tuned for The Bible
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  Speaker 1: in a Year, brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: The word is found again. In our last story, we
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  Speaker 2: learned of the wicked kings Manasseh and Ammon. Their evil
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  Speaker 2: knew no limits. They openly sacrificed their own children at
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  Speaker 2: the altar of false gods and mocked God himself. They
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  Speaker 2: provoked him and beckoned him into conflict. Manasseh learned his lesson,
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  Speaker 2: but Ammon did not. Now, out of the evil seed
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  Speaker 2: of Manasseh, a redeeming force for good emerges. King Josiah
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  Speaker 2: is raised up as a pillar to Judah. His devotion
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  Speaker 2: to God and dedication to kindness begins to restore Judah's heart.
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  Speaker 2: Inspired by the book of 2 Chronicles and 2 Kings.
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  Speaker 3: I'm so glad you joined us on the Bible in
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  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. But before we get to today's episode,
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  Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would absolutely love
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  Speaker 3: to send you my daily devotional that will give you
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  Speaker 3: fresh encouragement every single morning and day. From the moment
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  Speaker 3: we wake up to the moment our head finally hits
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  Speaker 3: the pillow, there are thousands of things demanding our attention.
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  Speaker 3: But it's in the midst of all this crush and
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  Speaker 3: hustle and bustle that you and I need peace and
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  Speaker 3: truth in God's Word. That's why I want to help
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  Speaker 3: you spend time each day growing in God's life-giving, life-changing
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  Speaker 3: word by sending you my free daily email devotional, PowerPoint Today.
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  Speaker 3: So visit jackgram.org to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional.
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  Speaker 3: That's jackgram.org, jackgram.org. In our last reading, we heard how
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  Speaker 3: Manasseh lived in wickedness and darkness for years. defying, mocking, blaspheming,
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  Speaker 3: angering God with his idolatry and murderous ways. And yet,
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  Speaker 3: when he turned back to God in genuine repentance, God
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  Speaker 3: showed him mercy and restored Manasseh to a relationship with him.
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  Speaker 3: It's a reminder to us that God is not willing
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  Speaker 3: that any should perish, but that all should come to
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  Speaker 3: repentance according to the scripture. He is always ready to
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  Speaker 3: forgive when we turn our hearts to him. Today, we'll
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  Speaker 3: hear about King Josiah, the grandson of Manasseh who lived
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  Speaker 3: as a righteous man, a God-fearing king. Josiah would usher
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  Speaker 3: in a new era of prosperity and faithfulness to God
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  Speaker 3: in Judah. So, let's now turn to God's Word.
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  Speaker 2: One afternoon, little Josiah was playing in the courtyards of
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  Speaker 2: the palace. He chased butterflies and pretended to be a
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  Speaker 2: mighty warrior. He was a mere boy of eight, filled
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  Speaker 2: with laughter and joy. He had no idea that his
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  Speaker 2: father was laying in his bed, assassinated only a few
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  Speaker 2: yards away. King Amon's life had ended the night before,
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  Speaker 2: along with Josiah's childhood. Later that morning, Josiah was swept
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  Speaker 2: away in a flurry of meetings and ceremonies. Before the
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  Speaker 2: day had ended, Josiah was crowned king over Judah. Eight-year-old
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  Speaker 2: Josiah was now responsible for the entire well-being of God's people.
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  Speaker 2: The title of king was daunting for any man, let
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  Speaker 2: alone an eight-year-old boy. If Josiah was to lead, he
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  Speaker 2: needed aid, not just from counselors and elders, but from God.
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  Speaker 2: Josiah leaned on the wisdom of the Lord. In many ways,
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  Speaker 2: Josiah was able to maintain a childlike faith towards God
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  Speaker 2: because he was a child himself. The pride and lust
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  Speaker 2: that gripped most kings' hearts had no effect on him.
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  Speaker 2: He was a boy in need of love. and the
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  Speaker 2: Lord provided it. Josiah pleased God with all he did.
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  Speaker 2: He did not turn to the right or to the left.
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  Speaker 2: When Josiah was 16, he began to dive deep into
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  Speaker 2: the law and worship of God. He filled his mind
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  Speaker 2: with useful philosophy and history. He sat in the presence
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  Speaker 2: of the priests and learned about the ways of the Lord.
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  Speaker 2: At age 20, Josiah began a purge of all the
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  Speaker 2: idols erected by his father. He knew that it was
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  Speaker 2: not enough to throw away these idols. He had to
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  Speaker 2: make a statement. So Josiah chopped down the altars of
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  Speaker 2: Baals and ground them into a powder. As a symbol
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  Speaker 2: of their demise, he scattered the powder over the graves
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  Speaker 2: of dead pagan priests and worshippers. Josiah went from city
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  Speaker 2: to city, destroying every idol and false god he could find.
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  Speaker 2: He did as his great-grandfather Hezekiah did. He knew that
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  Speaker 2: the minds of the people were clouded with those idols.
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  Speaker 2: In the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign, he had cleansed
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  Speaker 2: the land of all its idols. He sent his governors
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  Speaker 2: Shaphan and Maasiah to repair broken parts of the temple.
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  Speaker 2: They hired stonemasons and carpenters to repair the shattered altars
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  Speaker 2: and broken beams. The plan was to pay all the
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  Speaker 2: workers with some of the wealth in the temple. So
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  Speaker 2: Hilkiah the priest went deep into the temple to find
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  Speaker 2: some of the gold stored down below. This part of
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  Speaker 2: the temple was dusty and hidden. Some of the priests
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  Speaker 2: had kept it secret while the wicked king Amon was
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  Speaker 2: in power. As Hilkiah was collecting some coin to pay
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  Speaker 2: the workers, he stumbled upon a large dusty scroll resting
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  Speaker 2: on the edge of an altar. Hilkiah's eyes were fixed
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  Speaker 2: on it and drawn to it. He walked slowly towards
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  Speaker 2: it and loosened the bindings gently. The scroll was old
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  Speaker 2: and had collected a large amount of dust. As Hilkiah
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  Speaker 2: scanned the scroll's contents, his eyes lit up. Hilkiah rolled
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  Speaker 2: up the scroll and ran up to Shaphan. I have
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  Speaker 2: found it, Hilkiah yelled. I have found the book of
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  Speaker 2: the law written by Moses. The entire sanctuary erupted in
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  Speaker 2: gasps and applause. The scroll had been lost and forgotten
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  Speaker 2: for a long time. In it was documentation of the
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  Speaker 2: covenant between God and Israel in the wilderness. It was
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  Speaker 2: one of the original documents preserved from Moses and a
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  Speaker 2: precious reminder of God's love for his chosen people. Shaphan
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  Speaker 2: brought the scroll to the king. Together they read it
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  Speaker 2: in its entirety. Josiah's eyes glared at the pages with
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  Speaker 2: curiosity and amazement. For decades, the people had been without
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  Speaker 2: this specific document. Josiah could hardly help but cry. Shaphan
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  Speaker 2: looked at Josiah as he wept. At first, he thought
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  Speaker 2: they were tears of joy, but soon realized they were
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  Speaker 2: tears of sorrow. What troubles the king? Shaphan asked. Isn't
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  Speaker 2: this a happy thing? Josiah shook his head. He placed
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  Speaker 2: his hand on the written word and said, This book
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  Speaker 2: speaks of promises unkept. The king looked at the governor intensely.
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  Speaker 2: Our fathers made a covenant with God, a covenant that
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  Speaker 2: God was faithful to keep. However, our fathers from Jerusalem
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  Speaker 2: to Samaria have done nothing but disobey him. Josiah slid
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  Speaker 2: his fingers across the words. He was troubled by Judah
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  Speaker 2: and Israel's departure from God. We must repent before wrath
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  Speaker 2: comes upon us. Lord knows we would deserve it. Quick,
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  Speaker 2: go find someone in the land that can hear the
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  Speaker 2: voice of God. We must have clarity. So Shaphan left
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  Speaker 2: in search of a prophet. Days had passed and Josiah's
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  Speaker 2: anxiety had increased. He wrestled in his heart regarding Judah's future.
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  Speaker 2: He loved his country, but he also knew that they
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  Speaker 2: had strayed from God far too many times to go
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  Speaker 2: without consequence. If God would not punish them, certainly he
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  Speaker 2: would at least allow for their past sins to catch
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  Speaker 2: up to them. As Josiah paced in his chambers, the
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  Speaker 2: doors opened. Shaphan entered the room with a woman by
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  Speaker 2: the name of Huldah. She was a woman of God,
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  Speaker 2: well respected and a prophetess. Josiah had her sit and
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  Speaker 2: the two spoke of what was to come. Josiah poured
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  Speaker 2: out his heart before her. He spoke of his fear
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  Speaker 2: that the Lord would punish Judah as he did Israel.
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  Speaker 2: Huldah looked at her king with admiration and pity. Listen
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  Speaker 2: to the word of the Lord, she said softly. Disaster
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  Speaker 2: will come upon Judah because they have forsaken him. They
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  Speaker 2: continually slip into idolatry and openly provoke me with their wickedness.
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  Speaker 2: I will pour out my wrath like molten fire, and
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  Speaker 2: it shall not be quenched. A chill shot up Josiah's spine,
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  Speaker 2: and his heart began to break. However, she was not finished.
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  Speaker 2: Because your heart was humble before God, and you have
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  Speaker 2: done your best to reconcile the people to me, destruction
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  Speaker 2: shall not come in your lifetime. Josiah raised himself up
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  Speaker 2: and beckoned the elders of Israel to the temple. He
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  Speaker 2: would not allow this word to quench his devotion to God.
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  Speaker 2: He had the priests lay out the scroll before the
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  Speaker 2: elders and read from it. The words danced out of
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  Speaker 2: the priests' mouth. They filled the air like a sweet aroma.
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  Speaker 2: The elders of Israel were enthralled by the word of
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  Speaker 2: God pouring into their hearts. Then Josiah led them in
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  Speaker 2: a rededication to keeping the Lord's promises. Although the end
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  Speaker 2: of Judah was near, God had a plan to redeem
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  Speaker 2: his people. The old way was slowly passing, and making
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  Speaker 2: way for a new and better covenant. A covenant not
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  Speaker 2: dependent on the obedience of man, but by the goodness
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  Speaker 2: of God himself. Josiah's new promise to God was a
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  Speaker 2: mere image of good things to come. However, this new
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  Speaker 2: plan would not come without struggle, and there was still
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  Speaker 2: much pain to endure.
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  Speaker 3: In today's scripture, we meet another young king, crowned as
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  Speaker 3: ruler of Judah at just, amazingly, eight years of age.
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  Speaker 3: Though he was very young, Josiah did not exhibit the
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  Speaker 3: immaturity of many young people. Josiah sat with priests and
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  Speaker 3: absorbed everything that he could. At an early age, he
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  Speaker 3: was well studied in God's law, and his heart was
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  Speaker 3: fastened onto the ways of God. There's no better way
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  Speaker 3: for a young person to begin their life than this.
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  Speaker 3: The Bible says, remember your creator in the days of
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  Speaker 3: your youth. When he was just 20 years of age,
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  Speaker 3: Josiah began the task of undoing so much of what
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  Speaker 3: his father Amon had done in defiling God's land and
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  Speaker 3: his people. So Josiah tore down the altars of sin
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  Speaker 3: and wickedness. But this was just the beginning. He symbolically
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  Speaker 3: crushed the idols into dust and burned the bones of
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  Speaker 3: the pagan priests. Josiah meant business. He was cleansing the
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  Speaker 3: land of evil in God's name, and the Lord blessed
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  Speaker 3: him for it. In the 18th year of his reign,
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  Speaker 3: Josiah began to repair God's temple. Like his ancestor David,
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  Speaker 3: Josiah knew that although no structure could contain the Lord God,
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  Speaker 3: the Lord desired and deserved a place of honor and
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  Speaker 3: praise and recognition in the great city of Jerusalem. The
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  Speaker 3: temple would call people to worship their God and the
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  Speaker 3: one who is always faithful to his own. As the
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  Speaker 3: temple was being cleansed and repaired, a priest named Hilkiah
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  Speaker 3: came upon a treasure. It did not shine like gold
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  Speaker 3: or emeralds, but it was a much greater treasure for
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  Speaker 3: God's people. Hilkiah found a scroll containing the law of Moses.
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  Speaker 3: This may not seem like a big deal to you
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  Speaker 3: and me, but to the people of Judah, this was
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  Speaker 3: a reminder of the trustworthiness of God and the generational
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  Speaker 3: connection they had with their past, and the great leader
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  Speaker 3: of the nation, Moses, who delighted to deliver God's law
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  Speaker 3: and to keep God's law. But as joyous as this
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  Speaker 3: discovery was, as the scroll was read aloud, Josiah tore
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  Speaker 3: his clothes in a sign of mourning. Hearing all that
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  Speaker 3: was in God's law, there was no missing the fact
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  Speaker 3: that Judah had failed to keep it, not once, but
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  Speaker 3: again and again. When confronted with this fact, Josiah sought
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  Speaker 3: guidance from the Lord, saying in 2 Chronicles 34 21, Go,
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  Speaker 3: inquire of the Lord for me and for those who
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  Speaker 3: are left in Israel and in Judah concerning the words
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  Speaker 3: of the book that has been found. For great is
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  Speaker 3: the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us,
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  Speaker 3: because our fathers have not kept the word of God
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  Speaker 3: to do according to all that is written in his book.
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  Speaker 3: Josiah knew that they must repent of all the wrong
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  Speaker 3: that they had done. Repentance means that you're going in
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  Speaker 3: one direction the wrong way, but you turn around and
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  Speaker 3: meet God and trust him and go in a brand
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  Speaker 3: new direction with new conviction. We may try to justify
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  Speaker 3: our sin or the way that we're living our life,
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  Speaker 3: the direction we're going, but it's always a mistake to
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  Speaker 3: run from God, to walk away from God. And it's
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  Speaker 3: always the right thing to do to return to him.
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  Speaker 3: Josiah sent Shaphan, one of his governors, to find a
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  Speaker 3: prophet to inquire of the Lord. Shaphan returned with a
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  Speaker 3: prophetess named Huldah. She heard Josiah's words and his convictions
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  Speaker 3: and responded with the truth of God's word. Judah had
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  Speaker 3: indeed been unfaithful and disobedient. And for this, they would
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  Speaker 3: be judged and feel the wrath of God. But because
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  Speaker 3: of Josiah's earnest attempts to make things right, disaster would
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  Speaker 3: not come in his lifetime. Though this may have brought
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  Speaker 3: some comfort, unlike Hezekiah before him, Josiah was grieved at
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  Speaker 3: the eventual judgment that would come upon his people. He
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  Speaker 3: called the priests and the people to dedicate themselves to
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  Speaker 3: the Lord and not turn again from him. Josiah was
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  Speaker 3: committed to keeping the Lord's commandments, even though destruction was
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  Speaker 3: coming to Judah ultimately. And while Judah would endure punishment
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  Speaker 3: and God's wrath, the Lord had not abandoned his people.
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  Speaker 3: Rescue would one day come, and God would send the
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  Speaker 3: ultimate answer to the problem of sin and judgment in
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  Speaker 3: the world. He would send the Messiah, the Savior. The
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  Speaker 3: Lord himself would come to be our Savior. Dear God,
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  Speaker 3: thank you for Josiah's example of goodness and faithfulness. Thank
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  Speaker 3: you for the lesson that we've heard today on repentance
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  Speaker 3: and seeking your face and turning from our evil ways.
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  Speaker 3: Help us too to repent and not make excuses when
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  Speaker 3: we sin. In Christ's name, amen. Thank you for listening
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  Speaker 3: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham
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  Speaker 3: from Dallas, Texas. And before we go, I want you
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  Speaker 3: to know that I would love to send you my
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  Speaker 3: daily devotional to give you fresh encouragement every single day.
• 16:51
  Speaker 3: So visit jackgraham.org to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional.
• 16:56
  Speaker 3: That's jackgraham.org.