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2 Kings 22 (Part 3) Bible Study (Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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Can we come now together to 2nd Kings chapter 22 And we are
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going to complete this chapter tonight by the grace of God.
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And I invite you to come to verse eight of Second Kings
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chapter 22. There are many things that stir
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my heart about the Scriptures. One thing that never fails to
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move my soul is what the Word of God says about itself.
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You are very aware that the Bible repeatedly discusses and
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declares and testifies to its own divine authorship, its
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reliability, its necessity, sufficiency, and supremacy in
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sanctifying us and satisfying us.
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And for us to absorb what the Word of God says about its own
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revelation is not only instructive, but inspires us to
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understand the treasure that the Scriptures truly are.
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Now I bring this up by way of introduction because it leads us
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perfectly into the very core of our study this evening.
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You see, what we're going to witness in the rest of this
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chapter is a pivotal moment in the life of King Josiah and the
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Kingdom of Judah as a whole. And this transition that is
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going to take place will be the result of Josiah being
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encountered by the written Word of God.
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It is spectacular to see, but we have to remind ourselves of some
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facts. In the 12th year of Josiah's
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reign he brought reform to the country, and that continued
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until the 18th year of his administration.
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And in the 18th year, he turned his attention to the temple of
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the Lord, the House of worship, and he sought to repair it
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because in recent history, and for many years actually, the
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temple had been neglected. And not just neglected, it had
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been vandalized by idolatry. And so there is a process that
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was started by King Josiah. He, he sought to raise funds and
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he put men to work to see the temple honored again.
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And it was in that pursuit that a discovery was made by some of
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Josiah's top officials. And I want you to read with me
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what it is in Second Kings 22, verse 8.
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Let's read down to verse 11. And Hilkiah the high priest,
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said to Chiffon the secretary, I found the book of the law in the
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House of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to
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Chiffon, and he read it. And Chiffon the secretary came
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to the king and reported to the king, Your servants have emptied
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out the money that was found in the house and have delivered it
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into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the House
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of the Lord. Then Chiffon the secretary told
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the king, Hill Kai, the priest has given me a book, and Chiffon
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read it before the king. When the king heard the words of
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the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.
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Father, we ask with total sincerity that you would teach
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us. Lord, we echo the psalmist cry
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who said, Oh how I love your law.
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It is my meditation all the day. Lord, we are people who have
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gathered here because we love Your law and we pray that you
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would bring illumination to our hearts that we may understand it
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the way you've called us to know it, and that we may apply it to
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our lives the way You've intended it to be applied.
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Lord, we ask that you would you would truly transform us as a
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result of what we will uncover here in this passage.
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We give you maximum glory and honor in advance for what You
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will do as a result of what we will study.
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In Jesus name we pray these things.
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Amen. How strange is it to read that
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the High Priest found the Book of the Law in the House of God
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as though its presence there was unexpected.
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Now most of us here I'm sure understand that the 10
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Commandments were to be placed in the Ark of the Covenant, but
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very few remember what item was to be placed beside the Ark of
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the Covenant. If you need a reference, this is
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an important one. It's in Deuteronomy 31 verse 26.
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I will read it to you. This is what Moses commanded the
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people of Israel to do before they even entered into the land
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of promise. He had said this.
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Take this book of the Law, and put it by the side of the Ark of
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the Covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a
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witness against you. So a copy of the law was to be
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protected and preserved by placing it beside the ark of the
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Covenant, which resided in the innermost century of the temple.
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Now if that was where the Book of the Law was to be, then why
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is it that Hilkiah the priest speaks about it's discovery as
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though it was a surprising sight?
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That's the impression that we get here, that Hilkiah finds the
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book of the Law and he communicates its discovery.
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But it should be a given. That's where the Book of the Law
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was to be found. And here's the answer.
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Because for so long the Word of God was ignored and bypassed by
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the very people of God. Look back at verse 8 quickly and
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notice how Hilkiah gives the book of the law to this man
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named Shafan, who was a secretary.
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And we read here that Shafan, when he received it, opened the
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book and he began to read it. Now, that seems to imply that
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there is a level of unfamiliarity, that Shafan here
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never engaged with its words before, that he is new to this
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content and he's a leader. So here's what you're supposed
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to get from this, that the leaders in the Kingdom of God
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don't seem to be very familiar with the oracles of God.
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This seems to be like a strange thing to them.
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And if it was unfamiliar to the leaders of this Kingdom, how
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much more so the rest of the people?
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In fact, did you see what happened to King Josiah when
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Chiffon took the book? He updated the king with the
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recent project of the temple being reconstructed and he
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mentions how the book was found to what to find the king in
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utter shock and grief, as though he had never engaged with the
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word. As though this was the first
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time that the king himself is hearing the word of God.
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Now, why should that be a concerning observation for us?
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Any idea you can answer if you know why is the King's reaction
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something that should concern us exactly?
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We've seen this over and over in our study of the kings.
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We're told in Deuteronomy 1718 that the kings were to have a
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personal copy of the law. It was to be approved by the
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priest, and it was to be read daily by the king.
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So if King Josiah was to have a copy, then why act in this way
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when the book of the Law is being read in your presence?
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Shouldn't you have known it? Shouldn't you been aware?
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But there's even more to this that makes it so amazing.
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Go to Deuteronomy 31. Now look at verse 9.
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So in Deuteronomy 31, verse 26, we read that the book of the Law
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was to be placed beside the Ark of the Covenant.
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But before that, Moses gave instructions of what the people
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were to do with the book of the Law, at least as a nation.
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In Deuteronomy 31, nine, we read.
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Then Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priest, the sons
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of Levi, who carried the ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and to
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all the elders of Israel, and Moses commanded them.
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At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of
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release, at the Feast of Booths, when all Israel comes to appear
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before the Lord your God at the place that He will choose, you
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shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
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So the priests were to take the law and shine it bright like a
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lighthouse to the rest of the nation and faithfully proclaim
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it and read it to the people. Every seven years this was to
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take place. They were committed to gather.
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They were commanded to listen on top of the regular instruction
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that they would receive by the priest on a daily basis.
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Now, if you keep this practice in mind and you realize that
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Josiah found the book of the law in the 18th year of his reign,
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simple math will show that this observance should have been
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honored at least twice, at least twice under his government.
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And clearly he hasn't. Why?
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They just found the book. They just found it.
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So now we're we're getting idea, an idea of just how dire things
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are even under Josiah's leadership.
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And I don't know about you, but when I discovered this, I
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thought to myself many things. A flood of questions came to my
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mind, but the main one was this second.
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Kings 22 opens up with a wonderful commendation about
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Josiah, that he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord,
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that he walked in the ways of David.
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How did he do that without the book of the law?
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What standard did Josiah used in the past six years as he was
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bringing reform to the nation? I believe the best answer is
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that there must have been some kind of oral teaching and
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tradition that was passed down. And though we're left in the
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dark with this, there could be fragments of the Scriptures that
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were preserved and used and shared among the righteous,
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though incomplete enough to guide Josiah in a righteous
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direction. Now, I don't want to spend too
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much time speculating. What I want to do instead in
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this introduction is look at clearly three things, at least
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three or three things that are powerfully inspirational
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relating to the Word of God. The first thing I want to
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observe, and we're all just in verse 8 right now, by the way,
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looking at verse 8, at least three things #1 being God's
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protection over His Word. You won't come to that
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conclusion if you read the story in isolation.
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You have to include the wider narrative of the kings.
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Think about some of the wicked leaders that sat on the same
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throne that Josiah was sitting on in our study.
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Think of Athalia, think of a has, think of Manessa, these
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individuals that not only promoted idolatry among the
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people of God, but even dare to defile the temple of God.
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And through all those cycles of pollution and persecution, what
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do you find in the second Kings 22 verse 8?
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The word of God survived. The Word of God was preserved,
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it was untouched, it was kept. That becomes even more
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remarkable when you realize that so many of the things in the
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temple were tampered with. Let me give you an example in
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the parallel account of Second Kings 22.
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After they made this discovery, another reformation takes place,
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and Josiah now begins to give further instruction.
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And I want to just read to you what he tells the priest again
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after they find the book of the Law.
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Listen to this in Second Chronicles 35.
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It says here in verse 2 he appointed the priest to their
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offices and encouraged them in the service of the House of the
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Lord. And he said to the Levites, who
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taught all Israel and who are holy to the Lord, put the holy
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ark in the house that Solomon the son of David, king of Israel
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built. You need not carry it on your
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shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and
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his people Israel. What stands out to you from
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that? The Ark of the Covenant was not
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in the temple. Where was it?
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We don't know. So just imagine all the things
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that were misplaced, all the things that were again
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mishandled, dishonored, moved, and yet the Word of God was
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found in the House of God. Here's how this applies to us.
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Throughout Scripture, and even in recorded history following
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the completion of the Canon, men have dared to try and destroy
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the Word of God to no avail. Governments have tried to bury
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it, burn it, silence it. Philosophers, great thinkers,
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religions have attempted to compete with it.
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And yet the Word of God, the true Word of God, remains as
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relevant as ever. Do you know why?
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Because God promised that it would endure and abide forever.
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He promised that. And this is just a glimpse of
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how His invisible hand was guarding His Word and that
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through all the evil that was taking place, nothing could
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touch what He had provided man concerning himself, God's
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protection over His Word. That's what we find here in
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verse 8. But we also see, secondly, God's
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reward for the righteous. It would be a great mistake to
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assume that the leaders of this Kingdom accidentally stumbled
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upon the work and the Word of God.
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Undoubtedly, this is divine Providence in motion.
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And when you consider the timing of the book of the law being
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discovered, then we are granted a wonderful insight.
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Think about it. Josiah has proven to the Lord
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that to the best of his ability he would honor him though he was
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limited in his knowledge. He sought to bring pleasure and
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blessing to the heart of God as he firstly sought to be pious
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himself and that promote others to worship the true and living
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God. And here's what we find that God
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watching his servant as a result of his pure heart and his
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consistent sacrifice, allowed and arranged for the complete
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Word of God to be uncovered. For what reason?
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To bring the Reformation to new heights.
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That's what we're going to find in Second Kings 23.
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And this is how we learn. This is what we find in this
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truth. When you and I are faithful with
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what we have and what we know now, God is prepared to give us
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more. God is ready to give you and I
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more when you are faithful, what you have and what you know now,
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greater insight, deeper revelation, and sometimes more
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open doors and opportunities for you to advance his work.
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I see here that God blesses Josiah to do more, to know more
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because with what he had, he was faithful.
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And this is something that challenged me because we're
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introduced to Josiah at 8 becoming king, and then at 16 he
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sought God for himself, and then at 20 he led a spiritual reform
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and he did all of that without a Bible.
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Does that convict anybody else? That convicts me.
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So what excuse do you and I have in our lack of pursuit of the
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Lord, in our slothfulness and serving God, when God has given
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us everything that we need to know about Him?
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That stirred me. That moved me.
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You have a man, you had a teenager at 16 and later at 20
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who stood out in history for his walk with God, and he didn't
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even have the Bible. We should be the most motivated
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generation in all of church history.
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The access that we have to the Word of God, the availability to
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men of God who bring greater light to the Word of God,
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everything that is at our disposal should make us the most
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energized and faithful generation of Christians that
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has ever been known. The third thing, we're still in
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verse 8. The third thing to consider is
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God's warning to His church. This is how this passage should
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alarm us. You and I have to be careful not
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to lose the Word of God in the House of God.
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It's tragically possible for churches and their buildings to
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possess Bibles yet lose it in practice because they don't read
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it carefully, they don't study it passionately, and more
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importantly, they rarely apply it the way it's calling us to
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apply it. This story serves as a sobering
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reminder of how ministries can display Bibles.
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Yet those Bibles may hold no authority over the leadership in
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the people. Was the Bible in the temple?
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Yes, but it was layered with dust unless it is cracked open
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and actually read and expounded and explained and obeyed.
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It doesn't matter how many Bibles you have.
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It doesn't matter if you have Bible in the name of your
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church. Is it any wonder that corruption
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persisted for so long in the land?
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This is where the Word of God has been all, all along.
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It was buried, it was in the dark, and surely because of
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that, it played a major role in the erosion of society.
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Here's what that means for us. If we don't value God's Word in
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here, why should we expect them to be curious about it out
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there? If it's not something that we
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treasure and we value and we sing about and we love to learn
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from and more importantly, to live by, why will people out
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there care for it? They won't.
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So this is a warning that you can lose the Bible in a church.
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It can be there, you can put it on something like that, but
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until it is read, until it is digested, until it is lived,
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we're not fulfilling its design. Speaking of valuing God's Word,
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there's a character in this story that stood out to me, and
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he can easily be overlooked. Chiffon, the secretary, not much
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is said about him, but what we do have about him reveals that
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he must have been a faithful servant.
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He was a support to the king and his efforts.
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There is no hint whatsoever that he was to face or that he was
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suspicious or that he was wicked.
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And why I mentioned Shafan here is because for our instruction
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we read about his reaction to the Word of God.
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And I believe it's a reflection on how some believers fail to
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esteem the Scriptures as they ought to.
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Here's what I mean by that. First thing I want you to notice
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is this man Chiffon and his initial reaction to the Word of
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God being read. Look back at verse 8 and Helkaid
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the high priest said to Chiffon the secretary, I found the book
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of the law in the House of the Lord, and Helkaid gave the book
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to Chiffon and he read it. Where's the reaction?
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There isn't any saying what's the big deal?
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Well, I think there's a big deal when you compare it to how
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Josiah responds to it. You remember what he did.
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Look again at verse 11. When the king heard the words of
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the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.
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Huh. Why did the king react this way
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and not the other leaders, including the priest, Chiffon,
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and the priest? They didn't tear their clothes,
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but the king did. I think that's telling.
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And this analysis of Chiffon only becomes more convincing
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when you look at the second thing.
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The second thing I want you to notice is the priority of his
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news when he brought an update to the king.
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Look again at verse 9. And Chiffon the secretary came
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to the king and reported to the king.
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Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the
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house and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have
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the oversight of the House of the Lord.
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Then Chiffon the secretary told the king, he'll kind.
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The priest has given me a book. What was on Chiffon's mind as a
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priority? The money, the workmen, the
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physical repair of the temple. And then he brought up the fact
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that they found the Bible as though the Word of God was an
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afterthought. Is that possible for Christians
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too? Absolutely.
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It's most definitely possible for Christians even to not have
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the Word of God as their priority, neither in their
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ambitions nor their affections. There are more important things
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to attend to. There are more exciting things
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to discuss. And we find here that there is
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insight, perhaps to why it is. And maybe you're in this place
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and you can't figure out why you find greater excitement and
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thrill and delight in other things more than the glorious
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truth of God's Word. Perhaps Chiffon's perception of
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the Scriptures teaches us something, which is our final
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observation. Did you notice how this man
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references the Book of the Law? Look again at verse 10.
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What does he say? Then Chiffon the secretary told
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the king. Hilkiah, the priest has given me
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a book. Wait a minute, Chiffon, you were
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in the temple when Hilkiah told you what?
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The book of the Law has been found, and you took it with you.
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You walked to the king and you said, Oh yeah, by the way,
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Hilkiah found a book. How do you see the Bible?
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Is it just a book among other books?
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Of course not. Innumerable books have been
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written about this incomparable book.
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But we have to go beyond acknowledging the Bible's
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uniqueness. You can't just stay there.
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You have to establish what the Bible truly is if you're ever,
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and I'm ever going to have the chance of feasting on it.
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I read somewhere that the Bible is the heart of God in print.
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What a simple but breathtaking thought.
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The Bible is the heart of God in print.
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Absolutely it is. And you and I have to believe
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that this book is an inexhaustible, life giving, soul
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transforming collection of divine truth miraculously
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provided and protected by God Himself, for you to know who He
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is and become more like Him. That's the Bible.
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I have read quite a few books, but I can say with total honesty
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that after reading through it once, I put it on my shelf never
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to visit it again. I've never been able to do that
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with the Bible. Do you know why?
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Because it's God's voice. That's why when you read this
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word or hear it being read, you are hearing God speak.
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And if you don't see this Bible for the gift that it is, the
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miraculous DNA that it possesses, then you are in
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danger of just seeing it as a book.
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Now you wouldn't say that you're a Christian, but in practice it
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may just be to you another book. Unlike Shafan, Josiah's heart
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recognized that this is not just any book.
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It was God's book. And if we truly believe that
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this is the word of the Lord, then I am sure that we will
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respond to it and like manner we will see some similar
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characteristics in Josiah. Let me show you what I mean.
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We stopped at verse 11, but let's now continue in verse 12.
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And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Haikam the son
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of Shafan, and Akbar the son of Micaiah.
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And she found the secretary, and Asahi the King's servant,
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saying, Go, inquire the Lord for me, and for the people, and for
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all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been
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found. For great is the wrath of the
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Lord that is kindled against us because our fathers have not
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obeyed the words of this book to do according to all that is
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written concerning us. Verse 11 to verse 13.
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What do we see here? The appropriate response to the
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written Word of God, Number one, verse 11.
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God's word has to touch your heart.
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What does the king do when he hears the words?
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He tears his clothes. A sign of great mourning, of
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loss, of grief. Clearly Shafan pass through some
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of the passages about judgement as we're going to see, but the
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the the clothes being torn was a was a symptom was a reaction to
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a heart that's been touched. Here's what you have to ask
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yourself. Please ask yourself this.
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Does God's word touch your heart or does it just tickle your
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brain? Big difference.
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I'm not saying that you have to cry every time that you hear you
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hear a sermon or you come to your devotions, but does it move
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the innermost part of who you are?
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Does it touch you? Does it stir you?
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Do you carry it with you in your heart?
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That's what we see here with this man.
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He didn't just sit back and analyze.
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He didn't just compare. It was like a harpoon to the
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chest. It penetrated the seat of his
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emotions, sure, but also the throne of his will, his
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perception, his worldview, his inlook, his outlook.
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Does the Bible do that to you? But the word of God inflaming
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our feelings is is not the main thing.
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What we find in verse 12, the Bible became top priority.
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The word of God, the will of God became priority number one to
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this man. How do we know that?
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Well, he summons not one, but five of his top officials to
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fetch for a profit, to receive greater guidance and clarity
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about what he had just heard. Question Does it take five
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people to find somebody? No, you just need one.
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So why does he find 5 of the leaders?
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Because he wants to stop everything else.
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This is emergency protocol. We need to find a prophet who's
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going to give us light on what we just heard, and he gets the
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best of his men to do so. So unlike Chiffon, this is top
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priority to the king. What is the Bible rank for you?
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How high do you esteem it? How much do you Revere it?
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What's the worth that you've placed on the written Word of
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God? You know what this man does?
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Stop everything. Stop absolutely everything.
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I needed to know where to go from here.
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I can't remain in the dark. Lastly, verse 13, the Word of
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God being read. Move this king into action.
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Go inquire of the Lord for me #1 for me.
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He talks about the people and Judah after, but first for me.
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This is important for preachers. The Word of God has to cut your
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heart before it cuts anybody else's.
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It has to move you before it moves anybody else.
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It has to be applied to you in terms of application, in terms
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of change, repentance, before it can be issued to anybody else.
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What does this mean for me, me, me, me.
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And then how does this apply to my role as a leader?
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So in the mind of this king, the Word of God effects and
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influences every aspect of his life.
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There's not one compartment that's left untouched.
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Me and the people, the nation, me as a king.
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What, what, what do I have to do now?
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What does this imply? How much does the Word of God
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govern your life? Some parts?
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Just your morning time? Or is it harnessed?
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Is it something that guides you and directs you and informs you
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and shapes your thinking and rebukes you where you're wrong
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and comforts you where you need encouragement?
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This man shows us exactly where the Word of God needs to be,
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everywhere, every part. And so they go, and as they go
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we see something interesting. Verse 14 So al Qaeda priest and
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Haikam and Akbar and Shafan and Isaiah went to hold out the
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prophetess. The wife of Shalom, the son of
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Tikvah, son of Har has keeper of the wardrobe.
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Now she lived in Jerusalem in the second quarter and they
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talked with her. Who was the prophet that was
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working with Josiah during his reform?
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Anybody remember good Jeremiah? Was there another one?
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We didn't mention this in our Bible study, but it's worth
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bringing up. Now apart from Jeremiah, who
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else did God raise up to assist the king and bringing the people
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to the Lord? Zephaniah.
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You can look at this in your own time.
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Zephaniah 11. We're told there that the man
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Zephaniah was commissioned by God during the reign of Josiah.
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Those are prominent prophets. So you have these two leading
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prophetic voices in the land. Why did the king dispatch his
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man to go to hold that? The prophetess who's Holder and
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not to Jeremiah or Zephaniah? We're not told, but I believe
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the fact that we are told here where she lived may give us a
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clue. Where did she live?
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In Jerusalem in the second quarter, which was in close
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proximity to the Temple. I think this shows that Holder
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was more readily available to receive a word from the Lord and
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give it by extension to the King and the leaders, while the other
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prophets were not as accessible. The fact that her address is
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mentioned may be an indication that she was someone that could
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be easily reached. Moreover, there is no indication
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that hold of the Prophet has had a wide public ministry, a public
35:51
ministry at all. What's more likely is that she
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was a gifted woman who had great insight and sensitivity to the
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Spirit of God who from time to time was approach for private
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consultation because obviously she was known, she wasn't just a
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random prophetess. I mentioned this in passing
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because you'll have some who will point to halt of the
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Prophetess as a proof text that women can be spiritual leaders
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in the church. And there is absolutely no
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indication that Hall that possesses any kind of authority
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over any man. In fact, we're specifically told
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what that she is the wife of Shalom and Shalom was what in
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charge of the wardrobe, which was most likely the wardrobe of
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the priests. So this is not a text that you
36:41
can go to to say women can be pastors.
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Now she's a flash on the pan. She appears very quickly and she
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disappears just as fast. That is not the discount that
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God uses her, though. If anything, this is to inspire
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us that sisters and the Lord can be so filled with the Spirit of
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God and so bestow with wisdom that they can have a major,
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wonderful contribution to blessing God's Kingdom and
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advancing His work. That's what we find here.
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To say that this is something that supports woman elders is
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just an abuse of this text. Take it for what it is.
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God uses woman, not just men. God can fill woman with his
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spirit and with great insight to actually even help brothers in
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the Lord. That's what we're supposed to
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take from this. What's more important is the
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message that she has for the king and the Kingdom.
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Let's read from verse 15 down to 19.
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And we're, we're finished here in our study.
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And she said to them, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel,
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tell the man who sent you to me. Thus says the Lord, Behold, I
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will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants.
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All the words of the book that the king of Judah has read,
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because they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other
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gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of
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their hands. Therefore my wrath will be
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kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched.
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But to the King of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord,
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thus shall you say to him. Thus says the Lord, the God of
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Israel, regarding the words that you have heard, because your
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heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the
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Lord, when you heard how I spoke against this place and against
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its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a
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curse. And you have torn your clothes
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and have wept before me. I also have heard you declares
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the Lord. There are so many things that we
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can draw from this message. One thing I want to bring to
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your attention before the main thing.
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Notice how she begins in verse 15 that says the Lord the God of
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Israel. Tell the man who sent you to me,
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go to verse 18, but to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire
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of the Lord. Holda is inspired by the Spirit
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of God to address the king initially as the man.
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Is this disrespect? No, it's the Spirit of God
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speaking. God wants to emphasize and
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remind the king exactly that you are a man.
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And the word of God has a way of reminding us who of who we truly
39:37
are over and over again, no matter our position, no matter
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your accolades, no matter your pedigree, God's word never fails
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to humble us if we receive what it has to say.
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Yes, she will acknowledge the fact that he is indeed a king, a
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leader, But first, Josiah, before God, you're a man.
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Josiah had no problem with that. And here's the main thing again.
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You can imagine what we can take from this, but I don't want to
40:08
overwhelm anyone. My prayer, my sincere prayer, is
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that there's one thought that you would leave from this place.
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It's this one. This is a strong word.
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Judgement is coming not to the Kingdom of Israel.
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They already were exiled. It's now coming to the Kingdom
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of Judah, and nothing can change it.
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It's going to manifest ultimately in their own exile.
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This is tragic. It can't get any worse than
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this. The people of God being removed,
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not just the people of God. We saw that with the Kingdom of
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Israel, but the dynasty of David.
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This is almost unthinkable, but it's true.
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It's going to happen. However, Josiah receives a
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personal promise. You are not going to see this in
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your lifetime. This judgement that I have
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planned will be suspended until you die.
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You will not have to witness the horrors of God's chastisement.
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You will live in peace. On what basis?
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For one incredible reason. This is the main point that I
41:22
want us to leave with. Please look again at verse 19.
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The Lord says because your heart was penitent and you humbled
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yourself before the Lord when you heard how I spoke against
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this place. God rewarded Josiah for how he
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responded to the word of God when it was read.
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Here's what that means for you and I.
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The Lord takes into account what happens in your heart every time
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you encounter the Scriptures, whether with your eyes or
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through your ears. Every single time God looks at
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your heart and mind. To see how we respond to the
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Word of God. And one of the immediate rewards
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is what we find in verse 19, when we have the humility and
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the eagerness and the longing to receive from God's Word.
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What did you see at the end? I also, I've heard you, declares
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the Lord Josiah, because you heard me carefully, humbly,
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passionately. I'm going to hear you.
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You know what that shows me? God first considers how you hear
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Him before He considers how He hears you.
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Having trouble in your prayers being answered?
43:11
Can I recommend something? How have you been hearing God's
43:13
word? What's your heart posture been
43:18
like as God's words been preached to you week after week?
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How do you hear God's word when you're face to face with it on
43:27
your own? What's your heart like?
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Because I want to tell you something.
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God considers how you hear His word before He even considers
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hearing what you have to say to Him.
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Because you've heard me, I'm going to hear you.
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And I can show you text after text after text from Genesis to
43:43
Revelation that proves that same truth over and over again.
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If you find yourself nowhere near Josiah's heart posture
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toward the Word of God, what have you done about it?
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Maybe at one point it was there. Your heart was touched.
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It was a top priority in your life.
44:12
It has governed every aspect of your existence.
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But those convictions are being lost, or they have been lost.
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You've deviated from that. Well, have you ever at any point
44:26
prayed with the psalmist, prayed, for example, in Psalm
44:29
119, verse 36? Incline my heart to your
44:32
testimonies and not to selfish gain.
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Do something with this art because for too long it's been
44:39
dull towards your word. It's been far too easily
44:43
distracted and satisfied and lesser pathetic things in this
44:50
life. Oh, what does he say, Josiah?
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I've been looking and watching. How have you responded to my
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words? So now I'm ready to hear what
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you have to say. Do we find anything like this in
45:05
the New Testament? Absolutely.
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If you've been with us in the Gospel of Mark, why don't we end
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here? Go to Mark chapter 4 just to see
45:12
what Jesus says about this principle.
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Mark 4 verse 24 Jesus and verse 24 we read and he said to them,
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pay attention to what you hear with the measure you use.
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It will be measured to you and still more will be added to you.
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For the one who has, more will be given, and for the one who
45:48
has not, even what he has will be taken away.
45:54
Pay attention to what you hear. Implying what?
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That in the presence of God's Word you're not paying
46:00
attention. That's possible.
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And what happens if I don't pay attention?
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Nothing. No, actually no, not nothing.
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Over time, whatever you do have, it'll be taken away.
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Say, what does that mean? Well, it happens in the natural
46:20
many ways. What happens if you stop
46:22
exercising? Do you just remain as you are?
46:26
How I wish. You lose muscle, you lose
46:31
endurance. You lose strength.
46:35
What happens if you don't practice a language?
46:38
You just stay at that same level of understanding and
46:41
communication. Absolutely not.
46:43
I can testify to it. You lose.
46:47
You lose words, sentences, grammar to the point where you
46:53
have to revisit basic language skills and knowledge to retrieve
46:58
what you had lost. That's exactly what Jesus is
47:01
saying here. Something is dulled, something
47:04
is blunted in your spiritual insight over time when you fail
47:10
to pay attention continually to the word Word of God.
47:16
But what's the reward? If you do?
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Then more will be given. Isn't that what we see with
47:20
Josiah? More was given.
47:22
He had little to work with. But six years later as he's
47:26
doing what he can to serve God. Here's the complete book.
47:30
And when it's revealed to him, his heart was moved and so God
47:32
rewards him even more. You heard me, I'll hear you.
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And Josiah, as we're going to find in the next chapter, will
47:39
be one of the greatest kings that Judah has ever known.
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Let me read the last verse of chapter 22.
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The Lord promised to him. Therefore, behold, I will gather
47:46
you to your Father's, and you shall be gathered to your grave
47:49
in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that
47:52
will bring upon this place. And they brought back word to
47:57
the king. What would you do if you heard
48:01
that God was going to judge the people under your care, not in
48:08
your lifetime, but eventually? What kind of motivation would
48:13
that leave you with to do anything during your
48:15
administration? What you're going to see Josiah
48:20
do, even though he would be spared from judgement, even
48:23
though judgement was definite, makes him even more
48:25
inspirational. But we can't go there yet, can
48:29
we? Let's pray.
48:55
Father, we've heard your word, We've heard your word about the
48:59
Word, and Lord, we're here because we value your word.
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But Lord, it's possible to be here and not really be here.
49:15
And so we ask you leaving this place, that you would give us
49:20
the same spirit as this man who was urgent, who was humble, who
49:30
was hungry for the words of this book.
49:36
Lord, if any of us possess the spirit of this secretary
49:38
chiffon, we may not be evil or outright, outright wicked, but
49:45
we're casual. We're preoccupied by other
49:48
things in life and in practice. This book is just a book
49:55
changes. Lord, we pray what the psalmist
49:59
said. I will run in the way of your
50:02
commandments when you enlarge my heart.
50:05
So enlarge our hearts this evening so that we would chase
50:10
after the things of God. Thank you for speaking to us.
50:15
Help us with renewed strength and focus to pay attention to
50:21
what we hear that we may know your full reward in this life.
50:26
We ask these things in the name of the word of God, Jesus
50:29
Christ, Amen and Amen. Let's stand and worship the
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Lord.