2 Kings 22-23, Rediscover The Word Of God
1. Spend Time In The Word (2 Kings 22:8-10)
2. Tremble At The Word (2 Kings 22:11-13)
3. Believe The Blessings & Judgments (2 Kings 22:14-17)
4. Humble Yourself Before The Word (2 Kings 22:18-20)
5. Commit To Obey The Word (2 Kings 23:1-3)
As we look at Second Kings Chapter 22 and 23 this morning, I've titled The Message Rediscover the Word of God.
Rediscover the word of God, the nation of Judah at this time was in a very sad condition in a lot of ways.
Josiah comes on the scene after a king by the name of Manasseh, who was the worst king that Judah had ever seen.
He reigned for a long time 55 years, and he just fully propelled himself and the nation into all kinds of wickedness.
And the nation had become in such a sad state that as we see here in verse eight, there was a discovery of the word of God that they had come to such a condition, that the word of God had been lost.
That that they didn't have the scriptures before them that they didn't abide by them.
They didn't seek the Lord in them.
They they were not consulting the word of God.
There was a missing element.
To their understanding of God and and they were missing the scriptures entirely.
And So what follows here in Chapter 2 is going to be the response and the reaction to the uncovering of the word of God.
The reading of it and understanding what it signifies, what it meant, and then the seeking of the.
Lord, in regards to what he says through his word.
As we consider these things this morning, I.
I want to encourage.
All of us to consider rediscovering.
The word of God.
Now in some ways, for those who have been around for a while, you know we could easily say, but we're Calvary Chapel, right?
Like that's what we do.
We do the word of God.
There's no way that we've lost the word of God.
There's no way that we are in any kind of similarity to the state and the condition of the nation of Judah at that time.
And that's one of the problems I.
Think that we have.
That we can.
In R.
Long history.
That we are where we once were many years before.
We can get into a place where we, we just when we esteem ourselves.
When we you know consider ourselves we we figure that we are right where we need to be quite easily.
And I would suggest to you that that we really need to.
Allow the Lord to do some.
Revelation for us of our hearts, and that there needs to be a work in our lives, of rediscovery in regards to the word of God.
Maybe think about it this way.
Psalm chapter one.
The psalmist.
There in verses one through 3.
Gives this description of blessing.
Bless it is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly.
Nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law.
Of the Lord.
And in his law, he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted.
By the rivers of water.
That brings forth its fruits in its season.
Whose leaf also shall not wither.
And whatever he does shall prosper.
Familiar passage, we know it.
Again, if you've been around for a while, like it's a, it's a passage we would consider we would embrace and remind ourselves to be planted by the rivers of water and the importance of the word.
But notice the results here that he says in verse 3.
The the tree that's planted by the rivers of water brings forth fruit that's one thing.
But also the leaves do not wither.
And that's an interesting picture to reflect on, and I would suggest to you that.
There are many.
In the church, many Christians.
Who have withered leaves?
Even though we've been around for a long time and known the Lord many, you know, since many years ago and we've searched the scriptures and studied the word, and we've been involved in ministry and we we have, you know, lots of.
Things that we can look back on.
In the moment right now.
The church generally, and I'm not.
Speaking just limiting to us here at living water but.
There is a weakness to believers today.
Uh, with erdnase that is.
I would say pretty common and easy to discover, easy to find.
It's not hard to find.
That kind of withered condition amongst those who know the Lord, go to church and are involved in the things of God.
And so there is this association with the Lord.
There is this.
Familiarity with the Lord and and even his word.
But at the same time sometimes we are related to the word of God in a way that does not produce.
The fruits in the life that God wants to produce.
And perhaps a key element of that is in verse two, when it says his delight is in the.
Law of the Lord.
You know, sometimes we can be in the word, but there's no delight in it.
There's no joy in it that it's not because of our passion for the Lord.
It's not because we delight in the Lord, but we can be easily quite religious.
We can fall into a condition of a pattern of legalism and and be people who are in the word but still have withered leaves.
Because we've come to the word as a burden, not as a delight.
And we need to perhaps.
Rediscover the word of God.
And be refreshed and renewed, and in what the word of God is and and the work that God does, and the way that he wants to speak with us and meet with us.
And so this.
Morning I would encourage you to consider.
Do you need to rediscover the word of God?
Did you?
Do you need to ask God to help move away some of the cobwebs and blow the dust off and you know pull it back out and say, Lord, what do you have?
To say to me, here's the thing.
When the word of God is lost.
We become so blind.
So blind to the to the effect that we we're not even aware of what we've lost.
We can still be very religious.
We can still be very, you know, Christian.
In the religious sense of the word.
But but be.
So oblivious to how far from Christ?
We are and that was the nation of Judah.
Under Josiah he had begun to seek the Lord early in his reign.
His father, Manasseh, was a very wicked king, but Josiah said I want to seek the Lord, but he was doing so without the whole Council of God.
He didn't have the scriptures to rely upon, so he was doing the best that he could with what he knew.
But then you see as you go through this passage, when the word of God is revealed, he's like blown away.
He's I had no idea he was.
Unaware of how much was missing because the word of God was missing.
For you and I, sometimes, if we get into this pattern where the word of God is not our delight.
Where we are.
Even perhaps in the word, but not.
Meeting with God and encountering God.
There are times with him.
We can fall into this condition of blindness.
And we we are withered in our leaves.
But oblivious.
To that fact to that fact.
To that idea and and so the reason why we're so confused about why, why is.
These things so difficult, and why am I feeling so empty and unsatisfied and miserable?
When the word is lost.
We are so blinded.
That we're not even aware.
Of how much we're missing?
And what has been lost?
Rediscover the word of God.
Make it your delight.
If you can name more Kardashians than disciples, I would suggest there there needs to be a rediscovery.
If you can name more athletes than prophets.
I I would suggest that there needs to be a rediscovery if you can name more Tik T.O.K creators than books of the Bible then there needs to be a rediscovery of the word of God.
It's living and powerful and sharper than any.
Double edged sword.
It is the way that God has chosen primarily.
To meet with us to reveal himself to us, to speak to us, to lead us, to shape us, to instruct us, to give us the truth and lead the foundation for all that we need in our.
Life and so. Let's consider this rediscovery that happens here with King Josiah in Second Kings chapter 22. Five things I want to walk you through from this rediscovery. The first one is found in verses 8 through 10 and that is spend time in the word.
Let's read Second Kings chapter 22 verses 8 through 10 it says. Then hilkiah the high priest said to chiffonne the scribe.
I have found the book of the law in the.
House of the Lord.
And Hilkiah gave the book to ciafone and he read it.
So chiffon the scribe went to the king, bringing the king word, saying your servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of those who do the work who oversee the House of the Lord.
Then chiffon the scribe showed the king, saying, hilkiah the priest has given me a book.
And chiffon read it before the king.
Here there is a rebuilding that is going on the temple under King Manasseh had been severely affected by the wickedness and sin you'll see as you go on that there is just filled with idolatry and everything, but the temple itself had fallen into disrepair, and so.
Josiah, as a part of his endeavor to seek the Lord, says.
Well, I don't have the scriptures so I don't have those things to follow, but here's what I do know.
I gotta go back to church, right?
I gotta go back to the temple and get that back in shape so that we can begin to connect with God and walk with God in the way that he's called us to.
And so he started a rebuilding effort.
They've been putting money in and.
Signing workers too.
Repairing the House of God and then in the midst of that, there is this discovery, hilkiah the high priests.
Says I found the book of the law and then notice it's in the House of the Lord.
Right there in the House of the Lord, like right?
Where would you expect to?
Find the book of the law.
You would expect to find it in the House of the Lord, right?
It's not really a surprise that it was there, but the surprise is that it was hidden.
The surprise is that it was a surprise.
The surprise is that it had been buried under the junk and the clutter that they had.
Accumulated in their pursuits of other gods in their pursuits of sin that they had buried.
The word of God.
But now it's been found.
And this messenger from the king comes to the high priest.
And Hilkiah says check it out.
I found this scroll.
This is the law of God.
Saying we thought it was lost.
We didn't know it was here.
Keep in mind ciafone.
Is referred to as the scribe.
What was the scribe's normal job? I mean, in my head, the scribe is associated with the rewriting of and recording of the scriptures.
The word of God, right?
So here's a guy who's described, but he's kind of been just relegated to.
He's just a messenger.
He's just a secretary.
He's just an official.
No longer bound.
To the scriptures like that role in position once was but.
But just fulfilling practical needs and and going through those kinds of motions, what was the high priest doing right?
The high priest, how was he determining the the judgments of God and delivering the word of God, and?
Again, so much was lost.
But here now.
They found it.
And notice what it says in verse 8.
Hilkiah gave the book to Ciafone and he read it.
Now for the first time in a long time.
People are reading the word of God.
It doesn't specifically say that hilkiah the priest read it, but.
Let's assume that he did.
The high priest, opens it up, blows it off, like gets all the dust.
He rolls it out and he begins to spend time.
In the word and he says, you know what?
This is huge.
This is really important.
I need to make sure the king gets this. So here comes the King's messenger.
He says yeah yeah, all the physical stuff that's all taken care of.
Practically yes everything is being repaired, everything being handled no problem.
Check it out I found.
The law.
I found the book.
And he gives it to ciafone.
In verse 8 and it says, then he read it.
So now the scribe.
Ideally initially right, his role should have been fully immersed in.
The Law of God.
Now he reads it, perhaps for the first time.
He's immerse in.
He's spending time in, he's reading.
The word of God.
Well then he goes back to the.
King, he gives his report.
Again, talking about the practical repairs, yes, things are being repaired.
The money is being gathered and handled appropriately.
The workers are working on it.
The House of the Lord.
It's all in order, but then verse 10.
Chiffon the scribe showed the king, saying, hilkiah the.
Priest has given me a.
Book and chiffon.
Read it before the king.
So now this is at least the second time.
For chiffon, the scribe right, he reads it before the king.
Now it's interesting to consider what what exactly was this scroll?
What exactly was he reading?
It doesn't tell us in detail.
We might look at it and understand it's the Pentateuch that is the first five books, the books of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, numbers, and Deuteronomy.
That's possible.
It's also possible that that it was just.
The Book of Deuteronomy.
That it was just that last that final book of Moses, that they had found there.
Obviously the other scriptures were recorded and preserved and and.
Even if they didn't find them at that moment, they found them eventually right, but it's possible.
That it was.
Just the book of Deuteronomy that they were working from and that had been stored there in the House of the Lord, but then buried and forgotten.
How long does it?
Take to read the Book of Deuteronomy.
And perhaps you say, well, I've been a Christian for 27 years and I've never read it so.
At least 27 years it takes.
To read down on me right?
Reading through, it's estimated it takes about 2 1/2 hours to read through Deuteronomy from start to finish.
It's amazing.
If I ask anybody to sit down and read for 2 1/2 hours they might fall off their chair.
But if I ask us to go watch a.
Movie for 2 1/2.
Hours no problem, right and?
I don't know.
Some movies are kind of long when they're two and half hours some.
Movies are too short when they're 2 1/2 hours, right?
But it's interesting that perspective of time here Steven has spent 2 1/2 hours reading. If it's just the book of Deuteronomy, he's spent a couple hours reading it himself.
Then he takes another couple hours and he reads it before the king.
And and here I I'm looking at chiffon, but I'm also looking at Josiah. Here. Is Josiah willing to sit for 2 1/2 hours?
And let this scribe read to him this old dusty book they found in the temple.
He's willing to invest the time and say.
I want to hear what God has said.
It's the book.
Of the law.
And so.
No big deal now.
I'm not suggesting that.
Josiah, you know, did this every day right, but.
He was willing yes no problem.
Two and half hours I got that kind of time to hear from God.
Sure, I need to hear his word.
I need to receive from him.
I I need to delight in the law of the Lord.
If it takes 2 1/2 hours to read the book of Deuteronomy, how long do you suppose it takes to write the book of Deuteronomy?
Because that's what God instructed the Kings to do.
In Deuteronomy chapter 17.
God told the Kings through Moses.
Shall be when he sits on the throne of his Kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book.
From the one before the priest and Levite's.
It shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God.
To be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes.
God even goes on to say this discipline.
Of writing out the scriptures and then reading through it every day of his life is going to protect him from having his heart lifted up.
Above those that he serves as king.
So that he doesn't become proud and deviate from the ways of God and think that because he has this position and all this authority that he can do whatever he wants, this this discipline.
This practice of writing and then reading the scriptures is going to help him fear God.
His ways.
And relate to others around him.
In a way that is so essential and necessary.
So Josiah hears this.
Now it doesn't tell us we don't see here in the verses that he then sets out to go and write about a copy.
But it would be appropriate for him to do so.
But that would take a long time.
Maybe he has, you know, work on the temple to perform, and there's practical things to do and negotiations to make.
And as king and you know, all these things that.
We could think about but.
There's nothing more important.
There's no higher priority or pressing matter.
Than connecting with God and spending time with him.
In his word.
So when Hilkiah finds it, let's assume he reads it.
He gives it to chiffon chiffon reads it right there.
Then he goes to the king and he.
Says I got to read you something.
Now we'll see in Chapter 23. Then the king reads it.
Before all the people.
There is a serious.
Investment of time in the word of God.
As this discovery has been made.
Remember when?
Oh man, the names are gonna I'm gonna mess up the names when Jacob was.
Working for Lebanon in order to gain the hand of Rachel and marriage.
And he worked for seven years, but they seemed as nothing because he loved her so much, right?
When the word of.
God is dreary and a burden and.
Difficult and cumbersome.
We need to understand it reflects something about our condition, our position with the Lord.
And when we love the Lord.
When we're excited to hear from him when we're endeavoring to know him.
Spending time with the word in the word is not a laborious chore.
But even if it's.
2 1/2 hours reading through the book of Deuteronomy.
That that there is a an appreciation of the worth wildness of it, the investment.
Of understanding and and hearing what God has said.
Pastor Warren Wiersbe says when God truth is neglected.
It is easy for the false to move in and take over.
Perhaps our lives and our churches could use a good house cleaning occasionally.
Here's the thing, when are.
Time in the word is neglected.
Even though we have been aware of and familiar with the things they've got for many years.
We leave ourselves in a position where we are vulnerable for the false to move in and take over.
None of us are above this.
Vulnerability there needs to be an investment in the word of God that keeps us.
In line with God's heart.
And the world around us.
Our own fleshly desires are competing with the word of God in our lives and seeking to override and to move in and substitute other truth.
For real truth.
And by other truth, I don't mean other real truth.
I just mean you know other things that are claimed to be true.
Other proclamations and ideas and philosophies and ideas about life that there's a huge push to move.
The word of God.
Out of its place in our life.
And the danger is.
When we allow that to happen.
We are really vulnerable so that whether or not you've been walking with the Lord for a long time, whether or not you've read through the entire scriptures, it is totally possible, not at all surprising.
If someone has invested their lives in the word of God for 40 years.
If they stop.
It is not a surprise.
If they abandon all that they previously believed.
And move into something that previously they would have said.
That would have been impossible and you and I can look at ourselves and look at our lives and look at the world around us and think I will never be that way.
I would never behave that way.
You think that way talk that way.
Never, ever, ever but.
I believe that to be true.
There's a great deception that is happening.
In the world around us.
And we are just as vulnerable to it.
If we neglect God, truth.
Spend time in the word.
Rediscover it.
Let it be a new and fresh discovery in your life that that you would be willing to invest some time to to dig into what God has said.
What God has revealed.
There's nothing that we face in this life.
That cannot be.
By the word of God.
There is, there's nothing that we face.
No, no decisions that we make, that God would say, just set aside my word for that.
You don't have to think about that or seek me in the scriptures for that.
Just believe what you know.
These really smart people are telling you.
There's nothing that.
Is worth setting the word of God.
Aside for it.
But we need to spend time in the word of God.
Well, secondly, as we continue to consider the example of Josiah, here we need to tremble.
At the word.
If you want to rediscover the word of God, start by trembling.
At the word.
And it comes from Isaiah Chapter 66. I'll read that in a second, but first second kings.
Chapter 22 verses 11 through 13 says this.
Now it happened when the king heard the words of the book.
The law that he tore his clothes.
Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest a hike him the son of Shaphan Akbor, the son of Micaiah chiffon, describe and asiah a servant of the king saying, go inquire of the Lord for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found for great, as the wrath of the Lord that is aroused against us.
Because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book to do according to all that is written concerning us.
Josiah, as he discovers the word of God, is shaken.
He is crumbling.
You could say he is really impacted.
By this book that has been read to him, so much so that he tears his clothes.
To tear his.
It was a very somber and serious expression of remorse.
It was a way to express this is a great tragedy.
It was a way for him to say this.
Is the worst thing I've heard in a long time.
Not the words themselves.
Not the word of God.
I was causing him to respond this way.
But what God said about how?
His people.
Has been living the nation of Judah.
Has been far from God for a long time.
And as you read through again, perhaps Deuteronomy?
There's that.
Famous passage there. Deuteronomy 2728 twenty 9:30.
Where God outlines the blessings and the curses of the law.
When the nation of Israel commits to obey God and experience his blessings and also commits you, we agree it's right and good.
If we disobey God for all of these curses and for all of this evil.
To fall upon us.
And the nation of Judah has been experiencing exactly what is described there in Deuteronomy.
For people who have been disobedient to God.
And as Josiah is reading it, he is like recognizing like point for point.
We are exactly in this condition of judgment because of our disobedience and rebellion to God.
And it causes him to tremble.
Because he realizes, well, we haven't experienced the fullness of those curses yet.
Because God said.
Nation that persists in unfaithfulness will be conquered, dispersed, carried, away from the land.
In our reading this week we got to see that fulfilled at the end of Second Kings as Babylon comes and conquers Judah destroys Jerusalem, takes all the inhabitants away captive.
But it had not yet been fulfilled in Josiah.
's day.
It's about to happen.
It's not.
Many years later that it happens.
But he realizes that's what's coming.
Because of where we've been because of our behavior because of our disobedience to God.
And so he heard the word of God, and.
He trembled now this point, the word tremble really comes from this passage in Isaiah Chapter 66.
Verse one and two.
God says heaven is my throne.
Earth is my footstool.
Where is the house?
That you will build me and where.
Is the place of my rest.
For all those things, my hand is meat.
And all those things exist, says the Lord.
But on this one I will look.
On him who is poor.
And have a contrite spirit.
And who trembles at my word?
God says, think about all of creation.
You can send.
Cameras to Saturn and view the rings from the inside.
Pretty cool.
God says.
That's my throne.
You haven't reached the limit of me, that's all part of my.
Creation the earth is my footstool.
God is saying.
I'm big, I'm the creator of the heavens and the earth.
I made all those things.
They don't impress me.
You know what?
I pay attention to, you know?
What I'm impressed by.
Modern technology you know, not advancements in.
This study or that study or this idea or that idea?
You know what?
I'm impressed by, God says.
You know it causes me to stop and take notes.
Who is poor and have a contrite spirit?
One who is humble.
And one who trembles at my word 11 who comes to God with an understanding of who God is, with a recognition of God, is the creator of the heavens and the earth.
But he has spoken.
Through his word.
And so I come not with.
An agenda not with.
Something that I want to accomplish, but I come to the word of God.
With a contrite spirit, well, I I need help.
I need to be corrected.
I need to be instructed.
And so I look to you in your word.
And the one who trembles at the word this.
This is the word of God.
Now, when he dismisses the word of God or.
Just uses the word of God to kind of give a little injection of like I just need to feel good for a moment.
Kind of use but.
But when he takes in the word of God and allows it.
To impact.
Who receives it?
As the very word of God, sometimes it can be hard to.
Respond to the word of God this way, and it's one of the.
Challenges that we face.
As you walk with the Lord for some time and spend time in the word of God.
Perhaps you can look back and remember those days where you trembled at the word where it was like.
Earth shattering as you spent time with God and as God met with you and there and there.
Was this rocking?
Of your world as the word of God was brought to life by the Holy Spirit, it changed everything.
But how long has it been since you trembled?
At the word.
Where the word of God was meaningful and impactful.
How long has it been?
This is one of the challenges that we face that we don't become just religious in our time in the word.
But that we pursue.
And ongoing contrition humility.
And our receiving.
Of the word of God in a way that.
Causes us to tremble, causes us.
To be in awe.
Of God.
And what he has said, and the fact.
That he has spoken to us.
I need to keep moving on so verses 14 through 17 here of Second Kings 22 gives us point #3 and that is believed. The blessings and judgments.
Verse 14 says.
So Hilkiah the priest a high can act bored.
Chiffon and Messiah went to hold a the prophetess, the wife of Shulem, the son of Tikva, the son of Haarhaus, keeper of the Wardrobe she dwelt in Jerusalem in the second quarter, and they spoke with her.
Then she said to them, thus says the Lord God of Israel.
Tell the man who sent you to me.
Thus, says the Lord, behold, I will bring calamity on this place, and on its inhabitants all the words of the book which the king.
Of Judah has read.
Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands.
Therefore, my wrath shall be aroused against this place and shall not be quenched.
When Josiah sends the messengers to inquire.
Of the Lord.
They go.
To this prophetess.
And Josiah says look, as I read the word, I understand we've stored up a lot of judgment for ourselves.
And if if this is true.
What we're reading here in the scriptures, then we deserve.
Complete judgment
Guys go find out, inquire of the Lord.
Is this where we're at?
Am I understanding this correctly?
I'm I'm reading the word and spending time in it.
I'm trembling at it.
I'm hoping.
That my interpretation, my understanding is wrong, but we need to find out go.
Inquire of the Lord.
And the Lord responds through this prophetess.
And the lid says yes, you're reading it right.
I will bring calamity on this place.
And again, if you're reading along with.
US in chapters.
2425 of Second Kings.
You see all of this fulfilled.
The things that God declared in Deuteronomy, the things that God declared here through the prophetess.
They are fulfilled.
God brought judgment upon the nation destroyed Jerusalem, destroyed the temple.
This was unthinkable to so many of Josiah D.
They were insistent God would never allow Jerusalem to be conquered.
You just wait when we get to the Book of Jeremiah a little bit next year or this year, I guess it's already 2022, right?
So when we get into the Book of Jeremiah, people are going to be insisting there's no way Babylon is going to come here in Congress.
No way God would allow Jerusalem.
He's not going to touch the temple no way, and there was all these false prophets.
They were insistent.
And they.
That would never happen.
Remember a couple of years back when there was the idea these are too big to fail, right?
So we had to like prop up all these industries because they were too big to fail, right? It was kind of like that. It was like Jerusalem, the temple in God's plan. It's too big to fail.
And so the people really thought.
They didn't have to tremble at the word.
The people really thought they didn't have to change or listen to the call to repentance.
They didn't have to take the word of God seriously because they were protected because they were in Jerusalem.
They were near the temple and God for sure was always going to preserve.
Those things.
And so they resisted to the very end.
The word of God, even when Jeremiah is declaring to them, listen the right thing for you to do.
At this point, it's too late to repent and turn around.
Now the right thing for you to do is surrender to Babylon and save your life.
People said no, they're not coming in here.
We're Jerusalem, we got the temple.
They believed firmly.
That God would not allow that to be destroyed.
They would have no problem believing the blessings.
That God would write in his word, right, but they wouldn't believe the judgments.
They wouldn't believe that God would allow.
Hurts or pain.
A wicked evil Kingdom.
To come and conquer us, the people have got no way no way will that ever.
No that will never happen.
They would not believe.
The judgments.
Would not accept.
Listen, we we need to be careful.
The word of God is filled with great promises that give us great hope and comfort, and and they're they're very much the word of God and great encouragement for us.
But we need to be careful that we don't just.
Grab hold of those things that.
We really like to hear.
It's like what's your life verse, right?
What's your famous or your favorite verse?
And and perhaps we have those right?
We have that.
That verse that we grasp hold of.
It's probably not a judgment verse.
I mean, maybe it is.
Maybe you just that kind of person.
It's kind of, you know, dark life.
You know, that's why you dress all emo and everything.
Yeah, OK?
For the most part, it's.
Like something good, something?
Oh yes, and that's great.
Hold on to that.
But not to the neglect.
Of the other parts of God's word.
Because the correction from God is just as necessary as the promise of blessing.
Paul tells Timothy in second Timothy Chapter 3.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.
And is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
That the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
We need all scripture.
Not just our favorite parts, not just the nice fluffy parts like the well balanced meal, right?
We need the nutritious parts, not just the desserts we we need.
The word of God and we need to believe.
The realities listen.
Your life will be miserable and wrecked if you do not walk with God.
You're going to miss out on good things from God, and you may very well experience severe judgment from God.
If if you disregard his word and live however you want to live, if you buy into the the world message and what is being told to us everywhere around this, if you buy into that and live according to what everybody around.
He says is good and acceptable.
You will experience the judgment of God.
It's not just the good things, it's not just the forgiveness and and you know salvation and glorious things that we need to believe.
But we need to believe also the scriptures that call us.
To turn from sin, to repent, to not live.
In immorality to not live.
In idolatry.
To not allow.
Other things into the in the place of.
God for us.
Friendship with the world.
Is enmity against God?
And we allow that in.
We allow that agenda.
In we we buy into that and we set ourselves in opposition.
To God.
We need to receive.
The whole Council of God's word.
Now part of that includes.
As we talked about on Wednesday.
Observation interpretation application right.
We need to understand the context of the passage so that we can receive it and believe it.
We need to be careful that we don't just take out, you know the good or the bad and just twist it according to what we think or what we want in the context or in out of context actually.
But that we come to the word of.
God, that we're we're willing to say.
God says.
He will bring judgment.
God says he'll bring blessing.
I get to choose.
How I participate in that?
But when I'm involved in things that God condemns.
Well, I'm highly motivated.
To just kind of skip over.
Push aside those things that God has said, and I now begin to pick and choose.
I like this verse I like.
This passage I like this book of the Bible.
I don't like that one.
I'm just going to kind of move past that one, not spend time in it.
Not receive that.
Not believe there's no way that means that it can't mean that.
But it does.
It does believe the blessings and the judgments that God promises his people.
Well fourthly.
Moving on to verses 18 through 20, we get point #4 that is humble yourself before the before the word verse 18. But As for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord.
In this manner you shall speak to him, thus says the Lord God of Israel, concerning the words which you have heard, because your heart was tender.
And you humbled yourself before the Lord, when you heard when I spoke against this place, and against its inhabitants.
That they would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before me.
I also have heard you, says the Lord.
Surely therefore.
I will gather you to your father's and you shall be.
Gathered to your grave in peace.
And your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place.
So they brought back word.
To the king.
God says to Josiah, yes, you read it correctly.
This judgment is coming upon the nation.
But Josiah you.
You're not going to experience it because your heart was tender.
You humbled yourself.
You received the correction that was brought.
You believed, not just.
The fluffy stuff that you liked and wanted to believe, but.
You believed the word of God as it is.
And you were broken by it.
You trembled at it because the word of God impacted you in that way, and you were receptive to hear from me.
And that way God says.
You're not going to see the fulfillment of this.
You will go to the grave in peace.
Commentator FB Meyer says how quick is God?
To notice the tears.
Of genuine contrition and to meet the soul that seeks to do his will.
If only the whole nation had been equally repentant, its fate would have doubtless.
Been altered.
This has been the point for the past couple weeks as we've looked at the revivals of Hezekiah on Wednesday, we saw the revival of Josiah in Chapter 23 as well.
The king himself.
It's good that he was a good king that he heard the word of the Lord and responded to it and implemented the word of God in the nation.
But the king himself could not.
Bring everybody.
To the police of contrition before the Lord.
It was still the responsibility of the individuals within the nation.
They complied with the commands they participated in the Passover feast and the next chapter they they.
They went along with it.
But their hearts were not really changed.
Their hearts were not really transformed.
They didn't humble themselves before the word.
And turn away from their practices and turn their hearts away from the idolatry and the wickedness that.
Had been there.
But if they had.
Oh, how quick is God to notice?
The tears of genuine.
Contrition or sorrow repentance?
He meets the soul that seeks to do God's will.
And so we can understand that when we humble ourselves.
Before the word.
When we acknowledge our brokenness and our need for God to speak and to work in our lives, we can expect God.
To pay attention again.
What does God look at?
What is God impressed by?
Not the person who has it all together.
Who can you know?
Quote everything or say whatever they want or have impressive arguments, God notices.
The one who trembles at the word of God.
The one who receives it.
And takes it to heart.
This is the correct usage.
Of the word.
You know there's a lot of ways to misuse the Bible.
And sometimes the Bible is just my tool to make a point.
It's my tool to prove I'm right.
It's my tool to feel good about myself and have good emotions and.
Turn my dark mood into a lighter mood like we can use the word of God in.
A variety of ways.
That are incorrect, that are not.
What God intended.
Think about the Pharisees.
They loved the word of God, right?
But boy did they misuse it.
They misused it greatly.
The word is God tool to work in me.
It's not my tool for my agenda for what I.
Want to accomplish it's?
It's God's tool.
To work in me.
To transform me to change me to speak to me.
In lining up the.
Spiritual armor and Ephesians.
Chapter 6 Paul refers to the Word of God as the sword of the Spirit.
It's his instrument.
It's his tool.
And so we need to make sure that we come.
To the word of God.
With an understanding of.
The correct usage.
It's not for us to make our case or prove our point.
It's for us to hear from God, to be instructed to be edified, built up.
Yes, encouraged with the great promises that are to come, but also corrected.
That we do not continue in the things.
That are not.
Of God, Paul tells Timothy in second Timothy 215 be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
We will never rightly divide the word of truth.
If we don't humble ourselves before the word.
If we come to it with our agenda with our ideas, with our thoughts, and try to use the word of God to prove what we want and our lifestyle.
And the things that we like.
We're always going to be using it incorrectly, never cutting it straight.
But if we will humble ourselves before the the word we have, we have a chance.
We have an option.
We have an opportunity.
To rightly divide the word of God.
To not be ashamed when we stand before God because.
We allowed his word to instruct us and lead us.
In his ways. Well, finally we're going to finish here in verses one through three of Chapter 23, point #5 commit to obey the word verse one says.
Now the king sent them to gather.
All the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to him.
The King went up to the House of the Lord with all the men of Judah, and with all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great.
And he read in their hearing all.
The words of the book of the Covenant, which had been found.
In the House of the Lord.
Verse 3 then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the Lord to follow the Lord to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul to perform.
The words of this covenant that were written in this book and all the people took a stand for the covenant.
In this rediscovery of the word of God.
The king is seriously impacted by it.
He spends time in the word.
He trembles at the word.
He believes both the blessings that are promised, and the judgments that are declared, he humbles himself before the word.
And now commits to obey it completely with.
All his heart soul.
To do his utmost his very best.
To live according to.
What God has declared in his word.
I think it's interesting in verse 2.
Towards the end of the verse it says and he read and they're hearing all the words of the book of the Covenant.
Which had been found in.
The House of the Lord.
Who is the he?
And he read in their hearing.
All the words of the book.
Of the covenant.
Context would suggest this is Josiah.
Previously, the word has been read to him.
By the scribe but now.
He reads, he gathers the elders.
Of all the nation of the whole, all the people to him.
Those guys I wanna read you something you got 2 1/2 hours sit down we're gonna spend some time reading.
The word of God.
And so once again they dive in.
And they work their way through the scriptures through what God has revealed.
And then the response at the end.
Josiah closes the book.
You know he finishes all right, the end of Deuteronomy thus says the Lord.
And says OK guys.
Now, what are we going to do?
Here's what I'm going to do.
I'm going to do it.
I'm going to take.
What God is declared, but God is written here and I'm going to.
Performance this is the right response to the word of God.
James tells us be doers of the word and not hearers only.
Deceiving yourself.
If anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he's like a man observing his face and a mirror.
He observes himself and goes away and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work.
This one will be blessed in what he does.
The word of God is intended.
Just for education, not just for information, not just for arguments and for philosophies, and for.
Theological doctrines but the word of God is intended.
To change the way that we live.
And and James.
Gives it the illustration of a mirror.
If you look in.
The mirror and you see you have a piece of cilantro on your teeth.
But then your league itches, and you scratch your league, and then you go about your day and forget about it.
Looking in the mirror and recognizing the cilantro on your teeth doesn't really help you.
You weren't changed.
And so you walk around with something in.
Your teeth all day.
Long and everybody laughs at you behind your back.
That's not the way to use the word of God.
That's not what the word of God.
Is for the word.
Of God is when you look in the mirror.
You see the issue and so you address the issue, and sometimes that's why we don't like to spend time in the word of God, because when we do, we see the issue.
It's the mirror that shows us.
The standard of where God is and where we are and where what we think of what he thinks, and they're radically different.
And oh, that's not a comfortable feeling.
I don't want to humble myself before the word and be instructed and corrected by the Lord.
And so I'd rather just not look in the mirror.
That's my general approach to life.
I get in the shower.
I take a extra hot shower so the mirror is all steamy.
I can go days weeks without ever seeing myself in a mirror.
I rely on my wife or some of you to say.
Hey, in fact, now as I'm saying this, I just remember one time I was walking in the church and also came up to me and she's like this and I'm like what is she going to do?
She goes right to my ear and boom plucks out a huge hair.
Whoa, thanks mom.
But I never saw.
It I never knew that huge hair was.
There she saw it.
I wasn't looking in the mirror.
The mirror is for that right?
The word of God is for that.
Your life should be changed.
And sometimes you might be offended because other people are in the word of God and they're bringing it to you and you're like, hey, you stay away from my ear.
You know, like I'm happy quite content with the forest there, that's fine.
But that's not how we're to approach the word of God.
Looking at it, but just walking away and just forgetting not not letting it impact our life.
Here, King Josiah says I'm going to commit to obeying the word.
To taking what God has said and performing it with all my heart with all my soul.
With everything I have.
I'm going to get into the scriptures.
I'm gonna understand what God has said and I'm gonna model my life after what he has declared.
This morning
I would encourage you rediscover the word of God in this way.
Spend time in the word, tremble at it, let it impact you and change you.
Believe both the blessings and the judgment.
All scripture.
It's it's important for us and necessary for us and helpful for us.
Humble yourself before the word like God.
Speak to you.
And address the things that need to be addressed.
And commit to obey it.
Don't just hear it and forget it.
But be steadfast in your endeavour.
To understand what God wants for your life from his word.
So that you can put it into practice.
Let's pray God, I pray for each of us that we Lord would make this same kind of commitment.
Lord, that we would stand with Josiah and say.
With all my heart with all my soul with.
All my strength.
I will follow what God has declared in his word.
Lord, may we rediscover your word.
I pray that you would pour out your holy.
Spirit upon us.
God that we would be refreshed and unrenewed and our understanding and our desire.
In our application of what you have said.
May your word come alive in our hearts this year.
May we know you more?
Maybe experience more of your goodness and your blessing as a result and Lord may we turn from sin and receive your instruction and correction.
Or that we might be changed and transformed.
By what you have declared.
I pray this in Jesus name.