UNROLL
A side room of the temple under repair: new cedar beams propped against a wall of pale dressed stone, a stack of fresh-cut blocks, stone dust in a single shaft of morning light; on a low stone ledge lies a rolled scroll tied with a cord, gray with dust.

The Book of

2 Kings 22

Workmen are repairing the temple. In the rubble, the high priest finds a book that will make a king tear his clothes.

20 verses≈ 5 min4 peopleBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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In this chapter

Where we are

  1. 1–8ElishaThe prophet's double portion
  2. 9–12JehuThe house of Ahab falls
  3. 13–17Last kings of IsraelSamaria falls
  4. 18–20HezekiahTrust in the LORD
  5. 21–23JosiahThe Book foundChapter 22
  6. 24–25ExileJerusalem falls

Josiah Reigns in Judah

Judah

Josiah of Judah · 31 years

  1. King at eight

    Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years.

  2. His mother Jedidah of Bozkath

    His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.

Tap to go deeper: meaning, history and related Scripture

And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.

2 Kings 22:2

Funding the Temple Repairs

Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the scribe, Shaphan son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the house of the LORD, saying,

Josiah

Question

Quick question

Josiah came to the throne after his grandfather Manasseh and his father Amon, two of Judah’s worst kings.

How old was Josiah when he became king?

Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law

Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD!” And he gave it to Shaphan, who read it.

And Shaphan the scribe went to the king and reported, “Your servants have paid out the money that was found in the temple and have put it into the hands of the workers and supervisors of the house of the LORD.”

Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.”

And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.

When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes

Morning at the gate of the king's house in Jerusalem: five men go out together on an urgent errand, seen from behind and the side, the white-bearded high priest in his blue robe, the scribe Shaphan, a younger man with his features and two royal officials, the king small in the doorway behind them and a steep, narrow street ahead.

and commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the servant of the king: “Go and inquire of the LORD for me, for the people, and for all Judah concerning the words in this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the LORD that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book by doing all that is written about us.”

Reflect

When the word lands

Josiah heard the book once and “he tore his clothes.” He did not argue or delay; he sent to ask what the LORD wanted. When did God’s word last cut you to the heart? What did you do with it?

Huldah’s Prophecy

So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went and spoke to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, the keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District.

And Huldah said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Tell the man who sent you that this is what the LORD says: I am about to bring calamity on this place and on its people, according to all the words of the book that 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. My wrath will be kindled against this place and will not be quenched.’

A quiet room in a stone house in soft morning light: Huldah the prophetess sits on a low bench by a small window, her hands folded, speaking gravely to the king's men, who stand with their heads bowed; a clay lamp and a loom against the wall.

But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘As for the words that you heard, because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its people, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and because you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have heard you,’ declares the LORD.

0:23

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

‘Therefore I will indeed gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the calamity that I will bring on this place.’” So they brought her answer back to the king.

Pray

A tender heart

Thank God that His word was not lost for good, and that He still speaks through it. Ask Him for a heart like Josiah’s, one that is tender, humbles itself and trembles at what He says. Pray for your land, your church and your home to come back to the Book.

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2 Kings 22

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A verse to carry with you

And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.

2 Kings 22:2

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