I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord. (2 Kings 22:8)Hezekiah's great-grandson Josiah became king of Judah when he was only eight years old. The writer of 2 Kings tells us he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord (22:2). Whereas Hezekiah had to strip gold from the temple doorposts to pay Assyria tribute, Josiah authorized a capital funds campaign to restore the temple to its original condition.
It was during the renovation process that Hilkiah the High Priest found the Book of the Law (possibly Deuteronomy), and passed it on to the king. Josiah was grief-stricken upon hearing God's commandments, and implemented a sweeping reform of Judah. It is in reading of this reform (chapter 23) that we see how far Judah's downward spiral had progressed in just two generations, due to the evil influences of Josiah's grandfather Manasseh.
Josiah had never met his great-grandfather, but had probably heard stories. No doubt because of his mother Jedidah (the writer carefully includes her name), he developed a heart for God. So the question is: Did the discovery of the Book of the Law fan into flame this passion for God? Or did God reveal his Word to Josiah because he knew Josiah was already primed to do something about it?
Just goes to show what we could be missing when we neglect our Bibles.
Has finding your dust-covered Bible ever felt like an archaeologist discovering a long-lost treasure?
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