2nd Chronicles 34 "I HAVE FOUND THE BOOK" We may often underestimate what young children take in especially if their parents are not believers in the Lord Jesus Christ - or even in God for that matter. It is an encouragement to read about Josiah as an eight- year old boy who had obviously been positively influenced by teachers and/or mentors. By the time he was sixteen years old and was beginning to make serious choices for himself, he "began to seek after the God of David his father." Consistency in those who taught him had a greater impact on him than the evil actions of his own father. Christian youth work may not seem to be all that important at the moment, but good seed sown bears good results.
Age doesn't disqualify a person from serving God. Faith in God and obedience to His word, and consistency in one's life produces balance in character no matter what age a person is. As a child Josiah was likely afraid of the wicked ways of his father, so he sought the Lord at an early age. When he was sixteen it was obvious his professed faith in God was no childish or passing whim, and at twenty he took action to get rid of all that was wrong in his country. He was young it is true, but he had the authority to do something to stop evil and so he used it. He was old enough to know how spiritual darkness among the people of his nation negatively effected the life of the nation. He couldn't change the hearts of the people but he could remove the objects associated with idolatry. Removal of that which is sinful and that which attracts sinful behavior is very important. But in the long run it is that which comes from within that "defiles a man."
Getting rid of that which is bad by cleansing and purification of the vestiges of sin is right, but dealing with sin involves also being committed to doing that which is right in spite of the cost. The loss of popularity, friendship, finances and worldly success goes with cleansing. To just clean things up and go no further leaves one "empty, swept and garnished." That which is truth has to fill one's soul and life to fill up that vacuum. We do not live in a personal vacuum, even though society is in the midst of a "values vacuum." Our minds are going to be filled with that on which it feeds.
Repairs to the house of the Lord called for initiative on the part of Josiah in the same way one who sees the need to recover the work of an assembly. A return to plain Gospel preaching, understandable and relevant teaching, and participation on the part of the Lord's people in the work of the Lord gives purpose to us as a company of gathered out saints. It is not enough to know what should be done. The people of God need to be united in the work and have a sense of ownership and obligation that leads to responsibility to the work.
In a remarkable act of faith and unification, the Levites collected money from those who remained in the northern tribes after Israel had been conquered as a nation. The poor people who remained to till the land were included in sharing in the work of restoring the house of the Lord to its proper condition. There was unity in the repair work and "the men did the work faithfully." When God's people have a clearly stated objective, and a goal to reach, they focus their attention and efforts on that goal and can find from their meager supply something to give to assist in the work of the Lord.
It was because of the motivation to repair the house of the Lord and correct that which was wrong, that the book of the law (likely Deuteronomy) was found. To do one thing right often leads to further opportunities and spiritual blessings. By hearing the book of the law read, Josiah and those in leadership were made to realize how far the people of God had strayed from knowing and doing the will of God. Josiah did not take the harm sin had caused lightly. Consciousness of sin brings godly sorrow. Godly sorrow brings repentance and repentance brings salvation. Repentance and humility bring change when we obey the living word of God. Josiah took the word of God personally and "rent his garments" in contrition.
Many people today "study the Bible," and know a lot of things about what it says. But when a person admits this is the word of God to me, that changes the whole thing from a volume to study, merely "a book," to a relevant message from God to me in "the book." This attitude toward the Bible removes all the confusion being taught by denominational bias, schools of theology and seminaries, to where one considers if they are a true "practitioner" of eternal life and submits to biblical authority no matter what others say or do.
When Josiah heard the words of "the book," they hit him hard in his heart and mind. "The work" of repairing the house of God, and the funding for that work, faded into the background as he was humbled before God in repentance and tears. One has well said, "The work of God in our hearts is far more important that the work of God in our hands." Not everyone responds to the word of God in the same way when they hear it read and explained. Two people can be from the same family, sitting on the same bench, listening to the same message at the same time and one is moved to tears and resolve, while the other looks over and thinks, "I wonder what's wrong with him?"
The traditions of men, the actions of one's life, the motivation and commitment to God all have an effect on how the word of God is received. Compromising the text and context to suit the desires of people can water down the truth of scripture until everyone "feels comfortable" with what is said. When that happens in one generation, all that has been tried and proven to work effectively in generations past is lost. When a person speaks for God the bad news has to be told as well as any possible encouraging words for strengthening their faith. In Josiah's day, God's people had gone so far away from God, that just judgment was inevitable. People temporarily changed outwardly depending on who was leading them, but the outward change did not indicate an inward change.
Josiah's repentance and grief for sin was real. God does look on the heart, and so Huldah's message gave him a little light as to his own personal future. When humility is real, it is obvious not only to God, but also to people. The word of God convicts the heart, and when the heart is changed, so is the person. When the word of God is received in its convicting power, and repentance brings faith, and faith brings change in our own personal life, then we want that to be experienced by others. Josiah wanted the Lord's people to know they were a covenant people. Truth has a power in itself and when it is received from God, we want others to have the same blessing we received.
The effect on people is not always the same. When it is "believed with all thine heart," the inward reality leads to real commitment. If it is received with only an intellectual consent, it will impact a person only until some other more attractive "doctrine of men" comes along. Josiah's insistence that everything that was wrong be removed and done away with in all Israel, was a great step of purification that affected a whole generation of people. The people did submit to his authority and were blessed because of their leader's own personal commitment to God and His word. He responded with "all his heart and with all his soul," and did that which was right because he knew God. The people gave assent to that which he insisted upon because of who he was, not because of their own personal commitment to God.