The Bible in Art: Josiah and the Book of the Law
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Verses for Consideration: 2 Chronicles 34:14-21 (The Date is 621 B.C.)
14 While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the temple of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses. 15 Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan.
16 Then Shaphan took the book to the king and reported to him: “Your officials are doing everything that has been committed to them. 17 They have paid out the money that was in the temple of theLord and have entrusted it to the supervisors and workers.” 18 Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.
19 When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes. 20 He gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah,Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant: 21 “Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that is poured out on us because those who have gone before us have not kept the word of the Lord; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book.”
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In the Bible, God tells us the secrets of salvation, which Jesus has won for us. Even though we daily stray away from him, God was willing to send his own Son, Jesus, to die on the cross and rescue us from soul-destroying sin. Because of Jesus’ priceless investment in us, we are precious in the sight of the living God and can look forward to an eternity of happiness in heaven! What a precious message God’s Word gives us.
Have you ever lost something and simply could not rest until you found it? Lost keys tend to get us looking, as do important health documents for our children. Or a child might be devastated by the loss of a favorite toy and unable to think about anything else until he finds it.
Sometimes, however, people lose things and do not even know they are gone. In a move from one home to another, a box might get buried under a mountain of other materials and not be missed for months. But when we need it, the search begins.
Is that the way we treat the precious Word that God has so graciously given to us? I don’t mean that we lose it, but do we search for it as intently as we search for other precious things we have lost? The Lord wants us to treat it as the treasure it truly is. Jesus wants us to make sure that we get a daily dose of his promises, his forgiveness, and his strength. There are many treasures in God’s Word that he wants you to have-treasures that you may not even know are there. Make the search for those treasures a part of your daily life.
Prayer: Holy Spirit, I praise you for preserving for me the treasure of your Word. Work powerfully in my heart so that I might use the Scriptures faithfully to receive your bountiful blessing. Amen.
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Title:The Scribe Shaphan Reading The Book Of Law To King Josiah (1622)
Artist: Leonaert Bramer