2 Crônicas 34

2 Crônicas 34

Meyer - 2 Chronicles 34:15, 18—I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord It is supposed that this was the Book of Deuteronomy; though we have no sympathy whatever with a modern notion with respect to its discovery. In our judgment that book is rightly ascribed to Moses. Apparently, however, it had long been missing, and the young king was filled with horror when he heard the list of evils that were associated with apostasy. “He rent his clothes.” We should read the Bible with a particular application to the days in which we live. It is well enough to accept its statements as being generally true and credible; but it is better to realize their pertinence to ourselves and our circumstances. The book of the law had been sadly neglected in the years preceding Josiah’s accession; and through the neglect of God’s Word the people had become indifferent to His commands, and deaf to the appeals of His prophets. Josiah turned the lantern on the evils of His time, and saw how God was feeling with respect to them. The Bible is a book for all time. What it said, it says. What it was, it is. You tell me it was written so many centuries ago; but I reply the ink is still wet on its immortal pages. They have been read and pondered by generations; but the light of its eye is not dim, nor its natural force abated. Sin is the same, man the same, God the same, in all ages. And the Bible’s claim to be God’s Word is substantiated by the fact that it is possessed of living power, and of the same perennial freshness as the sun, or the spring, or the ocean, or the faces of the little children. Would that we might daily read it as we read the newspaper, damp from the press, realizing that it is our Father’s great message for the life of every day! In summary, Josiah’s response to the rediscovered Book of the Law shows that God’s Word—though ancient—is living and powerfully relevant, calling every generation to personal conviction, repentance, and attentive application to present-day life. The Best Find I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord. — 2 Chronicles 34:15 Today's Scripture: 2 Chronicles 34:14-21 In 1987, a West Michigan couple, the Zartmans, bought four books at an estate sale. They were excited to find that the books contained two collections of letters and sermons by the preacher and hymnwriter John Newton (1725–1807), who wrote the beloved hymn “Amazing Grace.” Also included was a two-volume set of his sermons based on Handel’s Messiah. Newton’s family had preserved these writings by passing them down through the years. Then in the 1840s his heirs brought the books to the US. They are currently being used by an organization that plans to republish all of Newton’s works in 2007 in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of his death. The books will then be donated to a museum in England. An even greater find is recorded in 2 Chronicles 34:15. During Josiah’s reign as king of Judah, he ordered the repair of the temple. In the temple, Hilkiah the high priest found the Book of the Law that had been given to Moses by the Lord. When Josiah “heard the words of the Law” (v.19), he felt convicted and later stood before his people to make a covenant to keep all that was written in the book (v.31). Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see. —Newton The written Word reveals the Living Word. 2 Chronicles 34:16 Then Shaphan brought the book to the king and reported further word to the king, saying, “Everything that was entrusted to your servants they are doing. Shaphan: 2Ki 22:9,10 Jer 36:20,21 thy servants: Heb. the hand of thy servants Related Passages: 2 Kings 22:9+ Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought back word to the king and said, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the LORD.” SHAPHAN MAKES A SPECIAL DELIVERY Then Shaphan brought the book to the king and reported further word to the king, saying, “Everything that was entrusted to your servants they are doing. - It is fascinating that Shaphan begins with the expected news (temple repairs) before introducing the unexpected discovery (the Book of the Law) in the next verse. The irony is that while the temple was being physically repaired, what Judah really needed was spiritual renewal that only comes from the Word of God. In short, the real “repair work” was not just on the building, but on the hearts of the people. David