I don’t know about you, but I’d be over the moon to find a message from God like Hilkiah found in the LORD’s temple. How many times do I hear myself asking God to reveal his will for my life? The Book of the Law that Hilkiah discovered was probably the core of what we know as the book of Deuteronomy. It had obviously been hidden away and not referenced for many years.
Hilkiah’s find would rock Josiah’s world. We even hear that Josiah “tore his clothes in despair”. While Josiah had been so focused on restoring the temple, he now saw a new, more crucial mission. Doom to his people seemed imminent. Josiah’s immediate response was to go to the LORD for counsel. That’s a good idea for us, too, especially when we are troubled and unsure of our future.
I was curious why Josiah didn’t go to the temple himself but rather sent some of his trusted advisors. Rather than go to the temple, they went to a prophet, Huldah. She was ready to give them a word from the LORD. It was not a very pleasant one. The LORD would indeed bring disaster to Jerusalem because of how the people had sinned. God’s “anger will burn against this place, and it will not be quenched.” Can you imagine having to take that message back to Josiah?
But then there was also a glimmer of hope in the message. The LORD had seen Josiah’s humble response. God wanted Josiah to know he “will not send the promised disaster until after you have died and been buried in peace. You will not see the disaster I am going to bring on this city.” At least Josiah would be spared. Would that be enough consolation for Josiah?
It was no accident that Hilkiah found the hidden scroll. One of the evil kings of the past had likely stashed it away because they had no intention of following it. Or perhaps one of the priests of old had hid it to protect it from destruction during the rule of those evil kings. At last, it was found! We have it in our hands today in some form.
God had given the Israelites the law to protect them. It makes a lot of sense now to know that the law had been “out of sight, out of mind.” If it wasn’t available as a reference, how would the people know how they were supposed to act? How would they know that worshipping idols was so detestable to the LORD?
I’m not trying to downplay what happened all those years ago. But we could fall into the same trap if we ignore the gift we have been given. We have the Bible available to us. It’s not hidden away in the temple. We don’t have the excuse of not knowing that our actions might disappoint God. We don’t have to wonder what God desires for us when we take time to read his Word.
How does it make you feel to know you have such a great advantage by having God’s word in your hands right now? What would the world look like right now if this “hidden” treasure was revealed to the whole world? There are plenty of people who have “stashed it away” because they either don’t believe it, don’t make time to read it, or don’t think it’s relevant to them.
As God’s creatures, it’s relevant to us. All of us. It breaks my heart to realize how many people have not even picked up a Bible. There are probably many people who don’t even know about God’s word, despite the fact it has been a best-selling book for years! According to Google, the Bible is the best-selling book of all time, having sold around 5 billion copies as of February 2022.
How many Bibles do you have in your house? Don’t ask me that question – I’m married to a pastor, remember?! We’ve got Bibles all over the house, and even gave dozens away when we moved to Mexico! Thankfully, with the internet we also have access to many translations of the Bible. I take joy in looking up passages in different translations.
You and I have been blessed with access to the great discovery Hilkiah made, and then some. We also have the Holy Spirit to help us discern and understand what the passages mean. God’s word is alive, and the message is never out-of-date. I’m honored to have you reading my reflections and hope they help you connect with God’s word on a deeper level.
Let’s pray …
Lord, I am so full of gratitude that you have made your word accessible to me. Help me to never ignore your messages to me. I look forward to spending time with you each day. Reveal your will to me so I can live a life that is pleasing to you. Use me to help others connect with you and know you on a deeper level. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
