2 Kings 22:1-20
Josiah Reigns in Judah

Josiah receives the highest commendation from the writer of Kings: He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the way of David. This week’s passage backs up that summary statement with a specific example. When the Book of the Law was found during ordinary repairs to the temple and taken to King Josiah, he listened to it read and immediately responded in a godly way. He realized that Judah was not obeying the Lord and tore his clothes as an expression of remorse and grief. He ran to God instead of turning from Him, sending his representatives to a prophetess to inquire of the Lord. In response, God showed him mercy.

How in the world could the people of God lose the Book of the Law, and in the very house of the Lord? Maybe it’s not so unthinkable; after all, it happens today. Churches lose the Word of God when they focus too much on other things, like numbers or politics. We as individuals lose the Word of God when our Bibles sit unopened on the shelf or the backseat of the car or … somewhere. (“Where did I have it last?”) We lose the impact of the Word of God when we read it at arm’s length, as an academic exercise or a nice story from long ago and far away. Before the Lord, ask: Have I lost the Word of God? Do I depend on it as my daily bread? Do I take it seriously, giving it my time and attention? Do I turn to it first, reflexively, when I face a problem or decision?

Pastor Dave encouraged us to take the Bible personally and modeled it by drawing a parallel between God’s message to King Josiah and our lives now. God said that Josiah would be buried in peace and spared the disaster that was coming to Judah because his heart was responsive and he was penitent. What does that have to do with me, you ask? As a member of the human race, you were born under a sentence of awful disaster. We all deserve God’s wrath and the lake of fire. But those of us whose hearts are responsive to the Bible’s grand message of a Savior and repent receive mercy instead. We have peace with God and eternal life, even though our mortal bodies are buried. We can be thankful for God’s mercy, as Josiah must have been. Lord, teach me to come to Your word expectantly, trusting that You have something to say to me. Teach me to take Your word personally – not twisting it to make it say something I want to hear, but listening carefully for the Holy Spirit’s voice.

Calvary Family

Ask the Lord to bring to us the right men to fill several positions in Calvary ministries. Our leadership is seeking an associate pastor to lead our young adult group (Refuge), among other responsibilities, as well as a part-time music director. The long-time house manager of the TLC house is moving out this week, and identifying a replacement for this position is important.

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert

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