WHEN YOU FIND WHAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW WAS LOST

So I was finishing up the book of 2 Chronicles this morning, and as I read chapter 34, something really popped out to me.  Check out the passage below (emphasis is added to the things that really struck me).  

 “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 the LORD 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 our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book.” 22 Hilkiah and those the king had sent with him went to speak to the prophetess Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District. 23 She said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, 24 ‘This is what the LORD says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people—all the curses written in the book that has been read in the presence of the king of Judah. 25 Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and provoked me to anger by all that their hands have made, my anger will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched.’ 26 Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: 27 Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD. 28 Now I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am  going to bring on this place and on those who live here.’” So they took her answer back to the king. 29 Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30

He went up to the temple of the LORD with the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the LORD. 31 The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the LORD— to follow the LORD and keep his commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book. 32 Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to it; the people of Jerusalem did this in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 33 Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the LORD their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the LORD, the God of their fathers.”

God left me with these thoughts after I read that passage.

 Where’s your Bible?

 You see, the people had disobeyed and displeased God greatly.  And perhaps a major part of the problem was the fact that they had been neglecting the reading of God’s Word.

Are you neglecting God’s Word?

I used to clean a rather big church; and in doing so, I found many things scattered throughout the building that I had to place in the lost and found.  There were glasses, jewelry, ipods, coats, hats, gloves….and sad to say, there were Bibles.  In fact, there were enough “lost” Bibles to better than fill one shelf in the lost and found room.  My initial reaction when I saw those Bibles sitting there was “how are these people in the Word everyday, when their Bibles are here?”  (And I do understand that many have more than one Bible, but if you’re like me, I have one Bible that I use all the time and it is precious and marked up.)

Anyway, God prompted me to share what He was saying to me through this passage, and as I was grabbing my laptop to type this devotional, He brought a story to mind that a friend shared with me after she had returned from a mission trip.  One particular day the mission team was passing out Bibles to the people. She relayed to me that when each person received their personal copy of God’s Word, they immediately went off to a quiet place, sat down, and began to read it.  I was so humbled by their eagerness to read the Bible…for their hunger for the truth of God’s Word.  We take so much for granted, don’t we?  We’ve been given so much and yet take so much for granted. 

I found myself doing a bit of self-examination this morning.  What would my response be if someone gave me a Bible?  Would I be grateful?  Would I be eager to sit down and read it?  Can I honestly say that I hunger for the truth of God’s Word?

 After I sat still and reflected for a bit, God brought me back to the original passage above, and He highlighted a portion of it for me.  “He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the LORD. 31 The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the LORD—to follow the LORD and keep his commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book.”  Isn’t that the purpose of opening the Word of God?  To follow the LORD with all your heart and soul and to obey what’s written in His Word?  

I’ll leave you with two final questions.

How do you obey what’s written in the Word, if you don’t read it?

Are you willing to go find what you didn’t realize was “lost” and
to purpose in your heart to renew your purpose to follow and obey?