“Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” –2 Kings 22:10

It must have been like a scene out of an Indiana Jones movie.

 

In the eighteenth year of his reign, good King Josiah ordered the repair of the Temple in
Jerusalem. For years worship of the true God in Judah had suffered under a long parade of evil
kings, and by now the magnificent temple Solomon built three centuries earlier had fallen into
disrepair.

 

During the course of the restoration, Hilkiah the priest made an astonishing discovery. It was a
scroll—one that had not been touched for some time. He carefully examined the delicate book,
and his heart must have raced when he realized what it was. He hurried off to tell the secretary,
Shaphan, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord!” (2 Kings 22:8).

 

It was Shaphan’s job to report to the king on the progress of the restoration project. He began in
fairly undramatic fashion, “Your officials have paid out the money that was in the temple of the
Lord and have entrusted it to the workers and supervisors at the temple” (2 Kings 22:9).

 

Then he dropped the bombshell. “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book,” (2 Kings 22:10).
Shaphan unrolled the scroll and began to read from it in the presence of the king.

When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes. He gave these orders…
“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” (2 Chronicles 34:19-21).

 

Do you wonder, as I do, how the Book of the Law could have been lost? How could it have been
lost and not missed for so long in the temple of the Lord?

 

That day began a great reform. Josiah vowed to follow the Lord and keep his commands with all
his heart. And all the people pledged the same.

 

We, too, have been given a Book—the sacred Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. But it
is in danger of being lost. Biblical illiteracy is soaring. Worship attendance is on the decline. Our
nation is quickly transforming from a post-Christian culture into an anti-Christian one.

 

We have a choice. We can follow the trend and drift ever-so-slowly away from our God. Or we
can re-commit ourselves to living our lives by the Book of the Lord. What will we do?

 

The Word of God is “alive and active” (Hebrews 4:12). It exposes our sin and shows us our
Savior. May we treasure that Word, and each day commit ourselves to holding on to its truth.