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Speaker 1: I'm John Stangey, and today we're in Second Chronicles, chapter
Speaker 1: thirty four, and we'll be reading from the English Standard version.
Speaker 1: Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign,
Speaker 1: and he reigned thirty one years in Jerusalem. And he
Speaker 1: did what was right in the eyes of the Lord,
Speaker 1: and walked in the ways of David his father. And
Speaker 1: he did not turn aside to the right hand or
Speaker 1: to the left. For in the eighth year of his reign,
Speaker 1: while he was yet a boy, he began to seek
Speaker 1: the God of David his father. And in the twelfth
Speaker 1: year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the
Speaker 1: high places, the ashiram and the carved and the metal images.
Speaker 1: And they chopped down the altars of the bales in
Speaker 1: his presence, and he cut down the incense altars that
Speaker 1: stood above them, and he broke in pieces the ashirim
Speaker 1: and the carved and the metal images, and he made
Speaker 1: dust of them and scattered it over the graves of
Speaker 1: those who had sacrificed to them. He also burned the
Speaker 1: bones of the priests on their altars, and cleansed Judah
Speaker 1: and Jerusalem, and in the cities of Manassa, Ephrium, and Simeon,
Speaker 1: and as far as Naptali in their ruins. All around.
Speaker 1: He broke down the altars and beat the ashirim and
Speaker 1: the images into powder, and cut down all the incense
Speaker 1: altars throughout all the land of Israel. Then he returned
Speaker 1: to Jerusalem, now in the eighteenth year of his reign,
Speaker 1: when he had cleansed the land and the house, he
Speaker 1: sent Chafan, the son of Azaliah, and Messiah, the governor
Speaker 1: of the city, and Joah, the son of Joahaz the recorder,
Speaker 1: to repair the house of the Lord his God. They
Speaker 1: came to hilco Kiah, the high priest, and gave him
Speaker 1: the money that had been brought into the House of God,
Speaker 1: which the Levites, the keepers of the Threshold, had collected
Speaker 1: from Nassa and Ephrium, and from all the remnant of Israel,
Speaker 1: and from all Judah and Benjamin, and from the inhabitants
Speaker 1: of Jerusalem. And they gave it to the workmen who
Speaker 1: were working in the house of the Lord, and the
Speaker 1: workmen who were working in the house of the Lord
Speaker 1: gave it for repairing and restoring the house. They gave
Speaker 1: it to the carpenters and the builders to buy quarried
Speaker 1: stone and timber for binders and beams for the buildings
Speaker 1: that the kings of Judah had let go to Ruin.
Speaker 1: And the men did the work faithfully. Over them were
Speaker 1: set Jayhath and Obadiah, the levites of the sons of Murari,
Speaker 1: and Zechariah, and Mishulm of the sons of the Cohathites,
Speaker 1: to have oversight the levites. All who were skillful with
Speaker 1: instruments of music were over the burden bears and directed
Speaker 1: all who did work in every kind of service. And
Speaker 1: some of the levites were scribes and officials and gatekeepers.
Speaker 1: While they were bringing out the money that had been
Speaker 1: brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest,
Speaker 1: found the Book of the Law of the Lord given
Speaker 1: through Moses. Then Hilkiah answered and said to Chafan, the secretary,
Speaker 1: I have found the Book of the Law in the
Speaker 1: house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Chafan.
Speaker 1: Chaffan brought the book to the King, and further reported
Speaker 1: to the King, all that was committed to your servants,
Speaker 1: they are doing. They have emptied out the money that
Speaker 1: was found in the house of the Lord and have
Speaker 1: given it into the hand of the overseers and the workmen.
Speaker 1: Then Chaffan the secretary told the King, Hilkiah, the priest
Speaker 1: has given me a book. And Chaffan read from it
Speaker 1: before the King. And when the King heard the words
Speaker 1: of the law, he tore his clothes. And the King
Speaker 1: commanded Hilkiah Ahikam, the son of Schafan, Abdam, the son
Speaker 1: of Micah, Chafan the secretary, and Isiah the King's servant, saying,
Speaker 1: go inquire of the Lord for me and for those
Speaker 1: who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the
Speaker 1: words of the book that has been found. For great
Speaker 1: is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out
Speaker 1: on us, because our fathers have not kept the word
Speaker 1: of the Lord to do according to all that is
Speaker 1: written in this book. So Hilkiah and those whom the
Speaker 1: king had sent went to Holdah, the prophetess, the wife
Speaker 1: of Shalam, the son of Tokath, son of Hazra, keeper
Speaker 1: of the wardrobe. Now she lived in Jerusalem in the
Speaker 1: second quarter, and spoke to her to that effect. And
Speaker 1: she said to them, thus says the Lord, the God
Speaker 1: of Israel. Tell the man who sent you to me,
Speaker 1: Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will bring disaster upon
Speaker 1: this place and upon its inhabitants, all the curses that
Speaker 1: are written in the book that was read before the
Speaker 1: King of Judah, because they have forsaken me and have
Speaker 1: made offerings to other gods that they might provoke me
Speaker 1: to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore,
Speaker 1: my wrath will be poured out on this place and
Speaker 1: will not be quenched. But to the King of Judah,
Speaker 1: who sent you to inquire of the Lord. Thus you
Speaker 1: shall say to him, thus says the Lord, the God
Speaker 1: of Israel, regarding the words that you have heard, because
Speaker 1: your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God
Speaker 1: when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants.
Speaker 1: And you have humbled yourself before me, and have torn
Speaker 1: your clothes and wept before me. I also have heard you,
Speaker 1: declares the Lord, Behold. I will gather you to your fathers,
Speaker 1: and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace,
Speaker 1: and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that
Speaker 1: I will bring upon this place and its inhabitants. And
Speaker 1: they brought back word to the King. Then the King
Speaker 1: sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
Speaker 1: And the King went up to the house of the
Speaker 1: Lord with all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants
Speaker 1: of Jerusalem, and the priests and the Levites, all the people,
Speaker 1: both great and small, and he read in their hearing
Speaker 1: all the words of the Book of the Covenant that
Speaker 1: had been found in the house of the Lord. And
Speaker 1: the King stood in his place and made a covenant
Speaker 1: before the Lord to walk after the Lord and to
Speaker 1: keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with
Speaker 1: all his heart and all his soul, to perform the
Speaker 1: words of the Covenant that were written in this book.
Speaker 1: Then he made all who were present in Jerusalem and
Speaker 1: in Benjamin join in it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem
Speaker 1: did according to the Covenant of God, the God of
Speaker 1: their fathers. And Josiah took away all the abominations from
Speaker 1: all the tales territory that belonged to the people of Israel,
Speaker 1: and made all who were present in Israel serve the
Speaker 1: Lord their God all his days. They did not turn
Speaker 1: away from following the Lord, the God of their fathers.
Speaker 1: Let's pray, Lord, we thank you for your word, and
Speaker 1: we thank you for the privilege of being able to
Speaker 1: look at it together today. And Lord, we're grateful that
Speaker 1: as we look at this portion of scripture, we can
Speaker 1: see the kind of influence you can have over a
Speaker 1: large group of people through one faithful life. Lord, as
Speaker 1: you inspired within Josiah a desire to follow you and
Speaker 1: a desire to turn away from idols, and the desire
Speaker 1: to lead your people in righteousness, we could see that
Speaker 1: that had a great impact on the people. You were
Speaker 1: working in their hearts collectively, and you drew many unto
Speaker 1: yourself in that generation. Your word says that they did
Speaker 1: not turn away from following you during the days of Josiah.
Speaker 1: We're grateful to see that. Lord. We pray that such
Speaker 1: would be the same in our lives as well. Lord,
Speaker 1: you tell us in your word that you want us
Speaker 1: to be faithful to you as men and women who
Speaker 1: have been redeemed through faith in your son Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1: It's not your desire that we turn to the right
Speaker 1: or to the laughter back toward the things that you
Speaker 1: have freed us from. Through the shed blood of Jesus Christ,
Speaker 1: we have been set free from the prisons that once
Speaker 1: entangled us, from the temptations of this world that we
Speaker 1: once gave our hearts over to and were bound by. Lord.
Speaker 1: We're grateful that you have done this, and we pray that,
Speaker 1: by your grace we would be faithful to you in
Speaker 1: all contexts of life, every day that we live. We
Speaker 1: love you, Lord, and we thank you for your presence
Speaker 1: with us today. We commit this day to your care,
Speaker 1: and we pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.