Devotions

I Have Heard the Report of You

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The prophet brings us a foretelling, a description of a time when, in Habakkuk 2:14 “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh, like the waters cover the sea”. The prophet tells us of the splendor and brightness and strength of the Lord. But the prophet also says, in Habakkuk 2:11–12 “For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the plaster from the wood will answer it” and they are crying out to the Lord to avenge bloodguilt and wickedness. So, in Habakkuk 3:13 “You (the Lord) went forth for the salvation of your people” and, the prophet goes on to say this as if it were already done “you crushed the head of the house of wickedness”. 

The Earth Will be Filled

Habakkuk 2:11–20
There is coming a time, and this is what the prophets bring us, knowledge of the Lord’s plan and purpose, when in

Habakkuk 2:14 “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh, like the waters cover the sea”.

We forget that in

Habakkuk 2:11–12 For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the plaster from the wood will answer it. 12 Woe to him who builds a city by bloodguilt, and who founds a city by wickedness!

or as it says in

Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans together and suffers agony together until now.

and what is creation waiting for? It is waiting for us, the ones that follow Jesus Christ in Romans 8:29 “that he should be the firstborn among many brothers”. So, creation is waiting in

Romans 8:19 For the eagerly expecting creation awaits eagerly the revelation of the sons of God.

I belabor this point because all of God’s creation cries out to Him against evil, in

Genesis 4:10 “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground”.

and all of those murdered for their testimony cry out to the Lord in

Revelation 6:9-10 ‘those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God … they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, holy and true Lord, will you not judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?”’

and the Lord will answer those who live in wickedness in

Habakkuk 2:16 “The cup of the right hand of Yahweh will come around upon you and disgrace upon your glory”.

 

I Have Heard the Report of You

Habakkuk 3:1–9
There is stark contrast between the awe of the Lord at the beginning in

Habakkuk 3:2 O Yahweh, I have heard the report of you; O Yahweh, I stand in awe of your works. In the midst of the years, revive it! In the midst of the years, make it known!

and the recognition of the Lords wrath at the end

Habakkuk 3:2 In wrath, may you remember to show compassion.

And again he begins with splendor and brightness and strength as he describes the Lord in

Habakkuk 3:3–4 God came from Teman; the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His splendor covers the heavens, and his praise fills the earth. 4 And his brightness was like the light; flashing rays came from his hand for him; And there is the covering of his strength.

then comes destruction and trembling “at his feet” in

Habakkuk 3:5–6 Before him went Disease, and Pestilence went out at his feet. 6 He stood and measured the earth; he looked and made the nations tremble. Then the mountains of old were shattered; the hills of old collapsed. The ways of old belong to him.

The message is often lost as people see great power and holiness, but also utter destruction. It is that the Lord’s holiness, his righteousness cannot abide sin. But there is also his love and mercy that hate destruction and will make a way for anyone that turns toward him. This is why it says in this, my preferred translation of

Psalm 85:10 (ASV 1901) Mercy and truth are met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Righteousness requires absolute perfection, truth exposes every flaw, mercy forgives and gives strength to the weak, peace reconciles repairing the breach. 

You Went Forth for the Salvation of Your People

Habakkuk 3:10–19
We are given free will, so evil may exist for a time but the Lord will take action in

Habakkuk 3:13 “You went forth for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of wickedness, laying bare from the foundation to the top”.

The innocent and blameless and even the righteous may be caught up in the judgement of the wicked. There are times when a bad situation turns worse as the wicked lash out. But the prophet reminds us that even through lean times where the harvest is disrupted, “my Lord is my strength” in

Habakkuk 3:17–19 “Though the fig tree does not blossom, nor there be fruit on the vines; the yield of the olive tree fails, and the cultivated fields do not yield food; the flock is cut off from the animal pen, and there is no cattle in the stalls, 18 Yet I will rejoice in Yahweh; I will exult in the God of my salvation. 19 Yahweh, my Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer; he causes me to walk on my high places”.

Peace, Peace,’ but There is No Peace

Jeremiah 8:4–13

My Comfort is Gone From Me

Jeremiah 8:14–20

Is There No Balm in Gilead?

Jeremiah 8:21–9:3

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Habakkuk 2:11-20
  • Habakkuk 3:1-19
  • Jeremiah 8:4-22
  • Jeremiah 9:1-3
Devotions

Act With Justice and Righteousness

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The Lord makes what seems to be a simple request in Jeremiah 22:3 Thus says Yahweh, “Act with justice and righteousness …”. But the sons of Josiah are subject to tribute at the hands of Egypt. The peace the Lord had promised during the days of Josiah were over. The few years of tribute to Egypt may have seemed unbearable, but then came the captivity in Babylon. Habakkuk brings a word of deliverance from the Lord who says “Write the vision and make it plain … For there is yet a vision for the appointed time”. Our answers don’t always come the way we want them to, but one thing is certain, the righteous judge of heaven and earth will return for those that love his appearing. 

Act With Justice and Righteousness

Jeremiah 22:1–9
People often quote the two greatest commandments from Matthew 22:37–39 “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” What we forget though, is the kind of love Jesus is talking about is not the romantic infatuation, it is not the emotional feeling that is fleeting.

The love Jesus is talking about is committed love that honors the relationship by considerate action. The love Jesus is talking about is in John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments”. And if we read now understanding that the Lord wants us to act in a manner that is pleasing to his character and nature then we may understand why Jeremiah 22:3 acts as a gate, as a doorway, that controls the Lords response to us. When we honor the word of the Lord, he embraces us. When we reject the word of the Lord, we have rejected him. Is it such a hard thing that the Lord asks of us in

Jeremiah 22:3 Thus says Yahweh, “Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been seized from the hand of the oppressor. And you must not oppress or treat violently the immigrant, the orphan, and the widow. And you must not shed innocent blood in this place”.

He Judged the Legal Cause of the Needy and the Poor

Jeremiah 22:10–17

He Did Evil in the Eyes of Yahweh

2 Kings 23:31–37 

Nebuchadnezzar Brought to Babylon
the Objects of the House of Yahweh

2 Chronicles 36:2–5
Josiah’s son Jehoahaz was made king at Josiah’s death in 2 Chronicles 36:1 “And the people of the land took Jehoahaz … and made him king”. However, he was not the next in succession, “Jehoahaz … was the youngest son of Josiah, but the popular favorite, probably on account of his martial spirit (Ez 19:3) and determined opposition to the aggressive views of Egypt”.1

But he ruled only three months because in 2 Chronicles 36:3 “the king of Egypt deposed him” and in 2 Chronicles 36:4 “the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and he changed his name to Jehoiakim”.

It isn’t clear what happened between Jehoahaz and the king of Egypt except that Jehoahaz was deposed, taken to Egypt, and he died there (2 Kings 23:34) and it is likely that Jehoahaz had the same opposition and aggressive views toward Egypt that had led to his fathers death.

Jehoiakim, the one appointed by the king of Egypt, in 2 Chronicles 36:5 “was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did evil in the eyes of Yahweh his God” and “His character is portrayed with a masterly hand in the prophecy of Jeremiah (Je 22:13–19). As the deputy of the king of Egypt, he departed further than his predecessor from the principles of Josiah’s government.1

So, in 2 Chronicles 36:6 “Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon went up against him, and he bound him with bronze fetters to bring him to Babylon”.

I am Raising up the Chaldeans

Habakkuk 1:1–11

He Sacrifices to His Fishnet

Habakkuk 1:12–17 

Write the Vision and Make it Plain

Habakkuk 2:1–10
There is a great line in these verse in Habakkuk 2:2 “Write the vision and make it plain on the tablet so that it might be read quickly”. And it has been used for all kinds of contexts as a way to underscore the need for vision and to direct human activity. But this is written for a specific plan, the plan that in

Habakkuk 2:3 For there is yet a vision for the appointed time; it will give witness to the end, and it will not lie. If it tarries, wait for it, for it will surely come and not delay.

This plan is for the exoneration of the righteous and the demise of, in Habakkuk 2:5 “the defiant; the arrogant, treacherous man? He who broadens his throat like Sheol, and who, like death, is not satisfied, and who gathers to himself all the nations, and harvested for himself all the peoples”.

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Jeremiah 22:1-17
  • 2 Kings 23:31-37
  • 2 Chronicles 36:2-5
  • Habakkuk 1:1-17
  • Habakkuk 2:1-10

References

  • 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 287). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
Devotions

The Wealth They Gained has Perished

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As Judah and Jerusalem enjoy a period of thirty-one years of relative peace through the reign of Josiah, Jeremiah prophecies the destruction of Moab. As described in Jeremiah 48:11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth”. The Moabites have occupied this land for some seven hundred years but have become proud. They now come into judgement in Jeremiah 48:7 “because of your trusting in your works and in your treasures”. In Jeremiah 48:33 “joy and rejoicing have been taken away from the fruitful land … And the wine from the wine presses” and in Jeremiah 48:36 “Therefore the wealth they gained has perished”. But the biggest surprise is that Josiah goes out to fight the king of Egypt and is killed ending the time of peace for Judah.

Sword of Yahweh

Jeremiah 47:1–7 

Because of Your Trusting in Your Works

Jeremiah 48:1–9
Jeremiah delivers the word of judgement against Moab in Jeremiah 48:4 “Moab is broken” and in Jeremiah 48:8 “the destroyer will come to every town” and in Jeremiah 48:9 “her towns will become as a desolation, without an inhabitant in them”. But this is not without cause, the Moabites occupy Moab from 1300 B.C. to 600 B.C. and in Jeremiah 48:7 “For because of your trusting in your works and in your treasures, even you yourselves will be taken”.

How the Staff of Might is Broken

Jeremiah 48:10–18
It says in Jeremiah 48:11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth” and that has been some 700 years. But now in

Jeremiah 48:17 Mourn for him, all his surroundings, and all those who knew his name. Say, ‘How the staff of might is broken, the staff of glory.’

He Magnified Himself Against Yahweh

Jeremiah 48:19–27
And again I say, this judgement was not without cause because in

Jeremiah 48:27 Now was not Israel the laughingstock to you? Or was he found among thieves? For as often as you spoke over him you shook your head.

For some it is not enough to live their life and be content. They instead must look down on, they must put down others to declare their superiority. It is their own judgement of Israel that is coming back on them. 

The Wealth They Gained has Perished

Jeremiah 48:28–37
The children of Israel came under judgement because of idolatry. The Assyrians came under judgement because of their cruelty and blood shed. Now Moab comes under judgement because in Jeremiah 48: 29-30 “We have heard of the pride of Moab —he is very proud— his height, and his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart. 30 I know his insolence,” declares Yahweh …”.

Though the people did not serve the Lord, it is call in Jeremiah 48:33 “the fruitful land” and we also find that “Moab’s favorable agricultural situation is presupposed by the biblical story of Ruth, which has as its setting a time of famine of Judah … Naomi and her family emigrated temporarily to Moab where food was still available (Ruth 1:1, 6)”.1

But now in Jeremiah 48 :33 “joy and rejoicing have been taken away from the fruitful land … And the wine from the wine presses” and in Jeremiah 48:36 “Therefore the wealth they gained has perished”.

I Will Restore the Fortunes of Moab

Jeremiah 48:38–47

Jehoahaz King in Place of his Father

2 Kings 23:29–30 

Stop Opposing God

2 Chronicles 35:20–36:1
Some years go by (maybe twelve or thirteen) after Israel keeps the Passover and as we come back to 2 Chronicles 35:20 it says “After all of this that Josiah had prepared for the temple” and we remember in 2 Kings 23:25 “There was not a king like him before him, who turned to Yahweh with all of his heart and with all of his soul and with all of his might according to all of the law of Moses, nor did one arise like him afterwards”. And because of this, the Lord had granted him peace in 2 Kings 22:19–20 “because you have a responsive heart, and you humbled yourself before Yahweh … Your eyes will not see all of the disaster that I am bringing onto this place”.

Now, though, even after the King of Egypt warns Josiah in 2 Chronicles 35:21 “saying, “What is there between us, O king of Judah? I am not against you yourself this day, but against the house making war against me. And God has commanded me to make haste. Stop opposing God, who is with me that he will not destroy you”. Yet, Josiah in 2 Chronicles 35:22 “did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, and he went out to fight in the plain of Megiddo” and Josiah was mortally wounded.

Why is it that Josiah thought that he only heard from God? The Lord was working in other nations, with other people, and he had even used the king of Assyria to accomplish His will and purpose. Somehow Josiah thought that the Lord was on his side. Instead, we must always be looking to be on the Lords side. But there we go, often thinking we only have God’s ear and He will do what we want. Thinking this way cost Josiah his life.

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Jeremiah 47:1-7
  • Jeremiah 48:1-47
  • 2 Kings 23:29-30
  • 2 Chronicles 35:20-27
  • 2 Chronicles 36:1

References

  • 1. Miller, J. M. (1992). Moab (Place). In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 4, p. 883). New York: Doubleday.
Devotions

Consecrate Yourself and Prepare

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Josiah restores not only the covenant with the Lord, but restores the Passover and feasts. But they had never celebrated Passover which is followed by the seven day feast of unleavened bread. There had been a priestly order, but they had not performed these priestly duties. The Levites had become teachers, but they didn’t serve the people. They all learned new roles, they learned to serve each other, and by that, to serve the Lord. Reading these passages you can see the great order, and the diligence, and the service that ended with this statement, in 2 Chronicles 35:18 “there was no Passover like it kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet”. 

Keep the Passover to Yahweh Your God

2 Kings 23:21–28
Once the scroll, the Torah, was found, the king immediately reaffirmed the covenant with God and all of the people. Now, as time progresses, it is the time of the Passover so in 2 Kings 23:21 “the king commanded all of the people, saying, “Keep the Passover to Yahweh your God, as has been written on the scroll of this covenant.””. Just as the Torah had been lost, the nation had also lost the cycle of feasts to the Lord.

After this re-dedication, a deeper level of cleansing took place among the people in 2 Kings 23:24 “the mediums and the spiritists, the household gods and the idols, and all of the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, Josiah removed”. These things had long been “Forbidden in Lev 20:6 and Deut 18:9–14. People who interacted with the spirit world were expelled from the land by Saul (1 Sam 28:3, 9)”.1

And because of his responsive heart to the Lord, it says of Josiah in

2 Kings 23:25 There was not a king like him before him, who turned to Yahweh with all of his heart and with all of his soul and with all of his might according to all of the law of Moses, nor did one arise like him afterwards.

 

Consecrate Yourself and Prepare

2 Chronicles 35:1–10
The preparations for the Passover begin. This is the first since the Judges as it says in

2 Kings 23:22 “For they had not kept this Passover from the days of the judges who had judged over Israel or during the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah”.

So everyone needed to learn their position and understand their role. Josiah took his role as leader and in 2 Chronicles 35:2 “he set the priests at their posts” and in 2 Chronicles 35:3 “he said to the Levites who were teaching all Israel, who were sanctified to Yahweh, “Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. There is no need to carry it on your shoulders. Now serve Yahweh your God and his people Israel”. There was an existing priesthood and the Levites had become teachers of the people but they didn’t understand the place of the ark, it belongs in the Holy of Holies, and they didn’t understand their role serving the people.

Then the Levites were instructed in 2 Chronicles 35:4-5 “prepare yourselves according to your families, according to your working groups … And stand in the sanctuary according to the clans of your families for your brothers, the lay people”.

The people were admitted according to their families in groups or companies of several households at a time. When the first company entered the court (which consisted commonly of as many as it could well hold), the gates were shut and the offering was made.2

This was highly organized, and the king was empathetic because “multitudes of the people, especially those from Israel, having been reduced to poverty through the Assyrian devastations, were to be provided with the means of commemorating the Passover”.2

in 2 Chronicles 35:7 “Josiah provided for the lay people sheep, lambs, and young goats, all for the Passover for all who were found there, to the sum of thirty thousand, along with three thousand bulls. These were the possession of the king”. 

The Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread Seven Days

2 Chronicles 35:11–19
As the Passover begins, in 2 Chronicles 35:11 “the priests sprinkled the blood” and in 2 Chronicles 35:12-14 “the Levites … set aside the burnt offerings … roasted the Passover lamb … boiled the holy offerings … and brought it quickly to all the lay people”. And in 2 Chronicles 35:15 “the singers … were at their stations … They did not need to depart from their service, for their brothers the Levites had made preparations for them”.

Everyone knew their role and everyone served each other and the people so that all the service was completed as it says in 2 Chronicles 35:17-19 “So all the service of Yahweh was prepared on that day to keep the Passover … And the Israelites who were present kept the Passover … And there was no Passover like it kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet”.

Blow the Horn at New Moon

Psalm 81:1–8

Open Wide Your Mouth and I Will Fill It

Psalm 81:9–16

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • 2 Kings 23:21-28
  • 2 Chronicles 35:1-19
  • Psalm 81:1-16

References

  • 1. Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (2 Ki 23:24). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
  • 2. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 285). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
Devotions

I Will Break His Yoke From Upon You

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The Lord knows those that have a heart for him and will not allow there ungodly to go unpunished. The only question is when and how. We find God’s wrath delayed as king Josiah finds a scroll, the Torah, and renews the covenant with the Lord and with all of the people. Josiah had taken steps to remove foreign God’s from the land, but now, with the agreement of the people, Josiah is able to countermand even the former edicts of the kings before him. Josiah moves again to cleanse the land of every idol, every memorial. 

He (the Lord) Knows Those Who Take Refuge in Him

Nahum 1:1–8
We often say the Lord is creator of heaven and earth and all that is in them, but do we really have a sense for his strength and power? The prophet says in Nahum 1:3 “storm clouds are the dust of his feet” and in Nahum 1:5 “Mountains quake before him”. But it isn’t this power that the prophet wants to emphasize, it is God’s power that, in Nahum 1:2 “rages against his adversaries” and in Nahum 1:6 “Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire” so that none can stand against him. And on the other side, is in

Nahum 1:7 “Yahweh is good—a refuge in the day of distress; he knows those who take refuge in him”.

Or, as it says in

2 Peter 2:9 “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to reserve the unrighteous to be punished at the day of judgment”

 

I Will Break His Yoke From Upon You

Nahum 1:9–15
There is, in Nahum 1:11 “one who plots evil against Yahweh, one who plans wickedness”. And in Nahum 1:12 “Yahweh says this: “Even though they are powerful and likewise many, even so they will be cut off and pass away”. It doesn’t matter how many there are in opposition, it doesn’t matter what their plans are, the prophet by the word of the Lord says in

Nahum 1:15 Look! On the mountains! The feet of the one who brings good tidings, the one who proclaims peace! “Celebrate your festivals, O Judah, Fulfill your vows! For he will not invade you again; the wicked one is cut off completely!”

Who is this one that brings good news? and who is this one that is cut off completely? in

Acts 10:36–38 As for the message that he sent to the sons of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ—this one is Lord of all—37 you know the thing that happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 Jesus of Nazareth—how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with him.

It is Jesus Christ, “Lord of all” and “the devil who has been the oppressor of the people.

Yahweh Will Restore the Majesty of Jacob

Nahum 2:1–13 

All of the People Joined in the Covenant

2 Kings 23:1–10
Josiah had gone through out the land to stop idol worship, he had repaired the temple and in the process, found, in 2 Kings 22:8 “the scroll of the Torah”. Now Josiah gathers all of the leaders and the priests and the prophets and the people in 2 Kings 23:2 “and in their hearing he read all of the words of the scroll of the covenant”. You see, this covenant was not just for the leaders, this was a covenant for all of the people.

But Josiah took his rightful place as the king, he took his place as the leader and in 2 Kings 23:3 “the king stood by the pillar, and he made a covenant before Yahweh, to go after Yahweh and to keep his commands and his warnings and his statutes with all of his heart and with all of his soul, to keep the words of this covenant written on this scroll”. This was no minor gathering and there was order and ceremony and “The King stood by the pillar as Joash had done (2 Kgs 11:14); ‘on the dais’ NEB (cf. Neh. 8:4). The word (‘ammûd) may simply denote ‘a standing place’, the royal station.1

And in response, in 2 Kings 23:3 “Then all of the people joined in the covenant”. It wasn’t enough for the king to declare his covenant to serve the Lord, here, “The people ‘gave their allegiance’ (JB) to the covenant and thus pledged themselves (lit. ‘stood’, NRSV ‘joined in’) in ratification of the Deuteronomic command to follow the LORD. For this they stood (literally), and both symbolically (Jer. 34:18) and verbally (saying ‘Amen’, Deut. 27:11–26) gave their assent”.1

Following this renewal of the covenant, Josiah has the authority to countermand the orders even of previous kings. So, Josiah begins a deeper cleansing of the nation. They had already stopped the ritual of offering to these other gods, but now, they are removing every vestige, every memorial, and in 2 Kings 23:4 “he burned them outside of Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and then he carried their ashes to Bethel”.

The Man of God Had Proclaimed These Things

2 Kings 23:11–20
The Lord had sent a prophet to foretell what would happen in Josiah’s day. Josiah not only had to deal with the culture of idolatry, there was legislation passed by prior kings that supported idolatry and gave it government sanction and financial support. For example, in

2 Kings 23:11 “the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun” and in 2 Kings 23:12 “The altars that were on the roof of the upper room of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courtyards of the temple of Yahweh” and in 2 Kings 23:15 “the altar that was in Bethel, the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin, had built”.

The horses, “he burned with fire” and the altars “the king tore down” then “he burned down the high place”. Then in 2 Kings 23:16-17 “he sent and took the bones from the tombs and burned them on the altar. Thus he defiled them according to the word of Yahweh that the man of God had proclaimed who had proclaimed these things”. This man of God is not named so, “Who this prophet was cannot be ascertained, He came by divine authority. It could not be either Iddo or Ahijah, for both were alive after the events here related … the prophet foretold its utter destruction [1 Ki 13:3]”.2

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Nahum 1:1-21
  • Nahum 2:1-13
  • 2 Kings 23:1-28

References

  • 1. Wiseman, D. J. (1993). 1 and 2 Kings: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 9, p. 319). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 2. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 222). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Devotions

Because You Have a Responsive Heart

by  • 

Josiah began to seek the Lord as “a boy” and grew to be a man that in 2 Chronicles 34:7 “broke down the altars … in all the land of Israel”. Then he commanded the high priest to 2 Kings 22:4-5 “to repair the breach of the temple”. During this time, there was a priesthood, there had been a cleansing from idolatry, but what the king didn’t know is they had lost the Torah, they had lost their knowledge of the covenant. When this revelation came to him by the reading of God’s promises, blessing and curse, in 2 Kings 22:11 “he tore his clothes”. And the Lord replied in 2 Kings 22:19–20 “because you have a responsive heart, and you humbled yourself … I have also heard”. Josiah had peace, destruction was delayed, until the end of his reign. 

Repair the Breach of the Temple

2 Kings 22:3–7
We read in 2 Kings 22:2 that king Josiah “did right in the eyes of Yahweh” and in 2 Chronicles 34:3 “while he was still a boy, he began to seek the God of David his ancestor. And in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem” and in 2 Chronicles 34:7 “he broke down the altars … in all the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem”.

On his return, in 2 Kings 22:3 “in the eighteenth year of King Josiah”, when he was about twenty six, “the king sent word”. It wasn’t the high priest who initiated, and it wasn’t the people of the land that initiated, it was through the head of the natural government that the Lord was working.

The message from the king was in 2 Kings 22:4-5 ““Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, and let them count the money … let them give it into the hand of those appointed doers of the work … to repair the breach of the temple”. This money that was collected was for the priests and Levites, who were the keepers of the temple service to the also for the widows, orphans, and strangers in the land, (what we might call a benevolence fund). But if we read carefully, these funds were accumulating from the time of Manasseh so there was a surplus. The distribution was to be to “those appointed doers of the work at the temple of Yahweh” and then “Let them give it to the doers of the work who are at the temple”. 

Inquire of Yahweh Concerning the Words

2 Kings 22:8–13
As the high priest gathered the money from the temple storage, the found a scroll and in 2 Kings 22:8 “Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan and he read it”. During this time there was a priesthood, there was a temple, there were workers in the temple for the temple service, but they had lost the Torah. They were operating out of their traditions as best they knew them and in

2 Kings 22:11 “When the king heard the words of the scroll of the Torah, he tore his clothes”.

It was clear to the king that in 2 Kings 22:13 “because our ancestors did not listen to the words of this scroll” they had broken the covenant. Now it is also clear that they had prophets operating among them because in the king says, also in 2 Kings 22:13 “Go, inquire of Yahweh for me and for the people and for all of Judah concerning the words of this scroll”. But it is also clear that the had a form of religion without an understanding of the basis of their relationship with God. How many are there today that have yet to understand that you must be born again as it says in

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless someone is born from above, he is not able to see the kingdom of God.”

 

Because You Have a Responsive Heart

2 Kings 22:14–20
They went to a woman, in 2 Kings 22:14 “Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum … the keeper of the robes. Now she was living in Jerusalem in the second district”. It was often the case that prophets were recognized, but held a lower social station than king or priest. She is the wife of “the keeper of the robes”, not a particularly high position, and living with her husband in the second district, not in the kings court. Even so, ““They went to the prophet Huldah,” and not to Jeremiah, even though he was already well known … maybe because this woman surpassed him with the power of her gift of prophecy”.1

In fact, “She was held in such veneration that Jewish writers say she and Jehoiada the priest were the only persons not of the house of David (2 Ch 24:15, 16) who were ever buried in Jerusalem”.2

But more important than the prophetess, is the message in 2 Kings 22:19–20 “because you have a responsive heart, and you humbled yourself before Yahweh when you heard how I spoke against this place … and you have torn your clothes and wept before my face, I have also heard, declares Yahweh. 20 Therefore … you shall be gathered to your tombs in peace. Your eyes will not see all of the disaster that I am bringing onto this place.’ ” ’ ”

Just as the children of Israel had wandered forty years in the wilderness because of their unbelief, her, the anger of the Lord was delayed through the thirty one year reign of one that had a responsive heart. The Lord does hear and responds to our intercession.

All That Was Put Into the Hand of Your Servants They Are Doing

2 Chronicles 34:8–18

Your Eyes Will Not See Any of the Disaster

2 Chronicles 34:19–33

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • 2 Kings 22:3-20
  • 2 Chronicles 34:8-33

References

  • 1. Conti, M., & Pilara, G. (Eds.). (2008). 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (p. 230). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 2. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 246). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.