Because Your Heart Was Tender Because . . .you responded in humble repentance, tearing your robe in dismay and weeping before me, I’m taking you seriously. GOD’s word. I’ll take care of you; you’ll have a quiet death and be buried in peace. You won’t be around to see the doom that I’m going to bring upon this place and people.” 2 Chronicles 34:26, The Message Jeremiah wasn’t the only prophet around during Josiah’s reign. When he first learned about the book of the law, and his scribe, Shaphan, read it to him, Josiah was horrified. He knew God had a right to be very angry, because His people hadn’t been obeying anything at all in this book for years and years.So he sent for the nearest prophet. She happened to be Huldah, the wife of a man named Shallum, who took care of the king’s clothes.It’s not an easy thing being a prophet of God. You so often have to give bad news. And it’s frequently to people of power, like kings and high officials. They could kill you, and sometimes they do. (More than one king was going to try to kill Jeremiah over the coming years!)But Huldah had some good news after her bad news. First, she said, “You’re right—God has had it with the continual disobedience and bold-faced rebellion. He’son His way to execute judgment. The curses for disobedience you saw in that scroll are definitely in force.” Like Jeremiah, she knew, as a true prophet, that what we now call the Babylonian captivity was in the near future.But then Huldah added, “God says, ‘You, Josiah, are different. I’ve seen how you are spending a lot of time, energy, and money cleaning up the land. You have taken me seriously, so I’ll take you seriously. I’ll take care of you, and you’ll have a peaceful death and burial. These horrible things won’t happen while you’re alive to see them.”Josiah must have had mixed feelings when he received this message. It was good that he wouldn’t have to see it, but these were his people! Maybe he could influence some of them, at least. Maybe there would be others who would repent, to whom God would grant a quiet life and peaceful death. In verses 30-33, the Bible records that King Josiah “acted immediately,” calling the entire country to the temple and sharing the book with them. He committed himself to follow and made them do so, too. And look at those last two verses: “Josiah . . . got everyone started fresh again, serving and worshiping their GOD. All through Josiah’s life the people kept to the straight and narrow, obediently following GOD . . .”Just think what the story would have been like if the rest of the kings had done the same!Great giver of the word of restoration, thank You for Your mercy! Give me, like Huldah, encouraging words. Let me, Your child, speak for You
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 09:18:19 +0000
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