Josiah became Judah’s king at the young age of eight. By the time Josiah had become a teenager, the emptiness of Judah’s idolatrous lifestyle led Josiah to seek the Lord and, in doing so, he began a sweeping religious housecleaning throughout Judah and beyond. Having removed the pagan idols and purified the Temple of the Lord, it was time to put the Lord’s house back into pristeen condition.
To accomplish this, he “sent Shaphan son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, the court secretary, to the Temple of the Lord. He told him, ‘Go to Hilkiah the high priest and have him count the money the gatekeepers have collected from the people at the Lord’s Temple. Entrust this money to the men assigned to supervise the Temple’s restoration. Then they can use it to pay workers to repair the Temple of the Lord. They will need to hire carpenters, builders, and masons. Also have them buy the timber and the finished stone needed to repair the Temple. But don’t require the construction supervisors to keep account of the money they receive, for they are honest and trustworthy men’” (II Kings 22:3-7, NLT).
“Don’t require the construction supervisors to keep account of the money they receive, for they are honest and trustworthy men.” It’s often said that people judge others by their own standards. Such was the case with Josiah. Being a man of integrity himself, he had no problem trusting “the men assigned to supervise the Temple’s restoration.”
These men “restored what earlier kings of Judah had allowed to fall into ruin. The workers served faithfully under the leadership of Jahath and Obadiah, Levites of the Merarite clan, and Zechariah and Meshullam, Levites of the Kohathite clan. Other Levites, all of whom were skilled musicians, were put in charge of the laborers of the various trades. Still others assisted as secretaries, officials, and gatekeepers” (II Chronicles 34:11b-13).
“Still others assisted.” Reminds me of a church mission trip. Not everybody who goes to help build a church is a skilled craftsman, but every willing body is able to contribute. The person who refills the nail aprons or brings the fresh cooler of ice water is helping the project along. Ditto for those who are entertaining children, preparing meals, doing laundry, and sweeping up the sawdust and scraps at the worksite. When God’s people work together, Kingdom work gets done and God blesses it.
Clearing, cleaning, and repairing the Temple led to a wondrous discovery: “Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the court secretary, ‘I have found the Book of the Law in the Lord’s Temple!’ Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan, and he read it” (II Kings 22:8).
Hilkiah had uncovered a scroll containing the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament, written by Moses and called “the Book of the Law.” In Deuteronomy 31:24-26, we read: “When Moses had finished writing this entire body of instruction in a book, he gave this command to the Levites who carried the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant: ‘Take this Book of Instruction and place it beside the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, so it may remain there as a witness against the people of Israel.”
Like everything else within the Temple and the land, the things of God had been shoved aside and forgotten. Does Jesus seem distant from you these days? If so, He hasn’t gone anywhere, but you may have.
Everything in today’s world clamors for our attention. Find a regular time and place to get away from the noise and bustle and spend time getting reacquainted with the Lover of Your Soul.
Copyright © 2013
Judy Woodward Bates
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