2 Kings 22 (Part 3) Bible Study (Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Can we come now together to second Kings chapter 22? And we are going to complete this chapter tonight by the grace of God. And I invite you to come to verse eight of second Kings chapter 22. There are many things that stir my heart about the scriptures. One thing that never fails to move my soul is what the word of God says about itself.

You are very aware that the Bible repeatedly discusses and declares and testifies to its own divine authorship, its reliability, its necessity, sufficiency, and supremacy in sanctifying us and satisfying us. And for us to absorb what the word of God says about its own revelation is not only instructive, but inspires us to understand the treasure that the scriptures truly are. Now, I bring this up by way of introduction because it leads us perfectly into the very core of our study this evening. You see, what we're going to witness in the rest of this chapter is a pivotal moment in the life of King Josiah and the kingdom of Judah as a whole. And this transition that is going to take place will be the result of Josiah being encountered by the written word of God.

It is spectacular to see, but we have to remind ourselves of some facts. In the twelfth year of Josiah's reign, he brought reform to the country. And that continued until the eighteenth year of his administration. And in the eighteenth year, he turned his attention to the temple of the Lord, the house of worship. And he sought to repair it because in recent history, and for many years actually, the temple had been neglected.

And not just neglected, it had been vandalized by idolatry. And so, there is a process that was started by King Josiah. He he sought to raise funds and he put men to work to see the temple honored again. And it was in that pursuit that a discovery was made by some of Josiah's top officials. And I want you to read with me what it is in second Kings 22 verse eight.

Let's read down to verse 11. And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shiphon the secretary, I found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shiphon, and he read it. And Shiphon the secretary came to the king and reported to the king, your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord. Then Shiphon the secretary told the king, Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.

And Shiphon read it before the king. When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes. Father, we ask with total sincerity that you would teach us. Lord, we echo the psalmist cry who said, oh, how I love your law. It is my meditation all the day.

Lord, we are people who have gathered here because we love your law, and we pray that you would bring illumination to our hearts that we may understand it the way you've called us to know it, and that we may apply it to our lives the way you've intended it to be applied. Lord, we ask that you would you would truly transform us as a result of what we will uncover here in this passage. We give you maximum glory and honor in advance for what you will do as a result of what we will study. In Jesus' name, we pray these things. Amen.

How strange is it to read that the high priest found the book of the law in the house of God as though its presence there was unexpected. Now most of us here, I'm sure, understand that the 10 commandments were to be placed in the ark of the covenant. But very few remember what item was to be placed beside the ark of the covenant. If you need a reference, this is an important one. It's It's in Deuteronomy 31 verse 26.

I will read it to you. This is what Moses commanded the people of Israel to do before they even entered into the land of promise. He had said this, take this book of the law and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God that it may be there for a witness against you. So a copy of the law was to be protected and preserved by placing it beside the Ark of the Covenant, which resided in the innermost sanctuary of the temple. Now, if that was where the book of the law was to be, then why is it that Hilkiah the priest speaks about its discovery as though it was a surprising sight?

That's the impression that we get here. That Hilkiah finds the book of the law and he communicates its discovery, but it should be a given. That's where the book of the law was to be found. And here's the answer. Because for so long, the word of God was ignored and bypassed by the very people of God.

Look back at verse eight quickly and notice how Hilkiah gives the book of the law to this man named Shiphon, who was a secretary. And we read here that Shiphon, when he received it, opened the book and he began to read it. Now, that seems to imply that there is a level of unfamiliarity. That Shiphon here never engaged with its words before, that he is new to this content. And he's a leader.

So here's what you're supposed to get from this. That the leaders in the kingdom of God don't seem to be very familiar with the oracles of God. This seems to be like a strange thing to them. And if it was unfamiliar to the leaders of this kingdom, how much more so the rest of the people? In fact, did you see what happened to King Josiah?

When Shiphon took the book, he updated the king with the recent project of the temple being reconstructed. And he mentions how the book was found. To what? To find the king in utter shock and grief as though he had never engaged with the word. As though this was the first time that the king himself is hearing the word of God.

Now, why should that be a concerning observation for us? Any idea you can answer if you know. Why is the King's reaction something that should concern us? Exactly. We've seen this over and over in our study of the Kings.

We're told in Deuteronomy seventeen eighteen that the kings were to have a personal copy of the law. It was to be approved by the priest, and it was to be read daily by the king. So if king Josiah was to have a copy, then why act in this way when the book of the law is being read in your presence? Shouldn't you have known it? Shouldn't you been aware?

But there's even more to this that makes it so amazing. Go to Deuteronomy 31 now. Look at verse nine. So in Deuteronomy 31 verse 26, we read that the book of the law was to be placed beside the Ark of the Covenant. But before that, Moses gave instructions of what the people were to do with the book of the law, at least as a nation.

In Deuteronomy thirty one nine, we read, then Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. And Moses commanded them, at the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Boots, when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. So the priests were to take the law and shine it bright like a lighthouse to the rest of the nation and faithfully proclaim it and read it to the people. Every seven years this was to take place, they were commanded to gather, they were commanded to listen on top of the regular instruction that they would receive by the priest on a daily basis. Now, if you keep this practice in mind and you realize that Josiah found the book of the law in the eighteenth year of his reign, simple math will show that this observance should have been honored at least twice.

At least twice under his government and clearly he hasn't. Why? They just found the book. They just found it. So, now we're getting idea, an idea of just how dire things are, even under Josiah's leadership.

And I don't know about you, but when I discovered this, I I thought to myself many things. A flood of questions came to my mind. But the main one was this, second Kings 22 opens up with a wonderful commendation about Josiah, that he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. That he walked in the ways of David. How did he do that without the book of the law?

What standard did Josiah used in the past six years as he was bringing reform to the nation? I believe the best answer is that there must have been some kind of oral teaching and tradition that was passed down. And though we're left in the dark with this, there could be fragments of the scriptures that were preserved and used and shared among the righteous. Though incomplete enough to guide Josiah in a righteous direction. Now, I don't wanna spend too much time speculating.

What I wanna do instead in this introduction is look at clearly three things, at least three or three things that are powerfully inspirational relating to the word of God. The first thing I want us to observe, and we're all just in verse eight right now by the way. Looking at verse eight, at least three things. Number one being God's protection over his word. You won't come to that conclusion if you read the story in isolation.

You have to include the wider narrative of the kings. Think about some of the wicked leaders that sat on the same throne that Josiah was sitting on in our study. Think of Athaliah. Think of Ahaz. Think of Manasseh.

These individuals that not only promoted idolatry among the people of God, but even dared to defile the temple of God. And through all those cycles of pollution and persecution, what do you find in second Kings 22 verse eight? The word of God survived. The word of God was preserved. It was untouched.

It was kept. That becomes even more remarkable when you realize that so many of the things in the temple were tampered with. Let me give you an example. In the parallel account of second Kings 22, after they made this discovery, another reformation takes place. And Josiah now begins to give further instruction.

And I wanna just read to you what he tells the priest, again, after they find the book of the law. Listen to this in second Chronicles 35. It says here in verse two, he appointed the priest to their offices and encouraged them in the service of the house of the Lord. And he said to the Levites who taught all Israel and who are holy to the Lord, put the holy ark in the house that Solomon, the son of David king of Israel built. You need not carry it on your shoulders.

Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel. What stands out to you from that? The Ark of the Covenant was not in the temple. Where was it? We don't know.

So, just imagine all the things that were misplaced, all the things that were, again, mishandled, dishonored, moved, and yet, the Word of God was found in the house of God. Here's how this applies to us. Throughout scripture and even in recorded history following the completion of the canon, Men have dared to try and destroy the word of God to no avail. Governments have tried to bury it, burn it, silence it. Philosophers, great thinkers, religions have attempted to compete with it, and yet the word of God, the true word of God remains as relevant as ever.

Do you know why? Because God promised that it would endure and abide forever. He promised that. And this is just a glimpse of how his invisible hand was guarding his word. And that through all the evil that was taking place, nothing could touch what he had provided man concerning himself.

God's protection over his word. That's what we find here in verse eight, but we also see secondly, God's reward for the righteous. It would be a great mistake to assume that the leaders of this kingdom accidentally stumbled upon the work and the word of God. Undoubtedly, this is divine providence in motion. And when you consider the timing of the book of the law being discovered, then we are granted a wonderful insight.

Think about it. Josiah has proven to the Lord that to the best of his ability, he would honor him. Though he was limited in his knowledge, he sought to bring pleasure and blessing to the heart of God, as he firstly sought to be pious himself and then promote others to worship the true and living God. And here's what we find, that God watching his servant, as a result of his pure heart and his consistent sacrifice, allowed and arranged for the complete word of God to be uncovered. For what reason?

To bring the reformation to new heights. That's what we're gonna find in second Kings 23. And this is how we learn. This is what we find in this truth. When you and I are faithful with what we have and what we know now, God is prepared to give us more.

God is ready to give you and I more when you are faithful with what you have and what you know now. Greater insight, deeper revelation, and sometimes more open doors and opportunities for you to advance his work. I see here that God blesses Josiah to do more, to know more, because with what he had, he was faithful. And this is something that challenged me. Because we're introduced to Josiah at eight, becoming king.

And then at 16, he sought God for himself. And then at 20, he led a spiritual reform. And he did all of that without a Bible. Does that convict anybody else? That convicts me.

So what excuse do you and I have in our lack of pursuit of the Lord, in our slothfulness in serving God when God has given us everything that we need to know about him. That stirred me. That moved me. You have a man, you have a teenager at 16 and later at 20 who stood out in history for his walk with God and he didn't even have the Bible. We should be the most motivated generation in all of church history.

The access that we have to the word of God. The availability to men of God who bring greater light to the word of God. Everything that is at our disposal should make us the most energized and faithful generation of Christians that has ever been known. The third thing, we're still in verse eight. The third thing to consider is God's warning to his church.

This is how this passage should alarm us. You and I have to be careful not to lose the word of God in the house of God. It's tragically possible for churches and their buildings to possess Bibles, yet lose it in practice. Because they don't read it carefully. They don't study it passionately.

And more importantly, they rarely apply it the way it's calling us to apply it. This story serves as a sobering reminder of how ministries can display Bibles, yet those Bibles may hold no authority over the leadership in the people. Was the Bible in the temple? Yes. But it was layered with dust.

Unless it is cracked open and actually read and expounded and explained and obeyed, it doesn't matter how many Bibles you have. It doesn't matter if you have Bible in the name of your church. Is it any wonder that corruption persisted for so long in the land? This is where the Word of God has been all, all along. It was buried.

It was in the dark. And surely because of that, it played a major role in the erosion of society. Here's what that means for us. If we don't value God's word in here, why should we expect them to be curious about it out there? If it's not something that we treasure and we value and we sing about and we love to learn from and more importantly to live by, why will people out there care for it?

They won't. So this is a warning that you can lose the Bible in a church. It can be there. You You can put it on something like that. But until it is read, until it is digested, until it is lived, we're not fulfilling its design.

Speaking of valuing God's word, there's a character in this story that stood out to me and he can easily be overlooked. Chafan, the secretary. Not much is said about him, but what we do have about him reveals that he must have been a faithful servant. He was a support to the king and his efforts. There is no hint whatsoever that he was two faced or that he was suspicious or that he was wicked.

And why I mention Shaphon here is because for our instruction, we read about his reaction to the word of God, and I believe it's a reflection on how some believers fail to esteem the scriptures as they ought to. Here's what I mean by that. First thing I want you to notice is this man, Shiphon, and his initial reaction to the word of God being read. Look back at verse eight. And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shiphon the secretary, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.

And Hilkiah gave the book to Shiphon and he read it. Where's the reaction? There isn't any. So what's the big deal? Well, I think there's a big deal when you compare it to how Josiah responds to it.

Do you remember what he did? Look again at verse 11. When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes. Why did the king react this way and not the other leaders, including the priest? Shiphon and the priest, they didn't tear their clothes, but the king did.

I think that's telling. And this analysis of Shiphon only becomes more convincing when you look at the second thing. The second thing I want you to notice is the priority of his news when he brought an update to the king. Look again at verse nine. And Shaphan the secretary came to the king and reported to the king, your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord.

Then Shaphan, the secretary told the king, Hilkiah the priest has given me a book. What was on Shaphan's mind as a priority? The money, the workmen, the physical repair of the temple, and then he brought up the fact that they found the Bible. As though the word of God was an afterthought. Is that possible for Christians too?

Absolutely. It's most definitely possible for Christians even to not have the word of God as their priority, neither in their ambitions nor their affections. There are more important things to attend to. There are more exciting things to discuss. And we find here that there is insight perhaps to why it is, and maybe you're in this place, and you can't figure out why, you find greater excitement and thrill and delight in other things more than the glorious truth of God's word.

Perhaps, Shaphon's perception of the scriptures teaches us something, which is our final observation. Did you notice how this man references the book of the law? Look again at verse 10. What does he say? Then Shiphon, the secretary, told the king, Hilkiah, the priest, has given me a book.

Wait a minute. Shifan, you were in the temple when Hilkiah told you what? The book of the law has been found. And you took it with you, you walked to the king, and you said oh, yeah. By the way, Hilkiah found a book.

How do you see the bible? Is it just a book among other books? Of course not. Innumerable books have been written about this incomparable book. But we have to go beyond acknowledging the Bible's uniqueness.

You can't just stay there. You have to establish what the Bible truly is if you're ever and I'm ever going to have the chance of feasting on it. I read somewhere that the Bible is the heart of God in print. What a simple but breathtaking thought. The Bible is the heart of God in print.

Absolutely, it is. And you and I have to believe that this book is an inexhaustible, life giving, soul transforming collection of divine truth, miraculously provided and protected by God himself for you to know who he is and become more like him. That's the Bible. I have read quite a few books, but I can say with total honesty that after reading through it once, I put it on my shelf never to visit it again. I've never been able to do that with the Bible.

Do you know why? Because it's God's voice. That's why. When you read this word or hear it being read, you are hearing God speak. And if you don't see this Bible for the gift that it is, the miraculous DNA that it possesses, then you are in danger of just seeing it as a book.

Now, you wouldn't say that. You're a Christian. But in practice, it may just be to you another book. Unlike Shaphan, Josiah's heart recognized that this was not just any book. It was God's book.

And if we truly believe that this is the word of the Lord, then I am sure that we will respond to it in like manner. We will see some similar characteristics in Josiah. Let me show you what I mean. We stopped at verse 11, but let's now continue in verse 12. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Hakam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the secretary, and Asahiah the king's servant saying, go inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found.

For great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book to do according to all that is written concerning us. Verse 11 to verse 13. What do we see here? The appropriate response to the written word of God. Number one, verse 11.

God's word has to touch your heart. What does the king do when he hears the words? He tears his clothes, a sign of great mourning, of loss, of grief. Clearly, Shiphon passed through some of the passages about judgment as we're gonna see. But the the the clothes being torn was a was a symptom, was a reaction to a heart that's been touched.

Here's what you have to ask yourself. Please ask yourself this. Does God's word touch your heart or does it just tickle your brain? Big difference. I'm not saying that you have to cry every time you hear you hear a sermon or you come to your devotions, but does it move the innermost part of who you are?

Does it touch you? Does it stir you? Do you carry it with you in your heart? That's what we see here with this man. He didn't just sit back and analyze.

He didn't just compare. It was like a harpoon to the chest. It penetrated the seat of his emotions, sure, but also the throne of his will, His perception, his world view, his in look, his outlook. Does the bible do that to you? But the word of God inflaming our feelings is is not the main thing.

What we find in verse 12, the Bible became top priority. The word of God, the will of God became priority number one to this man. How do we know that? Well, he summons not one, but five of his top officials to fetch for a profit to receive greater guidance and clarity about what he had just heard. Question, does it take five people to find somebody?

No. You just need one. So why does he find five of the leaders? Because he wants to stop everything else. This is emergency protocol.

We need to find a prophet who's gonna give us light on what we just heard. And he gets the best of his men to do so. So unlike Shaphan, this is top priority to the king. Where does the bible rank for you? How high do you esteem it?

How much do you revere it? What's the worth that you've placed on the written word of God? You know what this man does? Stop everything. Stop absolutely everything.

I needed to know where to go from here. I can't remain in the dark. Lastly, verse 13. The word of God being read, move this king into action. Go inquire of the Lord for me.

Number one, for me. He talks about the people in Judah after, but first for me. This is important for preachers. The word of God has to cut your heart before it cuts anybody else's. It has to move you before it moves anybody else.

It has to be applied to you in terms of application, in terms of change, repentance before it can be issued to anybody else. What does this mean for me? Me, me, me. And then, how does this apply to my role as a leader? So, in the mind of this king, the word of God affects and influences every aspect of his life.

There's not one compartment that's left untouched. Me and the people, the nation, me as a king, what what what do I have to do now? What does this imply? How much does the word of God govern your life? Some parts?

Just your morning time? Or is it harnessed? Is it something that guides you and directs you and informs you and shapes your thinking and rebukes you where you're wrong and comforts you where you need encouragement. This man shows us exactly where the word of God needs to be everywhere. Every part.

And so they go. And as they go, we see something interesting. Verse 14. So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Akbor, and Shiphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shalom the son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. Now she lived in Jerusalem in the second quarter, and they talked with her.

Who was the prophet that was working with Josiah during his reform? Anybody remember? Good. Jeremiah. Was there another one?

We didn't mention this in our bible study, but it's worth bringing up now. Apart from Jeremiah, who else did God raise up to assist the king in bringing the people to the Lord? Zephaniah. You can look at this in your own time. Zephaniah one one, we're told there that the man Zephaniah was commissioned by God during the reign of Josiah.

Those are prominent prophets. So you have these two leading prophetic voices in the land. Why did the king dispatch his men to go to Huldah the prophetess, who's Huldah, And not to Jeremiah or Zephaniah. We're not told. But I believe the fact that we are told here where she lived may give us a clue.

Where did she live? In Jerusalem in the second quarter which was in close proximity to the temple. I think this shows that Huldah was more readily available to receive a word from the Lord and give it by extension to the king and the leaders, while the other prophets were not as accessible. The fact that her address is mentioned may be an indication that she was someone that could be easily reached. Moreover, there is no indication that Huldah the prophetess had a wide public ministry, a public ministry at all.

What's more likely is that she was a gifted woman who had great insight and sensitivity to the spirit of God, who from time to time was approached for private consultation. Because obviously she was known, she wasn't just a random prophetess. I mentioned this in passing because you'll have some who will point to hold of the prophetess as a proof text that women can be spiritual leaders in the church. And there is absolutely no indication that hold up possesses any kind of authority over any man. In fact, we're specifically told what?

That she is the wife of Shalom. And Shalom was what? In charge of the wardrobe, which was most likely the wardrobe of the priests. So this is not a text that you can go to and say, woman can be pastors. No, she's a flash on the pan.

She appears very quickly and she disappears just as fast. That is not the discount that God uses her though. If anything, this is to inspire us that sisters in the Lord can be so filled with the spirit of God. And so bestow with wisdom that they can have a major wonderful contribution to blessing God's kingdom and advancing his work. That's what we find here.

To say that this is something that supports woman elders is just an abuse of this text. Take it for what it is. God uses woman, not just men. God can fill woman with his spirit and with great insight to actually even help brothers in the Lord. That's what we're supposed to take from this.

What's more important is the message that she has for the king and the kingdom. Let's read from verse 15 down to 19 and we're we're finished here in our study. And she said to them, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, tell the man who sent you to me, thus says the Lord, behold, I will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants. All the words of the book that the king of Judah has read, because they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands. Therefore, my wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched.

But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say to him, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, regarding the words that you have heard, because your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the Lord, when you heard how I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and have wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. There are so many things that we can draw from this message. One thing I wanna bring to your attention before the main thing. Notice how she begins in verse 15. Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, tell the man who sent you to me.

Go to verse 18, but to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord. Huldah is inspired by the Spirit of God to address the king initially as the man. Is this disrespect? No. It's the Spirit of God speaking.

God wants to emphasize and remind the king exactly that. You are a man. And the Word of God has a way of reminding us who, of who we truly are. Over and over again. No matter our position, no matter your accolades, no matter your pedigree, God's Word never fails to humble us if we receive what it has to say.

Yes, she will acknowledge the fact that he is indeed a king, a leader. But first, Josiah, before God, you're a man. Josiah had no problem with that. And here's the main thing. Again, you can imagine what we can take from this, but I don't wanna overwhelm anyone.

My prayer, my sincere prayer is that if there's one thought that you would leave from this place, it's this one. This is a strong word. Judgment is coming, not to the kingdom of Israel. They already were exiled. It's now coming to the kingdom of Judah.

And nothing can change it. It's going to manifest ultimately in their own exile. This is tragic. It it can't get any worse than this. The people of God being removed, not just the people of God.

We saw that with the kingdom of Israel, but the dynasty of David? This is almost unthinkable, but it's true. It's going to happen. However, Josiah receives a personal promise. You are not going to see this in your lifetime.

This judgment that I have planned will be suspended until you die. You will not have to witness the horrors of God's chastisement. You will live in peace. On what basis? For one incredible reason.

This is the main point that I want us to leave with. Please, look again at verse 19. The Lord says, because your heart was penitent and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard how I spoke against this place. God rewarded Josiah for how he responded to the word of God when it was read. Here's what that means for you and I.

The Lord takes into account what happens in your heart every time you encounter the scriptures. Whether with your eyes or through your ears. Every single time God looks at your heart and mind to see how we respond to the Word of God. And one of the immediate rewards is what we find in verse 19. When we have the humility and the eagerness and the longing to receive from God's word, what does he say at the end?

I also have heard you, declares the Lord. Josiah, because you heard me carefully, humbly, passionately, I'm gonna hear you. You know what that shows me? God first considers how you hear him before he considers how he hears you. Having trouble in your prayers being answered?

Can I recommend something? How have you been hearing God's word? What's your heart posture been like as God's word has been preached to you week after week? How do you hear God's word when you're face to face with it on your own? What's your heart like?

Because I wanna tell you something. God considers how you hear His word before He even considers hearing what you have to say to Him. Because you've heard me, I'm gonna hear you. And I can show you text after text after text from Genesis to Revelation that proves that same truth over and over again. If you find yourself nowhere near Josiah's heart posture toward the Word of God, what have you done about it?

Maybe at one point, it was there. Your heart was touched. It was a top priority in your life. It has governed every aspect of your existence, but those convictions are being lost or they have been lost. You've deviated from that.

Well, have you ever at any point prayed what the psalmist prayed? For example, in Psalm one nineteen verse 36, Incline my heart to your testimonies and not to selfish gain. Do something with this art. Because for too long it's been dull towards your word. It's been far too easily distracted and satisfied and lesser pathetic things in this life.

Oh, what does he say? Josiah, I've been looking and watching how you responded to my words, so now I'm ready to hear what you have to say. Do we find anything like this in the New Testament? Absolutely. If you've been with us in the gospel of Mark, why don't we end here?

Go to Mark chapter four just to see what Jesus says about this principle. Mark four verse 24. Jesus in verse 24, we read, and he said to them, pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For the one who has, more will be given.

And for the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Pay attention to what you hear. Implying what? That in the presence of God's word, you're not paying attention. That's possible.

And what happens if I don't pay attention? Nothing? No. Actually, no. Not nothing.

Over time, whatever you do have, it'll be taken away. Say, what does that mean? Well, it happens in the natural in many ways. What happens if you stop exercising? Do you just remain as you are?

How I wish. No. You lose muscle. You lose endurance. You lose strength.

What happens if you don't practice a language? You just stay at that same level of understanding and communication? Absolutely not. I can testify to it. You lose.

You lose words, sentences, grammar to the point where you have to revisit basic language skills and knowledge to retrieve what you had lost. That's exactly what Jesus is saying here. Something is dulled. Something is blunted in your spiritual insight over time when you fail to pay attention continually to the word, word of God. But what's the reward?

If you do, then more will be given. Isn't that what we see with Josiah? More was given. He had little to work with. But six years later, as he's doing what he can to serve God, here's the complete book.

And when it's revealed to him, his heart was moved. And so God rewards him even more. You heard me, I'll hear you. And Josiah, as we're gonna find in the next chapter, will be one of the greatest kings that Judah has ever known. Let me read the last verse of chapter 22.

The Lord promised to him, therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place. And they brought back word to the king. What would you do if you heard that God was gonna judge the people under your care? Not in your lifetime, but eventually. What kind of motivation would that leave you with to do anything during your administration?

What you're gonna see Josiah do, even though he would be spared from judgment, even though judgment was definite, makes him even more inspirational. But we can't go there yet, can we? Let's pray. Father, we've heard your word. We've heard your word about the word.

And Lord, we're here because we value your word. But Lord, it's possible to be here and not really be here. And so we ask you leaving this place that you would give us the same spirit as this man who was urgent, who was humble, who was hungry for the words of this book. Lord, if any of us possess the spirit of this secretary, Shaphan, we may not be evil or outright outright wicked, but we're casual, we're preoccupied by other things in life. And in practice, this book is just a book.

Change us. Lord, we pray what the psalmist said. I will run-in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart. So enlarge our hearts this evening so that we would chase after the things of God. Thank you for speaking to us.

Help us with renewed strength and focus to pay attention to what we hear that we may know your full reward in this life. We ask these things in the name of the word of God, Jesus Christ. Amen and amen. Let's stand and worship the lord.