Background: I Kings chapters 12 & 13 – Around 930 B.C., Israel divided into two kingdoms: Northern Kingdom (Israel/Samaria) ruled by Jereboam and the Southern Kingdom (Judah) ruled by Reheboam. Jereboam established a new place of worship for the people of the Northern Kingdom. They were to worship two golden calves that represented their new gods. God sent a prophet to speak against this abomination performed by Jereboam. Read I Kings 13:1-2.
Flash forward nearly 300 years later …
II Kings 22:1-7: Josiah becomes king at age 8. At age 26, the Temple in Jerusalem was being repaired. During the repair someone made a discovery.
Read II Kings 22:8-13
1) What was discovered and who discovered it? The Book of Law … specifically the Book of Deuteronomy. Found by Hilkiah the high priest.
2) Who did he give the book to? Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, secretary to the king and he read it.
3) vs. 10. What did the secretary tell the king? “The high priest gave me a book.” He did not call it the Book of the Law. Why?
Read Deuteronomy chapters 4-6
4) What was the king’s response after hearing the words of the book? Tore his clothes in a symbol of repentance.
Read II Kings 23:1-3
5) Who did the king send for? The elders of Jerusalem and Judah. Who were they? Leaders of the people - Men of standing, men of respect.
6) vs. 2. Where did the king go and who went with him? The Temple. All the people of Judah and Jerusalem from every section of society; priests and prophets.
7) Who read from the Book of the Covenant? King Josiah. Point out the book is referred to as the Book of Covenant. Covenant defined – a solemn agreement that is binding on all parties. God and His people. God agrees to bless His people in return His people agree to submit to God’s authority – embodied in the Book of the Law. Josiah reads to the people the Book of Deuteronomy.
8) What is significant about who it is that is reading the Book? Josiah is the people’s leader. The fact that he is king gives greater weight to what he is doing. If Hilkiah the high priest or a prophet been the one to read from the Book would the people have responded the way they did?
9) vs. 3 What did Josiah and the people do? Made a covenant to walk after God. To learn and keep God’s Word. More importantly, act out God’s word in their lives. “Faith without works is dead.”
Read II Kings 23:4-20, 24
10) What did Josiah do? Eradicate idolatry and pagan religions in Judah.
Read II Kings 23:21-23, 25
11) What did Josiah restore? The celebration of the Passover.
12) How did the spiritual transformation of Judah happen? People hearing and applying the Word of God.
13) Did the people continue to walk after God after Josiah’s death (II Kings 23:31-36). If no, why? Both of Josiah’s sons did what was evil. Perhaps speaks to Josiah’s failure as a father. Josiah and the people of Judah did not fulfill God’s commandment found in Deuteronomy chapter 6.
13) Could such a spiritual transformation happen in the U.S. today?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment