What Hilkiah Found in the Temple
CLASS 4 ISSUES
Study Scripture: 2 Chronicles 34: 15 – 22, 26 – 27
Background Scripture: 2 Chronicles 34: 15 – 22, 26 – 27;
2 Kings 22: 1 – 8
Lesson #3 September 20, 2025
Key Verse
And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.
2 Chronicles 34:15
INTRODUCTION
Memory loss is a serious modern medical problem. Everyone is scared of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia which causes serious short term and even long term memory loss, confusion and poor extremely judgments and the accompanying inability to manage the issues of life which are required to maintain one’s existence.
But it is more serious than having those diseases when people in their right mind and without the effects of those diseases reject what is clearly good for them.
Human beings generally are prone to turn their backs on what god has advised them to do and how to live. God made human beings and so He knows what is best for them and has given them laws, testimonies, and experiences to show them the way to abundant life.
Men are very accustomed to seeing others stray from God’s commandments and end up in disaster and in destruction, but that does not seem enough to get them behaving in a wise way to avoid a bad experience.
That was the case in the national history of Israel and Judah, otherwise called the Northern Kingdom, and the Southern Kingdom respectively.
They were at one time one kingdom but they split up and went their own way, disregarding the rules God had laid down for their national success. We see these rules put together in the covenant God had made with them. He would be their God and they would be His people. The arrangement would lead to massive blessings for them and the possession of the land of Canaan
The Study Chapters in the book of Chronicles examines the disaster that overtook the Northern Kingdom which ended in military defeat, bondage, and expulsion from their land. The same fate awaited the disobedient Southern kingdom for our Study is one that emphasizes the importance of what can be lost even though it is of critical importance.
In this Lesson what was lost is the written Word of God that had been given to Israel. But note Transmission of God’s intention and requirements had not been left to the ups and down cycles of man’s unstable memories.
God had given all these Words to His servants the prophets and they were written down. The Commandments which were the constitution of the nation were even engraved on Stone Tablets and kept in the most Holy Worship Place in the nation.
But incredibly, the written Word of God was lost or mislaid. Attempts were made by evil self-serving rulers to destroy the written word of God. Godly people had to go through great lengths to hide this word document.
So note the Word of God can be lost when professing believers did not take the tasks given to them seriously.
They might have even thought of the Words of God as something “light” and to be discarded or ignored.
That was the level of disdain for God and His Words that Israel and Judah had reached. The result was catastrophe, a disaster.
In the Lesson we will see how discovering the lost Book of the Law and its words had a tremendous impact on those exposed to the Word of God in a direct manner.
Some knowledge and some traditions had been retained despite satanic attempts to eradicate the plain blunt Word of God. The human memory of some things in the Word was good and useful but it could not replace the force of the motivation produced by access to the written Word.
Remember that the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword but the force of the Word can be somewhat blunted, and the blessing proclaimed by God, and the warnings of disaster which we can call “the curses” can easily be misinterpreted.
To our great delight our Study Chapter shows that a child can come to know God early in life. The level of this knowledge can be limited but when a child comes to want to seek God, and to even them reject the pagan ideas of parents and the surroundings God will give all the guidance for success so that children will learn increasingly how to go about the business of doing right.
It is therefore very importance to observe and assist the young who by themselves seek the knowledge of God. It is a hopeful sign when the young seek the interest in the religion of godly forbears, and treat their faith with profound respect.
They as they grow will not be easily persuaded to surrender their faith.
It is clear from our Study Text that God will not allow His Word to be lost.
God will always provide some faithful servants who are close to God and through whom God will work to ensure His Word does not return to Him void.
Be assured that the Devil will not succeed in quenching the work of the Spirit and covering over the revelation of God He has inspired.
Note also that the servants of God come in the shape of men as well as women. Persons from either sex can be appointed by God. In this Study Chapter we are shown the prophetess Huldah who is God’s prophetess and who is not afraid to communicate the Word of God to the king without fear.
Any attempt therefore to understate what young persons can do when led by God, and what roles women are called on to play when appointed by God should be treated with caution.
The written Word of God must be our guide.
Roles and determinations as to what servants of God can do, whether young or old, male or female, are determined by God. Hence, the written word of God must be always followed.
There should be no fear in accepting the divine role God has determined and given to women. The same determinations by God apply to young men and women.
They all plav very valuable and essential roles in building up the body of Christ.
Therefore it is essential for us to have a more complete understanding of what God desires.
Now we do know that the heavens declare the glory of God and the creations unceasingly teach about the Majesty and Glory of God but we do need the written word for more complete understanding.
Hence we have lost a lot when we ignore the teaching of the Book of Deuteronomy which if sometimes referred to as the Send book of the Law.
Note what is said in this Book is scattered all throughout Scripture and some of its cardinal ideas are quoted by the Lord Jesus Christ.
We must therefore carefully observe the character and motivation of this young king Josiah who came to the throne when every attempt had been made to wipe out the knowledge of the Lord God of the Covenant from Israel.
THE TEXT
A Summary of Verses 1 to 15:
Josiah’s evil and idolatrous father Amon was assassinated. The people killed the conspirators, and then placed the eight-year-old heir on the throne.
He had regents or older representatives running the show, but it appears that from an early age he inclined himself toward those who wanted to continue the reforms of his grandfather Hezekiah that had been reversed by Manasseh all through his 55 year reign until God disciplined him and sent him into painful exile. When God graciously allowed him to return to the throne after he repented he did try to reverse the evil he had done, but he had limited success. His son turned out to be wicked and it was now left to young Josiah to oppose those who wanted to continue the evil practices of Amon his father.
He is thus described as one who ruled very well and who followed the path of his father David. In all his doings he did not stray from following the Law of Moses that he was aware of. His behaviour was exemplary.
Josiah lived in a time of great stress and people were trying to pull him in different directions. In Jeremiah 3:4-11 we read of that prophet’s description of Judah as treacherous, pretending to turn to God with her whole heart, yet committing adultery with idols and practicing whoredom and all manner of defilements in the land.
When Josiah was sixteen years old and reigning for only eight years, this youth began to publicly align or connect himself completely with the God of his father David. His intentions were now clear.
When he became a man of twenty, he acted to purge Jerusalem and Judah of the high places, the carved images made of moulded metal and the wooden images that were poles dedicated to the Canaanite fertility goddess Asherah. He even burned the bones of the pagan priests on the altars they had made to defile these altars.
Note that Manasseh had removed some of these Assyrians elements of worship, but his son Amon had apparently replaced them when he became king.
Josiah continued what Manasseh started and reversed what his father had done. In the twelfth year of his reign he seemed to have taken the administration of the government under his control and began to purge the nation of all the emblems of idolatry.
Not only did he break up the altars of the various local deities called the Baals, but he cut down the incense altars that were over them, the sun pillars that stood over the altars, the pillars and trees of Asherah, the wooden images, the carved images and images made of metal and ground them into pieces, turned them to dust and scattered the dust on the graves of those who worshipped the idolatrous emblems.
Here he was following the practice of Moses recorded in Exodus 32:20, for there we are told that Moses ground up the ‘golden calf’ and scattered its dust on the waters and forced the people to drink the mixture.
Josiah defiled the graves of the idol worshippers to show his contempt of them.
Then he turned his attention to the bones of the idolatrous priests of the pagan gods, took them up from their graves and burned their bones on their altars, in fulfillment of the words of the ‘man of God’ spoken to Jeroboam, the first king of the Northern Kingdom over three hundred years previously. This would further dishonour the place of idolatrous sacrifice.
Josiah’s eradication of idolatry did not stop in Jerusalem but he tried to purge idolatry from the entire land of Israel, as well as the land of Judah. He effectively extended his purging from the south to Simeon and to the area previously inhabited by the tribe of Manasseh, Ephraim and Naphtali. The description indicates that he covered practically the entire area of the Northern Kingdom.
The cities of Samaria (that was what the northern kingdom was also called) were then inhabited by the many peoples placed by the conquering Assyrians to occupy the land formerly inhabited by the deported people of Israel.
These people had intermarried with the poor Israelites left in the land. But wherever emblems of idolatry were found, Josiah’s servants cut them down and destroyed them, ground the carved images into powder and removed all evidence of pagan worship. Only when the task was finished he returned to Jerusalem.
One writer explains how God had ordered circumstances to allow this great reform. This reform was in the time recorded below:
“The eighth year, that is, 631 B.C., when Josiah was 16 years old years. And in the 12th year, or 627.
This second date falls within the time of chaos that was caused by an eruption of nomadic horsemen from the north over most of the Near East (628 B.C. – 626 B.C.). These Scythian hordes wrought terror in the hearts of complacent Jews ( Jeremiah 6:22-24: Zephaniah 1:12); and while never raiding much beyond the coastal plain, where they were finally stopped by the Egyptians, they did render Judah a twofold service;
(1) They led to the calls of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:2) and Zephaniah the prophet (Zephaniah 1:1), as well as the 627 B.C. stage of Josiah’s revival, which went far beyond a mere “foxhole” religion (2 Chronicles 34:3-7); and
(2) They swept away the Assyrian imperial domination, that had put their knees on the necks of Judah for the half-century preceding (vs. 6).”
Once back in Jerusalem, in the 18th year of his reign, after purging the land and the Temple, Josiah turned his attention to renovating the Temple that Manasseh and Amon had damaged severely. He wanted to properly repair the Temple and get rid of the pollution, so that the proper worship of God could be restored.
Josiah instructed his scribe or secretary and the governor of the city, someone like our modern day mayor, to undertake the repair of the Temple. The scribe was the one responsible for keeping official records which would have most likely included the existing Temple plans and which they would need to renovate and restore the Temple, according to its original pattern. The governor of the city, would know how to manoeuvre and deal with the various political activities and dealings necessary for the speedy the repair of the Temple.
Apparently orders were issued similar to what King Joash had done, and money was collected not only from the people of Judah but also from the God-fearers in the land of Israel. The money was collected specifically for repairing the house of God. The state officials put in charge by Josiah and the High Priest, took the money collected and gave it to the Levites that were in charge of the Temple. They in turn put it in the hands of the supervisors in charge of the repair work and they provided the funds to the craftsmen and builders to obtain materials, wood and stones, to repair the floors and other parts of the connected buildings that had been destroyed.
We are told that the men were hard-working and honest and did their work faithfully and diligently. They did not betray the confidence placed in them. They were so honest that the overseers did not even have to keep a close track of the money that had been given to the builders.
The Levites were the overseers. Some of the Levites, who were skilful musicians, were placed in charge of those carrying the loads and also were supervising the skilled men that did the different kinds of service. Some Levites were scribes, officers and gatekeepers.
Levites obviously were expected to have a conspicuous place in the work, and they diligently went all over the city and the temple discharging their many and sundry duties. They were record keepers, supervisors, motivators, using their musical skills to advance the work of God.
During the work, the priest Hilkiah found “the book of the law” otherwise called “the book of the covenant”.
There is some disagreement about whether or not this was the official scroll of the Pentateuch normally kept by the side of the Ark, but which had been mislaid when the Ark was frequently moved, or it was a copy of sections or all of the Mosaic Law, and not necessarily the original autograph written by the hand of Moses.
Verse 15.
From the early portions of the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 31:24 – 27, there was a copy of this Book of the Law that was to be put in the Ark of the Covenant, beginning in the days of Moses. This was that copy spoken of or a copy made from that particular period in time.
This way the Word of God would be with Israel, but it seems it was mostly neglected in those days.
Certain other portions of Scripture from Deuteronomy says that the king was to have a personal copy of the law so that he could read it (Deut. 17:18 – 20).
Also, the entire Law was not for a select few to read, but the Law was to be read to an assembly of the nation once every 7 years at the Feast of Tabernacle to keep the Law before the people. Everyone was to have access to the Law (Deut. 31:9 – 13).
It should be mentioned that the Levites should have been living up to their responsibilities and going about to teach the Law to the people of Israel.
The Bible does record some public readings of the Law, but the frequency does not imply it was done every seven years. And so the people of Israel would definitely be moving away from God if they had not been given the Word to consider in any timely fashion. The public readings seemed to be something that was unusual rather than something that was typical.
Verses 16 & 17.
These verses highlight the importance of keeping records, people committed to God’s work and obviously the providence of God. At the end of all the considerations, it can be seen that God through all the previous apostate administrations up to Josiah, have lead to the book of the Law of God being misplaced. But the copies existed and God did not allow them to be destroyed. They had to be there for a time like this.
The judgment upon Israel was sure, but the prophetess declared that it would not happen until after the death of Josiah.
God plants the seed of redemption into the hearts of the people until that time when He returns to them, or more accurately, ends their punishment.
With Josiah’s movement to return to worshiping God, Hilkiah and Shaphan were filled with joy over this discovery, and wished to share the discovery with their King and the people. This no doubt gave them great encouragement as with it, they would know that God was with them in what they were trying to do in Israel.
The emphasis is on the discovery of the Book of the Covenant which had taught that the worship of God was to be in Jerusalem (Deut 12), and that the curses in the Book of Deuteronomy stressed that the keeping of the Land depended to the keeping of the Covenant.
Verse 18.
These verses are simple in the description of what transpired between individuals, but it can be seen that God was moving through His children to let them know that He was with them in their endeavour to return Israel to a proper state of worship with God.
Hilkiah the priest had been given the copy of the newly discovered document and he gave this to the scribe Shaphan. He then carried the discovered Book to the King Josiah.
Verse 19.
Josiah was absolutely dismayed when he heard the contents of the Book of the Law. When he heard the words in the Book it had a great spiritual impact. It produced grief at his sin produced by ignorance and the sin of the nation.
He tore his clothes in an act of repentance when he heard about the wrath and judgment that the Law. Josiah was under the conviction of sin and he was afraid of divine wrath.
He knew what God had done to David when David sinned and he did not want any repetition.
The words of the Law made a deep impression on Josiah and reveal to us, that he had a holy fear of the wrath of God, revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men
(Rom 1:18). In other words, his heart was contrite and God was well pleased with him.
We know the same conviction occurred in the hearts of the men of Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. This is recorded in Acts 2:7, when they heard the speech of the Apostle Peter.
Also, on another occasion reported in Act 16:30 we are told that conviction for sins occurred and the jailer had the same reaction to the words of God.
May we have this kind of heart, and stop making excuses when sin is pointed out to us. If we do not fear the wrath of God, our sins will bring the ruin of our nation, our church, and our community.
Verse 20 & 21.
Josiah immediately wanted to know what God was demanding from him and from all those in Israel and Judah. He sent the High Priest and other high government officials to inquire what God intended to do.
It seems apparent, that previous to this, Josiah did not have the required copy of the Law that Moses instructed the kings, the rulers and all the priests that they should read constantly for guidance. He was obviously not acquainted with all the details of the Law and of the Covenant. He certainly knew some, but he did not know all that was necessary.
He knew that what was happening was grievous in the sight of God and that the wrath of God that would be poured out on them. He acknowledged that when one examined the actions of the people and compared it to what the Law required, it was evident that the fathers had not kept the Word of the Law and so the people and the nation were due to receive severe punishment.
Verse 21.
Josiah was distraught by the threats in Leviticus 26:32-33 and Deuteronomy 28:36. He sent immediately to inquire of God what he should do to deflect the fierce wrath of God.
Here there was a clear case for a Commission of Enquiry.
It would be helpful if more churches had this kind of Commission headed by godly people who would seek advice from godly people.
Sadly this is not always the case.
It is of course necessary that if there is such an Investigating Body that there must be a commitment to observe and follow its conclusion.
Note that the five members of this commission of Investigation had been given a structure.
- The Mission was spelled out clearly
- Its purpose was stated
- The motivation was to enquire about the words found in this discovered Document now that king Josian was aware “our fathers have not kept the word of YHVH,to do according to all that is written in this Book”.
The prospect was to avert the heat of the wrath of God. Psalm 68 states the aim of renewal:
“Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let also them that hate him flee before him.
As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: let them exceedingly rejoice”.
The high officials went to Huldah the prophetess, who lived in Jerusalem, and inquired of her what God wanted.
The knowledge of the facts in the Book of the Law had been transferred. The critical transfer of the Text had achieved its aim.
Note the importance of consulting with people who are knowledgeable about the wisdom of God. It is always wise to confirm one’s feelings with people who have demonstrated their obedience to the ways of God. It is never wise to consult the ‘ pretended’ people of God.
It is easy to know the difference, for the people of God are always one hundred percent behind the literal word of God, and never try to blunt or explain away its plain meaning.
Huldah the prophetess made no bones about God’s intentions, and spoke the truth whether or not it would disturb or it would hurt the powerful. She quoted from the Word of God, and never deviated from it.
God, she said would not turn away from the fierceness of His great anger.
Manasseh and the people had provoked Him, and the people had crossed the line.
Their heart had become such that evil was determined against them.
The nation was doomed. Sin dooms a people. God tolerates no excuses.
The only words of comfort given were words directed to Josiah.
Because his heart was truly turned toward God, God would postpone the evil coming to Judah until after his death. He would not live to see it.
Verse 22.
The emissaries of Josiah went to Huldah the prophetess who lived in Jerusalem and they carried to her the words of the King, inquiring what should be done to correct the situation.
It is often asked why the emissaries did not go to Jeremiah who was certainly considered to be a major prophet, but instead went to Huldah. It appears though, that Jeremiah was not in Jerusalem but was in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. His commission to go to cry out his message in Jerusalem apparently came sometime after this incident with Josiah and Huldah.
It is also interesting to note that the prophet Zephaniah was not consulted.
Verse 26 & 27.
Josiah and those who were serving God knew that Judah deserved judgment, and that judgment would indeed come. Judah and its leaders had acted against the LORD for too long, and the point of genuine repentance was gone. God had acted and judgment was made.
God’s word is true, even in its promises of judgment. God’s faithfulness is demonstrated as much by His judgment upon the wicked as it is by His mercy upon the repentant.
Josiah went on with the work of reformation, even when he knew that nationally it was foredoomed to failure.… She distinctly told him that there would be no true repentance on the part of the people, and therefore that judgment was inevitable. It was then that the heroic strength of Josiah manifested itself, in that he went on with his work.… No pathway of service is more difficult than that of bearing witness to God, in word and in work, in the midst of conditions which are unresponsive. [Morgan]
Josiah’s heart was tender in two ways.
First, it was tender to the word of God and was able to receive the convicting voice of the Holy Spirit.
Second, it was tender to the message of judgment from Huldah in the previous verses. Despite what was told, Josiah’s heart still was directed towards serving God and getting Israel to serve God properly once again. He knew that the mission or repentance started with him, and through his leadership the rest of Israel would follow.
Have you ever noticed the difference between being humble and being humbled? Many persons are humbled who are not humble at all.… It is a voluntary humiliation of soul which is inculcated by the example of Josiah, and may the Spirit of God make us willing in the day of his power, that we may willingly humble ourselves before God. [Spurgeon]
Though Josiah died in battle, there are at least three ways that this was true.
He died before the great spiritual disaster and exile came to Judah.
He was gathered to the spirits of his fathers, who were in peace.
He died in God’s favor, though by the hand of an enemy.
Though Josiah died in violent circumstances (2 Chronicles 35:20-24), this does not invalidate God’s promise which really means that the exile would not take place during Josiah’s lifetime. [Selman]
This was God’s mercy to Josiah. His own godliness and tender heart could not stop the eventual judgment of God, but it could delay it. Inevitable judgment is sometimes delayed because of the tender hearts of the people of God.
God delayed judgment even in the case of Ahab, who responded to a word of warning with a kind of repentance (1 Kings 21:25-29).
CONCLUSION
The people in roles of leadership had done what was right. They found the Book of the Law, made the leaders aware of its content, and then joined in acting to ensure the Word of God was preeminent.
The role of the Written Word of God shone brightly and could not be ignored.
We have been taught the character of the people who truly belong to God and what it means to be faithful to God..
So how do you react to the Word of God?
Is your reaction positive?
Is your humility on full display?
The Word of Yahweh demands a formal response.
Be warned that God knows all the secrets in your heart.
The word of God is a good thing. It is sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. Psalm 119:103.
But remember that “good” does not mean pleasant or agreeable.
One writer warns that the good word sits always alongside a reality which is far from what the world thinks for it reveals the awful side of “truth”.
But be comforted. The Bible states:
“Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed.
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning.
(Lamentations 3:22-23).
And:
“The LORD is good to all; he has compassion to all he has made”
Psalm 145:9