WHAT HILKIAH FOND IN THE TEMPLE
LESSON FOR THE JUNIOR CLASSES
STUDY SCRIPTURE:
I2 CHRONICLES 34 : 15-22; 26-27
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
Sometimes things just go missing! It is not that we have Alzheimer’s disease or Dementia or some dreadful mental illness. But sometimes we forget what is most important that we must do. This is such a serious problem for human beings that we know that some satanic being is at work among us. We know God who made us requires that we follow His directions so that we will live happy and bountiful lives full of real pleasures.
But today we are look at the nation of Israel that fought among themselves, disobeyed the commandments of God, paid little or no attention to the Covenant God had made with them, and simply disregarded the almighty God who had freed them from slavery, kept them through many hard times, and fought against their enemies. Ten of the 12 tribes called the Northern Kingdom forgot the ways of God and chose their own way. Sadly they ended up as slaves to their Assyrian enemies.
You would have though the remaining 2 tribes would learn the lesson of what happened when a people cast aside their Covenant with God. But they forget. God had written down the terms of the covenant under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and they were obliged to keep a copy of the Book of the Law in the Temple where they had to go to worship God and offer sacrifices. The king also had to keep a copy of the law of God in his possession. But they forget. When Josiah the king had his servants clean out garbage from the Temple they found a copy of the missing book of the Law. The workmen rushed it to the priest Hilkiah who was in charge of Temple worship and he gave it to the scribe Shaphan. It was read to the young king Josiah who had come to the throne at age 8 years of age after his wicked father was killed. You would have thought he was too young to follow the laws of God but he had turned his heart toward God and away from the wicked ways of some of his parents when ruled by himself when he was younger than 16 years old. He went about cleaning up the Temple and having everyone begin to follow the laws of God.
We learn that no matter how young you are you can do the things God wants. You have no excuse to disobey God. Neither does older people.
When the scribe Shaphan read the newly discovered book of the law to Josiah he was horrified. He knew that he as well as the rulers of Judah, and as well the people of Judah, had been doing a lot of wrong and the book of the law warned that if they continued being disobedient the wrath of God would make them lose all they had and be taken into captivity. They had seen that dreadful disaster happen to the Northern Kingdom.
Josiah tore his clothes and repented. Tearing the clothes was what they did in Judah then when they were repenting, and Josiah rushed his servants to the prophetess Huldah to verify that what they were doing was against God and would lead to their captivity. She confirmed that dreadful event would happen as the Book of the Law had warned.
But young Josiah followed the advice of the prophetess, the priest Hilkiah, the scribe Shaphan and all the other prophets and religious advisers and went about with great vigour and cleaned up the nation as well as he could.
Make sure that you find, read, and keep the Book of God’s law which we call the Bible. Follow what it advises and you will be blest by God, and inherit the kingdom of God and eternal life. Even if you are young you can do just that. The younger you are the better. So start young and get into the great habit of following God.