Today’s Reading, 2 Kings 20-22
Focal Scripture: 2 Kings 22:11 “When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.”
I love to read. It is almost an unhealthy obsession. I don’t mean just reading books and topics I enjoy. I read everything I can get my hands on about topics that I love and topics that interest me. I read case studies and I read reports. I even read through court documents to see what was discussed. However, only a few things I have ever read moved me and shook me to my core. These books were read at just the right moment in my life. However, no book has moved me like the Bible.
In today’s reading Josiah has the book of the law read to him after it was found. The words were so powerful and convicting that he stopped what he was doing he tore his clothes and wept bitterly. He also acknowledged the sin and failure of his people. He understood that what they were commanded to do and follow they were not doing. After all that is what the book of the law should do when read it before the people.
I have had instances when the Bible has shaken me to the core but I have never responded the way Josiah did when he heard the words read aloud. I have been around people who love the word of the Lord. It is evident in their life and how they talk about it with others. I have also been around others that say they love the word of the Lord but their lifestyle and speech shows something different.
The challenge I have for you and for me today is are we passionate about the word of the Lord. Do we read it with fervor and passion. When we hear it read aloud do we savor every syllable as if God is speaking directly to us in our lives. A group of people that get a bad wrap in history is the Puritans. Yes, certain ones made mistakes. However, they loved the word of the Lord. They were passionate about it in their lives.
I believe if we took the word of the Lord more serious our churches and our world would be different. It starts with how it is read. Think about the typical reading you hear at a Sunday service. It is often dispassionate and has zero life from the reader. When in reality we need to treat it as the very words of God because after all it is the word of God.
I pray that you and I both will be like Josiah. When we hear it our hearts will be open and we will respond appropriately. We will let it sink in and change us from the inside out. Then we will tell others how the Lord speaks to us on a daily basis.
Tomorrow, I plan on reading 2 Kings 23-25
