The greatest treasure you have is not money but the Word of God, which too often is “lost” amid the “rubbish” you can easily accumulate. Do you treasure God’s Word? (See Ps. 119:14 , 72 , 127 , 162) Is it “buried” somewhere?
God’s Word is not a relic to admire in a religious museum. They did not put the Book back in its niche in the temple. Rather, they read it publicly and honored it as the living Word of God. The king trembled at God’s Word (Isa. 66:2) and immediately sent for God’s message. There is always a fresh word from the Lord as you read the Bible and seek His will.
The king gathered the people to the temple to hear God’s Word (2 Chronicles 34:29–30). It is good to be a receiver of the Word, but it is also good to be a transmitter and share it with others (1 Thess. 1:6–10). The king and the people made a covenant with the Lord and took their stand publicly. After all, the result of Bible knowledge ought to be obedience and service, a living commitment to the God of the Word.
Passover is the great feast of Jewish liberation, when the nation recalls its deliverance from Egypt (Exod. 13:1–10). Following the example of godly Hezekiah (2 Chron. 30), Josiah held a feast and called the people to praise God. As in the days of Hezekiah, the spiritual leaders had to be encouraged to do their jobs. Too often those who should be leading are standing in the way.
If God defeated Egypt in the days of Moses, surely He could do it again for Josiah! Without seeking the mind of the Lord, Josiah meddled in a war that had nothing to do with Judah, and it led to his death. A disguise is no protection if we have disobeyed God (2 Chronicles 35:22; 2 Chron. 18:29). Judah was back in bondage to Egypt! We wonder what the future of Judah might have been had Josiah heeded the warning God gave him.
Second Chronicles opens telling how the temple was built. It closes telling how and why the temple of God was destroyed. The book closes with an announcement of the rebuilding of the temple, something that Jeremiah also prophesied (2 Chronicles 29:10). Even in wrath, God remembers mercy (Hab. 3:2).
