"Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll. . ."

 Sunday morning rains, espresso, and my morning devotions led me to one of 

my favorite Old Testament passages today.

Background: Israel had gone far from the communion with God that He called for in the Law.  Not only had He asked for their physical obedience to His laws, He called for their hearts to be devoted to Him (see Deuteronomy 30).  Instead, we read that the Israelites had gone even deeper into dishonoring God than the wicked nations He removed from the Promised Land because of their wicked ways (2 Kings 21:9). 

Time and again, God sent His messengers to warn the people of Israel and to call them back to repentance - even after all of their wickedness, He was waiting to be merciful.  In fact, He tells them through Isaiah the prophet, 

"The LORD says, 

    I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help.

    I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. 

    I said, 'Here I am, Here I am!'

    to a nation that did not call on my name."

                                                            (Isaiah 65:1)

Enter: the young king, Josiah

King Josiah had a heart to restore the temple, and he not only had dreams of a day when temple sacrifice would be restored, but he also assigned a team to accomplish the task. In the midst of the temple repairs, the men found a Scroll.  A ripple effect of reading this scroll leads to Shaphan, the court secretary, coming to the king with a report: "Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll."

Shaphan then read the scroll to Josiah who rends not only his garments, but also his heart before God in true humility and repentance. God replies through Huldah, a prophetess, that because of Josiah's obedience to God would mercifully forebear on the impending punishment that would come after the faithful king's life. 

Mom and I have often discussed that in all their rebellion, the people of Israel were still oh so religious.  It wasn't that they didn't have any worship and offered no sacrifices, but that they desecrated the temple and worshipped man-made gods and even celestial bodies instead of the Creator.  This morning, I was pondering how we too have been given a Scroll - the Ancient yet Living Word of God.  Have we buried it in our homes, untouched and unread, forgotten and buried so deep in the temple of our hearts that it has been forgotten? We have taken up many causes, but have we taken up the cause of Christ? 

And if we have forgotten, like the Israelites of old, what is the remedy? 

The LORD says "here I am, here I am", let us reach out in faith and repentance and call upon His name - He is ready to answer. 

Selah