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God Takes Care of His Own

"I would like a job as tutor, teacher and advisor to your family. I will never take a vacation. I will never be out of humor. I don’t drink or smoke. I won’t borrow your clothes or raid your refrigerator. I will be up in the morning as early as anyone in the household and will stay up as late as anyone wishes. I will help solve any problems your children might have. I will give you the satisfaction of knowing that no question your children ask will go unanswered. For that matter, I will answer any of your own questions on subjects that range from ’How we got here?’ to ’Where are we headed?’ I will help settle bets and differences of opinion. I will give you information that will help you with your job, your family and all of your other interests. In short, I will give you the knowledge that will insure the continued success of your family. I am your Bible. Do I get the job?"

In 2 Kings 22 we read of King Josiah & his reign.

Vs. 1. “Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem….And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.”

“He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord.” Josiah’s primary concern was to obey the Lord.
“He walked in all the way of David his father.”

Josiah looked to King David as his role model for life & leadership.

Couldn’t look to father or grandfather… They were wicked, ungodly idolaters who engaged in all kinds of immoral behavior & led Judah from worship of the one true God.

3. “He turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.” This term is used in OT of people who didn’t turn aside to idols from their obedience to God.

In the 18^th yr. of his reign, King Josiah began a project to restore the run-down, cluttered temple that had been deserted during Manasseh’s evil reign.

During the renovation, Hilkiah the high priest found a copy of the book of the law of Moses. He carried the scrolls to Shapan the scribe, who read the scrolls, reported the find to the king, and read them to him.

2 Kings 22:8 And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

10. Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.

Restoring the temple was an extensive project…Required time, finances & skilled craftsmen.

Vs. 4.Go up to Hilkiah the high priest that he may count the money which has been brought into the house of the Lord, which the doorkeepers have gathered from the people.

5. And let them deliver it into the hand of those doing the work, who are the overseers in the house of the Lord; let them give it to those who are in the house of the Lord doing the work, to repair the damages of the house

6. to carpenters and builders and masons – and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.

7. However there need be no accounting made with them of the money delivered into their hand because they deal faithfully.

It seems that a great deal of repair had to be done here in order to restore the house of the Lord. Evidently had been neglected for years.

An important spiritual principle is seen here:

“Maintenance is much cheaper than repair.”

(leak in roof…crack in foundation…taking care of your teeth)

This applies to life in general but it also has important spiritual implications.

As children of God we must maintain a healthy spiritual life….

Prayer…reading & obeying God’s Word…fasting…confession…

Participating in worship…

being involved in fellowship w/other believers.

When we neglect these important spiritual disciplines, we can drift away from God….As a result, spiritual deterioration can occur.

Our text shows us a rather strange scenario in that the Word of God was lost in the house of the Lord. Israel’s former kings had neglected to maintain their spiritual lives. As a result the house of God was in bad repair…

The Book of the Law had been neglected and was lost, and people of Judah were practicing idolatry, immorality and even human sacrifice.

When Hilkiah found the book of the law he gave it to Shaphan the scribe.

Shaphan took the book to the king

Vs. 10 “And Shaphan read it before the king.” He read it to him.

What was Josiah’s response? Immediately he responded with heartfelt remorse & genuine repentance. Scripture says he tore his clothes. Sign of great sorrow. When he saw how far his nation had fallen from the law of God – deeply grieved. So what did he do? Wring hands and say, ‘Isn’t it awful?’ “It’s all my father and grandfather’s fault…Nothing I can do about it. Nation is too far gone.”

Took action. – Began in the temple.

2 Kings 23:4 “And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the articles that were made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven, and he burned themoutside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron…then he removed the idolatrous priests.”

Started in house of God. That is where judgment must begin. We have to first of all look at ourselves. He also destroyed the area in or near the temple where male shrine prostitutes lived. Everything associated with pagan worship or improper worship was done away with. He even executed all the priests of the high places and burned their bones on the altar.

Had been prophesied about 300 yrs. earlier.

I Kings 13:1-5

“And behold a man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord, and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. Then he cried out against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said, “O altar, altar! Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you.’”

Could it be that in our day it is possible for the Word of God to become lost in the house of the Lord? Is that possible? Barna research has found that a very high percentage of Christians do not even read their Bibles.

An old gospel song has a stanza that says, “Dust on the Bible, dust on the Holy Word, the words of all the prophets and the sayings of our Lord.”
Not because of a lack of them. Most have several if not many Bibles in different translations in their home. Church taking offering to buy Bibles for China…lands where don’t have…$10.00 each Bible have....18 in office.

That’s ok…not wrong… Ruth Graham every 2 yrs….

Probably one of greatest sins of modern day church…not reading Word.

Not only to read it…then must obey it. When see sin…need to take action…Any form idolatry showing up needs be taken care of.

James 1:19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

Psalm 119:11 “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”

Hidden & lost two different things…. Hidden…know right where it is when need it…pull up scriptures tempted…Best place hide it is in our heart.

God will reward you.

Vs. 13 “Go inquire of the Lord for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the Lord that is aroused against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”

Went to Huldah the prophetess…

15. “Then she said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to me

16. Thus says the Lord: Behold I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants – all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read

17. because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath shall be aroused against this place and shall not be quenched.

18. But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, in this manner you shall speak to him, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: 19. because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants that they would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you,” says the Lord. 20. Surely therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place.”

God’s word to Josiah was very encouraging. God saw his repentance, tenderheartedness, tearing clothes, weeping. If read Word of God with humility before God…do what it says…

God takes care of His own.

Just as we get physical exams periodically to check the condition of our bodies,

we need to examine ourselves in the light of God’s Word to see if we are spiritually healthy.