He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 34:30
In 1970, a car executive visiting Denmark learned that a 1939 Buick Dual Cowl Phaeton was owned by a local resident. Since the car never actually went into production, it was a rare find—a one-of-kind vehicle. Delighted with the discovery, the executive bought the car and spent his time and money to have it restored. Currently, this unique car is featured in a world-renowned collection of classic vehicles.
Hidden treasures can take many forms, and in the book of 2 Chronicles we read about another discovery of a lost treasure. Eighteen years into his reign as king of Judah, Josiah began to repair the temple in Jerusalem. During the process, the priest Hilkiah found the “Book of the Law in the temple” (2 Chronicles 34:15). The Book of the Law, the first five books of the Old Testament, had likely been hidden away decades earlier to keep it safe from invading armies. Over time it had been simply forgotten.
When King Josiah was told about this discovery, he realized the importance of the find. Josiah called all the people together and read the entire Book of the Law so they could commit themselves to keep all that was written in it (vv. 30–31).
Still important for our lives today, we have the amazing blessing of access to all sixty-six books of the Bible, a treasure of infinite worth.
Read: 2 Chronicles 34:29–31 (NIV)
29 Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 He went up to the temple of the Lord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. 31 The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book.
INSIGHT
- How did you come to know the Bible as a treasure?
- How have you grown in your understanding of its great worth?
Upon Solomon’s death, his son Rehoboam assumed the throne. But, due to some unwise decisions, he lost the northern tribes, and the kingdom was divided. The Northern Kingdom (Israel) was headquartered in its capital city of Samaria while the Southern Kingdom maintained the capital city of Jerusalem. Of the northern kings, none is described in the Old Testament as one who honored God. Instead, they consistently promoted the worship of false gods. In the Southern Kingdom, there were some good kings sprinkled among the bad kings whose choices mirrored those of their northern cousins. Among the good kings, Josiah was a true spiritual reformer. In part, those reforms were initiated to undo the false worship advanced by his grandfather, Manasseh, described this way in 2 Chronicles 33:9: “But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.”
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, help me to delight in the treasure of the Scriptures today. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!!
Read: 2 Chronicles 34:29–31 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Psalms 143–145; 1 Corinthians 14:21–40
