Josiah is famous for turning the tables once again. Being compared to David, he begins a fresh revival of godly living in Jerusalem. It is inspired by the discovery of the book of the law of Moses that had been buried for 75 years.
The nation had turned so thoroughly to idolatry that no one, not even the priests and Levites, cared to read, study, or even look at the Bible. Thus it was relegated to the basement in the bottom of an old chest. Dilday suggests that “The people of Jerusalem had become steeped in idolatry, temple worship had been neglected, and most copies of the Book of the Law had been destroyed. The scroll discovered in the temple must have been hidden in some secret chamber years earlier by faithful priests.”
The revival that the book of the law brought to Judah gave the nation new life, new hope and new direction. God’s favor returned to the land, at least during the time of the revival.
When my wife and I eloped from Southern California she packed an old white-covered King James Bible. It remained in boxes or suitcases as we moved to South Carolina, to Texas, to Hawaii and to Michigan. It was in Michigan after many family crises that she found it and began to read it. It brought to us a revival. It gave us new life, new hope and new direction.
When God’s word is read and followed it always does that.
Chuck
“The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.” 1 Timothy 1:5