Led By The Word

Introduction

Good morning. If you open your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 34. The book of 2 Chronicles, chapter 34, if you have a marker. It may be of some benefit to leave it there. The studying from 2 Chronicles chapter 34 this morning. As you’re turning there, I’d like you to consider with me for just a moment what life would be like if as a country, as a nation, and as this nation’s citizens, if we lost the book that contained the Word of God. What would it be like if our leaders didn’t enact laws and lead us in the pathways of God? What would it be like if as citizens we didn’t know truly how we should be acting, or perhaps if we did, we chose not to.

What would it be like if there was no guiding light or principle? Well, many of you may be thinking, and perhaps rightly so, that we’re in a country that very much shows the values of people who have lost the word of God. But if you consider with me for a moment, we need to seek God, not sometimes, not the the word of the Lord occasionally, but all the time. Because if we don’t, our society is relegated to frankly a lot of what we see today. What do you see a lot of? What’s been highlighting the news recently? Bruce Jenner or Caitlin Jenner, as he is now going by. And people are championing this change in this individual. And you see all the rights that are changing, all the laws that are being enacted.

And frankly, what it boils down to is that we think we know better than God as a people. God’s laws, yes, they’re there, but they’re outdated. Yes, Paul wrote against some of these things, but he didn’t fully understand what we know now. Or Paul was sexist or any type of ist with a negative claim that would disqualify his words that clearly prohibit many of the actions which we glory in as a nation and as individuals today. But consider that a society without God is a society that is hopelessly lost. In 2 Chronicles chapter 34, look with me beginning in verse in verse 1, actually. Look verse 1. Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 31 years in Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in the ways of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

And that’s great. And we think Josiah is a good leader, we know he’s a good king. This is going to be fantastic. But note with me first. In chapter 33 and verse 21. Ammon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And he did was what was evil in the sight of the Lord as Manasseh his father had done. Ammon sacrificed to all the images that Manasseh his father had made and served them. And he did not humble himself before the Lord as Manasseh his father had humbled himself. But this Ammon incurred guilt more and more. And his servants conspired against him and put him to death in his house. But the people of the land struck down all those who had conspired against King Ammon, and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place.

And he kept hearing that name Manasseh. Look at verse 1 of 2 Chronicles chapter 33. Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations, whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel, for he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had broken down. He erected altars to the Baals and made Ashureth and worshiped all the hosts of heaven and served them. And what you see is, and if you know anything about biblical history, that Manasseh was very wicked. Manasseh was a horrible leader for most of his reign. Second Chronicles chapter 33 reveals a wonderful story, however, of how Manasseh towards the end of his life turned to God.

But with Ammon and Manasseh’s leadership for the vast majority of fifty-seven years, they had been plunging Israel farther and farther away from the law of the Lord. And that has an impact. You see, when we give up as individuals our willingness and discipline to study the word of God, it is going to leave us, not only as individuals, but as a society and as a nation. And it’s going to lead nowhere good. And it’s remarkable to find that even though Josiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and he walked in the ways of David, his father, know with me beginning in verse 8. Well, a wonderful thing happened in this chapter, and yet what unfathomable thing must have occurred before this. Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, that is Josiah’s, when he had cleansed the land and the house.

Note what he does. He sends the recorder to repair the house of the Lord his God. Verse 9. They came to Hokiah the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had collected from Manasseh and Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, and from all Judah and Benjamin, and from the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Note what’s happening in verse 10. And they gave it to the workmen who were working in the house of the Lord. And the workmen who were working in the house of the Lord gave it for repairing and restoring the house. They gave it to the carpenters and the builders to buy quarried stone and timber for binders and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had let go to ruin.

And the men did the work faithfully. And in verse 14, while they were bringing out the money that had been brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of the Lord given through Moses. I want you to stop for a second. And that kind of makes sense that the law of the Lord had been found in the house of the Lord. But what does it mean when you have found something? You didn’t know where it was before. You were looking for it, maybe, or maybe you didn’t even know it was gone. And let’s decide. Was the book of the law of the Lord something that they knew was missing? Was it something that had been missing, or did they have basically all of its essence anyway?

Keep reading with me in verse 15. Then Hokiah answered and said to Shophan the secretary, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And note what happens in verse 16. Shop and brought the book to the king, and further reported to the king all that was committed to your servants, they are doing. They have emptied out the money that was found in the house of the Lord, and have given it into the hand of the overseers and the workmen. And note with me at the end of verse 18, and Shaphon read from it before the king. And verse 19, and when the king heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes. Verse 21 go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah concerning the words of the book that has been found.

For great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord to do according to all that is written in the book. And you see that Josiah knew that there was life in the law, that God had spoken to them. He had a covenant with his people. And when Josiah heard the words of that book, what did he realize? To his utter horror and to his shame, the people of Israel had not been keeping it. In fact, Josiah knew he tore his clothes. And he knew that the wrath of God was going to be upon these people. And what’s fascinating about this is that this people of Israel, remember who they were. We can say it in our minds almost by habit.

They are the nation of gods. Are they not the physical Israel? We think about Judah, the kingdom over which Josiah was king. We think these of all people, forget Israel. Judah is going to know the law of the Lord. And yet it was found. And what was done with it? Well, it was read. And Josiah reacted. I was listening to a sermon by Brother Mark Roberts recently that he’s preached, I suppose, in the past month or two. And it was about myths about the Holy Spirit, myths of the Holy Spirit. And he was speaking out. It’s exciting to read about how people can have the Holy Spirit come into them, and the Holy Spirit leads them. It leads them everywhere. When the Holy Spirit takes a hold of you, you.

You could even say, maybe the Holy Spirit found me that parking spot. That’s exciting. But do you know what’s more exciting and more true than anything? We can read our Bibles and know what the Word of God is. Well, maybe that doesn’t sound quite as exciting as being puppeteered by the Holy Spirit. But I’ll tell you what is interesting is that we can be led by the book. As Christians, we say we do the will of God, but that requires that we first know what the will of God is. That we have a relationship with that Lord who gave us his words, his law, and offers us life. And what I want to consider this morning based on the text, and as we continue in 2 Chronicles chapter 34, do we have the heart and the commitment to God that Josiah did?

Are we willing to be led by the word to live our life by the book? Because you see, as we’ve already read in verses 8 through 18, the law was found. And they didn’t just say, oh, great, we have this law now. What was happening? What happened to it? It was read to Josiah. Did you notice that at the end of verse 18? It was read before the king. And beyond that, the reality of the law impacted Josiah. It wasn’t just, hey, look at this artifact that we found. He went in in verse 19. And when the king heard the words of the law, look again in your Bibles with me. He tore his clothes. Now, is that some sort of casual, well, I guess we’ve messed up on a couple things.

No, Josiah cared. He was moved by the book of the law. And I don’t know if you’re familiar with the book of the law, but who’s excited and moved based on reading a bunch of laws and rituals? Does that normally give you an emotional outcry? Does going through the Ten Commandments make you just so happy? Verse 21, go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah concerning the words of the book that has been found, for great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord to do according to all that is written in this book, and that is the problem, isn’t it?

Josiah knew when he heard the law, his people were not obeying it. And that wasn’t just about making God happy, it was about their covenant with God. And what would a God promised if they obeyed him? That he would be their God and they would be his people. But if they disobeyed him, curses would be placed upon them. And Josiah knew that great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us. Not because God is mad, not because the law had been lost, but because they have not kept the word of the Lord. And we know the stakes. We certainly know it in the old law. The Israelites were to obey the law of Moses, the men of Judah were to obey the law of Moses.

And we know today we’re supposed to be led by the book. But notice how much it impacted Josiah to be moved, to cause action, as we’ll see. Note with me in verse 22 how the story continues. So Hilkiah and those whom the king had sent went to Holdah the prophetess, the wife of Shalom, the son of Takith, son of Hashrah, keeper of the wardrobe. Now she lived in Jerusalem in the second quarter, and spoke to her to that effect. And she said to them, Thus says the Lord the God of Israel, tell the man who you sent to me, thus says the Lord, behold, I will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants. Note this all the curses that are written in the book that was read before the king of Judah.

Because they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore my wrath will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched, but to the king of Judah who sent to you to inquire of the Lord, thus you shall say to him, Thus says the Lord the God of Israel, regarding the words that you have heard, because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me, and have torn your clothes and wept before me. I also have heard you, declares the Lord. Behold, 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 disaster that I will bring upon this place and its inhabitants, and they brought back word to the king.

And you say, you know what? Yeah, God noticed the impact, but he’s still going to curse them. But did you remember why God was going to curse them? It said again in verse 24. All the curses that are written in the book that was read before the king of Judah. The law contained the words of life and of death, of punishment. And because the people had done the works that led to punishment, because they had forsaken God by worshiping other gods as if they are actually gods, they were going to be punished. And yet you note that God noticed Josiah, and not just that Josiah had the law read, and not just that Josiah was a nice guy, but what was it that God noticed in verse 27?

Because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants. God noticed Josiah’s reaction to the law. What is it, though, that caused Josiah’s reaction to the law? Have we ever thought to stop and think about that for a moment? What about this king? Made him so upset. Was it just because the people would be punished?

Josiah cared what was in the law. And he cared so much, and he had such faith in God that he knew what it said would come to pass. And so Josiah knew change was needed, and what he knew for sure was that in the past they had not been obeying God. And we’re going to see there’s some consequences to that. But moreover, in 2 Kings chapter 23, we see that Josiah actually made a change after reading the law. If you know in 2 Kings chapter 23. In verse 1, then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him, and the king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great, and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord.

And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book, and all the people joined in the covenant. What a mighty day that this was for this people. Because they had turned to the Lord. But it didn’t just stop there in verse 4. And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priest of the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the hosts of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel.

You see, Josiah wasn’t content to just change to make a commitment to God. It was going to start now. Because it was time to obey God because he knew how to obey God.

1. We Need to Know the Word

You see, this story is so powerful and moving because the law allows it to be. If the law wasn’t powerful, if it wasn’t meaningful, if it wasn’t between God and man, this document wouldn’t make that big of a difference. But because it offered life, because it was God’s covenant with his people to use the book of the covenant language in 2 Kings chapter 23 that is present. This is a powerful moment in Judah’s history. But I want to consider this morning that if we want to lead a life that is led by the Word, we need to know the Word. Look at me in Psalm chapter 1. In Psalm chapter 1, and I know you’re thinking, I know I need to know the word. That’s pretty important.

But read with me in Psalm chapter 1, just the first two verses. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers. But his delight, his delight is in the law of the Lord. And on his law, he meditates day and night. You see, it’s just common sense, isn’t it? That in verse 1, the man who is blessed, his delights in the law of the Lord. The man who loves the Lord is going to read his words. Why do we not read the Bible? Perhaps in this age more than any other, I don’t know the statistics, but I do know about the internet and phone applications. And I would guess that the Bible is more available now in today’s society than ever before.

You think about the amount of printed materials, the fact that the internet can stream it, whether just through your web browser or through various applications, you can have the Bible with you all the time. And you know what it seems like? We read it less than ever before. And how do we know that? Just like in Josiah’s time, look at our society. And we can rail on it all day. We can say, these politicians, they aren’t making the laws the way they should, even though I should be praying for them to do so. It doesn’t matter what effort I seem to put in. The tide of the American people are going to ignore it. But you know what? We better stick with the words of the law.

We better stick with the words of God. Because if we don’t have it, who will have it? If we don’t know it and speak it, what hope does our country have? What hope do our friends and neighbors and co-workers have to learn about the word that is so ignored? And what’s so tragic about studying the word of God is that even in his people, even in you sitting in the pews and in me preaching the word, I don’t read my Bible like I should. And that is pathetic. And that is sad. Because what type of Christian can I claim to be? Can we claim to be if we don’t read the word? How am I supposed to know what to do? How am I going to trust on the Lord, if I don’t even read what the Lord has to say?

And you know, our excuses that we make wouldn’t work in any other circumstance. Let me tell you, if I was to get advice, having been married a little bit over a year and a half now, I were to ask anyone for marriage advice. I don’t care if you’re married or not, if you have any amount of wisdom, you’re going to know the answer to what I’m going to put forward. If I were to say, you know what, my wife doesn’t feel like I spend enough time with her. But you know, I’m really busy at work. And I’m helping people at work, even when I’m off work, I help people. And you know what? I just want 30 minutes or so a day to sit by myself.

Is that really a problem? Is anyone here going to say, you know what? You deserve that time alone to yourself. Don’t worry about spending time with your wife, Greg. Is that the advice I’m going to get? Better not be. You have Kashka to answer to.

What about your kids? Fathers work. Mothers may even work. You’re busy. You’re tired. There’s ball games to take them to. There’s recitals to attend. You know what? I just don’t have time to read the word. Is it really that big of a deal? To not spend time, not reading the word, but what if we plugged in spending time with my kids? Would any excuse of ours work then? What are we sacrificing? And what are we sacrificing it in the name of? As Christians, we need to react as Josiah did. And that is to say, to not only know that we have the word, and not only have it read to us, but to be moved by the word. You see, in Psalm chapter 1 and verse 2, blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord.

2. We Need to Be Impacted by the Word

And on his law he meditates day and night. Not because he’s a member of a cult, but because he knows God, and he knows the importance of serving him with all of his might. And we are fooling ourselves and lying to ourselves, brothers and sisters, if we think we can be any semblance of a Christian without reading God’s word. Secondly, we need to know that we need to be impacted by the word. I want to note in Psalm chapter 51, the reaction of David to sin, and this is a very well-known passage. But if you remember Josiah’s reaction, what was it that he did? What was his first reaction that’s recorded in 2 Chronicles chapter 34 when the book of the law was read? He tore his clothes.

He was required, he was asking about what the Lord was going to say, and knowing that wrath would come upon them. And in Psalm chapter 51, David has a similar response to sin. He says, Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love, according to your abundant mercy. Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. And you think, I think that. I want my sins forgiven, but know what extent David takes it to in verse 3. For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me against you. You only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

Do you see the attitude of David? It wasn’t just, oh Lord, I have sinned, I’m going to go to hell. I need you to wipe away my sin. It is, Lord, my sin is before me, and I know it was against you who I have sinned against. My sin has affected my relationship with you, O God. Please have mercy on me, your humble servant. David knew what God’s law was, and he knew that his actions were not in accordance with the law. And you see, when we read the word, are we impacted by it? Because we’re going to come to a point in Scripture where some sort of belief that we hold or practice that we maintain is going to be challenged. And it is at that point that as a Christian, as a person, we have to decide will I be led by the word or not.

When you look at a mirror, if you see marker all over your face, well, first of all, you may be angry at your children or brother, whoever happens to be around. But then what are you going to do if you have somewhere to go? You’re going to wipe it off. Because after all, it’d be pretty foolish to walk around with a marker all over your face. When we read the law of the Lord, we’re going to reach passages and we’re going to understand that being striving for perfection, trying to be holy as our Heavenly Father is holy and perfect, to be blameless as he is blameless. That’s going to be tough. That’s going to be difficult. And it might come to a point where I have to do something about it.

I might have to give up a friend.

But you know, sometimes, even when we read the word, we don’t allow ourselves to be impacted by the word. And we’re just every bit as foolish as the person who walks around with marker on their face, saying, you know what? Nah, it’s not that big of a deal. Brothers and sisters, that is foolish. And our soul will pay for those petty decisions and compromises that we attempt to make in our relationship with God. Josiah was impacted by the word. David was moved by the word, not just to be forgiven, but note in verse 7 purge me with hyssop of Psalm chapter 51, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness. Let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

Hide your face from my sins and bought out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit. And again we come back to why do we not read the word? It is God who will deliver us from our sin. It is God’s word that reveals the words of life. Why will we not tap into that well? And when we do, do we dare enough to trust God to change no matter the consequence? It’s pretty tempting to look at the law and say, you know what? Paul didn’t actually mean that.

3. We Need to Be Led by the Book

Or Paul just didn’t understand what I know now. Or you know what? It’s really not that big of a deal. Am I really not going to get to go to heaven because I think and say such and so? We need to be like David and Josiah and be impacted by the word that we have made a commitment to read and to follow. And finally, we need to be led by the book. It’s interesting in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 13. The calling of a Christian. How are we called? Why don’t we read just beginning in verse 14? 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 14. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold true to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

But I don’t know if we saw that. I want to emphasize in verse 14. How were we called through our gospel to what? So that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters, these words mean everything to the Christian. And if God, which he is, is watching you, and everyone had the study habits that you do, what priority would you place on these invaluable, irreplaceable words of life? Is a Bible just a decoration on your coffee table or on the bookshelf? Or is it something as a Christian, as someone with a commitment to God, that you spend each and every moment treasuring? And even if you don’t like a certain part of it or it’s tough to read, you read it because you know this is important.

This is my everything as a Christian. This is my guide. If I’m going to be led to heaven, it is by this book and obeying the words of Christ, that will get me there. Because Jesus has paid the price for our sins. There is nothing we can do to earn salvation, and yet Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and now it’s our time to be led by the word to follow in his footsteps and take advantage of the grace that he offered us by paying the debt that we could not otherwise pay. Jesus has done it all. Do we trust him enough to follow? And let me ask you the more sad but true question: Do we care enough to learn what the way of salvation is?

Conclusion

And are we wise enough to follow it? Consider with me this morning that one of the great blessings of Jesus, one of the great blessings of our Heavenly Father, is that they love us. God loved us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. And we have this day, this moment to respond. We can read the book and we can see in Acts chapter 2, when Peter was asked, What shall we do? He said, Don’t worry about it. Run around with marker on your face. Repent and be baptized, every one of you, for the forgiveness of your sins. Brothers and sisters, it’s time to obey God. Don’t wait a moment further. When the law has been revealed, when the book of the Word of God is shown to you, follow.

Obey. If we can help you in any way, shape or form this morning, come forward now as we stand and sing the invitation song.