“Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. 2And 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.” – 2 Kings 22:1-2

Josiah became king when he was only eight years old. Scripture named his mother, Jedidah, and I believe it is inserted in this passage because it gives a clue to what role she played in shaping his faith. The Bible tells us, that Josiah did what was right in the sight of the Lord. Even in a nation that had turned away from God, he chose to walk in God’s ways.

The people of Judah were worshiping idols instead of the God who had called them to be His own. Idolatry, sorcery, and pagan worship had taken root in the land—even in the house of the Lord. Their worship revealed how far they had wandered from God’s commands. But there was a reason for this! God’s word had been lost!

During the work of repairing the temple, Hilkiah the high priest found the Book of the Law. Shaphan, the scribe, brought it to King Josiah and read it to him. Scripture does not explain how the book had been lost or how long it had been missing, but its discovery exposed how far the nation’s life had departed from God’s Word. Again, we don’t know how long they were without God’s word but from reading 2 Kings we know the destruction and depravity it created without His word.

Think about what they had recovered: God’s instruction for His people. And it was such a time as this that the people of Judah needed to hear and return to the truth of God.

Today, it is no different. We need to return to the word of God (The Bible). There are far too many “Christians” that are not in the word of God! The Bible teaches us who God is, exposes our sin, and shows us how to live in obedience to Him. This is why the Bible is so precious to us as Christians.

Imagine if we did not have the word of God or that it was lost! Where would we turn to learn God’s commands, test what we are being taught, and recognize the things that draw our hearts away from Him? But what I think is worse, is today, we do have the word of God and people treat it as it is lost! They don’t open it, they don’t read it, they don’t apply it, and sadly, it has no effect on their lives to change and be sanctified by it because they are too lazy or simply they just don’t care to hear from God.

When Shaphan, the scribe, reads the lost book of the law to Josiah, the king immediately repented.

“Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes.” – 2 Kings 22:11

Why did Josiah tear his clothes? He recognized that the people and their ancestors had not obeyed God’s Word. They drifted away from the truth. They had abandoned God and were worshipping false gods. And Josiah’s response was humility and repentance, and he immediately was obedient to the word of God.

We have a precious privilege: we can open a printed Bible or a Bible app and read God’s Word. During Josiah’s reign, it was the word of God that was read and obeyed, and God protected and changed the people of Judah and their destiny. And I believe if Christians would read and do what the Bible says, God’s word would do the same for you!

The Bible is precious because through it we come to know the Lord, His truth, and His ways. We gather to let God’s Word shape our worship, correct our thinking, and change how we live. And that’s what God’s word did for King Josiah and for the people of Judah. They repented of their sins, destroyed all their false idols and gods and obeyed the voice of the Lord.

We, as Christians, should reflect that same response: gather to hear God’s Word, repent and commit ourselves to obey it.

Every time we open the Bible, we have an opportunity to listen to what God has revealed. And so, we get an opportunity to not just learn “What does the passage say?” but also, “How should I respond?”

For the people of Judah, the danger was not simply that a book was missing. But God’s commands were being neglected, and the people were living as though His Word had no authority over them. And without God’s word today, people live the same way. There is no fear of God, there is no reverence to God and there is no thought of God.

When King Josiah heard God’s Word, he humbled himself and acted on it. The rediscovered book of the law became a call to repentance, renewed worship, and obedience.

King Josiah did not stop at hearing the Word. He was a doer of the word.  He removed carved images of false gods, the idols and practices that dishonored God. Repentance showed Josiah’s wholehearted response to the Lord.

For us, idols are not always carved images. Anything we place above God—money, approval, comfort, power, or our own desires—can compete for our devotion.

And what is so precious about The Bible is that God’s word helps us recognize those things that rival against devotion to Him. And calls us back to the Lord. With the Holy Spirit’s help, we can receive its corrections and walk in obedience. Hearing, trusting, and obeying God’s Word helps guard us against the kind of spiritual drift we see in Judah.

Our desire should be to read, study, and do God’s word.

God’s Word is too precious to leave unopened or lost for years hidden under rocks like in Judah. It should be where we begin and end each day. Amen.