The rediscovery of God’s Law in the Temple reignited spiritual fervor and led a wayward nation back to obedience under King Josiah.
Hilkiah served as high priest in Jerusalem during the reign of King Josiah (640-609 BC), and it was in the king’s eighteenth year that the Temple was being repaired and cleansed of foreign idols. In that process, Scripture tells us, “Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, ‘I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD.’ And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan who read it” (v.8). The “house of the LORD” refers to the Temple in Jerusalem, where the sacred writings were discovered, sparking one of the greatest revivals in Judah’s history as King Josiah would later lead his nation back to covenant faithfulness.
Hilkiah recognized the importance of what he found, entrusting it to Shaphan, a royal official empowered to read and interpret such documents for the king. At this juncture of Judah’s history, many of God’s commands had been disregarded for decades. Uncovering the scroll of the Law brought a renewed sense of accountability and reverence for God’s covenant, ultimately prompting Josiah to commit himself and his people to follow it wholeheartedly. This discovery thus became a linchpin for restoring worship of the true God in Judah.
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2 Kings 22:8 meaning
Hilkiah served as high priest in Jerusalem during the reign of King Josiah (640-609 BC), and it was in the king’s eighteenth year that the Temple was being repaired and cleansed of foreign idols. In that process, Scripture tells us, “Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, ‘I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD.’ And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan who read it” (v.8). The “house of the LORD” refers to the Temple in Jerusalem, where the sacred writings were discovered, sparking one of the greatest revivals in Judah’s history as King Josiah would later lead his nation back to covenant faithfulness.
Hilkiah recognized the importance of what he found, entrusting it to Shaphan, a royal official empowered to read and interpret such documents for the king. At this juncture of Judah’s history, many of God’s commands had been disregarded for decades. Uncovering the scroll of the Law brought a renewed sense of accountability and reverence for God’s covenant, ultimately prompting Josiah to commit himself and his people to follow it wholeheartedly. This discovery thus became a linchpin for restoring worship of the true God in Judah.