We’re moving through 2 Kings toward the Babylonian captivity of Judah. Israel has already been scattered by the Assyrians. It seems that Judah was on the upswing with the reign of Hezekiah who started by demolishing all the idols. But the revival was short-lived:

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king. He ruled for fifty-five years in Jerusalem…In GOD’s judgment he was a bad king—an evil king. He reintroduced all the moral rot and spiritual corruption that had been scoured from the country when GOD dispossessed the pagan nations in favor of the children of Israel. He rebuilt all the sex-and-religion shrines that his father Hezekiah had torn down, and he built altars and phallic images for the sex god Baal and sex goddess Asherah, exactly what Ahaz king of Israel had done. He worshiped the cosmic powers, taking orders from the constellations. (2 Kings 21.1 – 3, MSG)

Manasseh leads the nation downhill for 55 years, followed by his son Amon who reigned for only two years (badly) before being assassinated. Josiah takes over at age 8, the last good king of Judah:

Josiah was eight years old when he became king. He ruled for thirty-one years in Jerusalem…He lived the way GOD wanted. He kept straight on the path blazed by his ancestor David, not one step to either left or right. (2 Kings 22.1, 2, MSG)

And under Josiah we find one of the problems. He commands that the temple be refurbished, and in the process:

The high priest Hilkiah reported to Shaphan the royal secretary, “I’ve just found the Book of GOD’s Revelation, instructing us in GOD’s ways. I found it in The Temple!” He gave it to Shaphan and Shaphan read it…Then Shaphan the royal secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest gave me a book.” Shaphan proceeded to read it to the king. When the king heard what was written in the book, God’s Revelation, he ripped his robes in dismay. (2 Kings 22.8 – 11, MSG)

Big oops. “We are in a heap of trouble!” The book – the book that Moses had commanded be with the king so that he could read from it daily, so that he would know how to live and remain humble – that book had been lost! And therein is part of the problem. You can’t read from a book you don’t have! But, of course, losing the book in the first place requires a level of complacency as the prophet Zephaniah pointed out:

The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah…in the days of Josiah…, king of Judah…At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, “The LORD will not do good, nor will he do ill.” (Zephaniah 1.1, 12, ESV)

We’ll look at Josiah’s whole-hearted response tomorrow, but for now, we should meditate on the implications of this story. Most of us probably know where our Bibles are – we haven’t lost them. But do we read it? And do we pay attention…with intention…to what we read? Are we hearing from God? It takes intention to overcome complacency to which we are all spring-loaded.

A friend of mine, disciple-maker Mike who now lives in Missouri, called me recently to bemoan the fact that he had five men, leaders in his church, that he was trying to help, and none of them could find the time for a short daily time with God. It’s an example of complacency winning over intention. I’m going to revisit this problem in a few days. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, let’s not be those guys:

I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder. (2 Peter 1.13, ESV)

And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death. (Proverbs 8.32 – 36, ESV)