How We Handle the Word

I've never been one to get excited over teacher's that provide an outline that begins with all one letter; in fact, I find most of those somewhat contrived. But I have to tell you, as I prepared for the message this past Sunday, it came flying out automatically. So in case you missed it, here's the outline from II Chronicles concerning the story of Josiah, the boy king:



33:21-25 Rotten to the Core



34:1-2 Right in God's Sight



34:3a Return to God



34: 36-7 Removal of Sin



34:8-13 Repair of the Temple



34:14-18 Recovery of a Treasure



34:22-28 Responsive Heart



34:29-30 Read Aloud the Word



34:31-32 Renewal of the Covenant


Chap 35 Rejoice in Worship



I want to share with you another relatively obscure chapter in the OT and how it relates to II Chronicles 34 and Josiah. Keep in mind that the main point that was impressed upon me as I read and studied this exciting chapter, was how Josiah treated the Word of God. Simply,



- He heard it.
- He recognized it's authority.
- He internalized the message.
- He acted on it.
- He shared it with the people.



This is a very powerful example that is much needed in our day. The world has thrown the Word on the trash heap and is doing it's best to bury it, just like in the days leading up to Josiah. It's a story of hope and excitement to see how God can work.

Now I didn't really finish the story of Josiah. It has a bad ending. Have you read it? Check out II Chronicles 35:20-26. This Egyptian king by the name of Neco comes onto the scene- I think they named the wafer after him some years later.

Anyway, even though Neco, an Egyptian, tells Josiah he is being directed by God, Josiah persists in attacking him. He puts on a disguise and engages Neco in battle. Archers shoot King Josiah and he's brought back to Jerusalem to die. Sad day. All of Judah laments his death. What do we lesson do we learn from this? Always listen to God. Don't stand in His way. And don't wear a silly disguise- it never works.

So a sad day in the history of Israel. Even Jeremiah writes a lament about Josiah to be recorded for the ages.

Which brings me to that obscure chapter I mentioned earlier.

Some weeks ago, I was reading a blog and the writer mentioned Jeremiah chapter 36. I had a read through that chapter and when it came time for the message, I was pretty certain that my message would be based on that chapter. Let's have a very quick look at it.

Jehoiakim was king in Judah, just a couple after Josiah. And he was a pretty rotten guy. Have a quick look here for a great summary of the Kings of Israel, all color-coded to show their level of rottenness.

http://www.geocities.com/thekingsofisrael/kings.html

Judah is in terrible shape and it won't be too long before God has enough of them and sends in Nebuchandnezzar to carry them off to Babylon for a few hundred years. God speaks to Jeremiah and says this:

1 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 "Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah till now. 3 Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turn from their wicked ways; then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin."

So Jeremiah dictates the Words of God and Baruch the scribe copies them on a scroll to take to the king. The people are so scared of Jehoiakim that they tell Jeremiah and Baruch to go hide and someone else will read the message to the king. Here's how the king handled the Word from God.

20 After they put the scroll in the room of Elishama the secretary, they went to the king in the courtyard and reported everything to him. 21 The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and Jehudi brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary and read it to the king and all the officials standing beside him. 22 It was the ninth month and the king was sitting in the winter apartment, with a fire burning in the firepot in front of him. 23 Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king cut them off with a scribe's knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire. 24 The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes. 25 Even though Elnathan, Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. 26 Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the LORD had hidden them.

So as you can see, the king is pretty rotten-hearted and burns the Word of God as it's being read. My idea was to do a sermon on this passage and talk about how the Word of God is treated today. It's being burned, piece by piece, every where we turn.

As I did research on this passage, I was led to the story of Josiah and I was overcome by his handling of the long forgotten Word of God.

In these two stories, we have the extremes of the spectrum. One man sees it for exactly what it is and it transforms his life and the lives of those around him.

Another man will not accept it, but cuts it in ribbons and throws it in the fire. His life and the lives around him are also transformed.

29 Also tell Jehoiakim king of Judah, 'This is what the LORD says: You burned that scroll and said, "Why did you write on it that the king of Babylon would certainly come and destroy this land and wipe from it both people and animals?" 30 Therefore, this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on the throne of David; his body will be thrown out and exposed to the heat by day and the frost by night. 31 I will punish him and his children and his attendants for their wickedness; I will bring on them and those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah every disaster I pronounced against them, because they have not listened.' "

And judgement soon came to pass on Jehoiakim, because of his rejection of God's Word.

Both chapters speak to us today- one shows the right way to handle God's Word and the other shows the wrong way.

Eric