Prophet of Wisdom

March 21, 2021 Background Scripture: 2 Kings 22 Lesson Passage: 2 Kings 22:14 – 20 Josiah’s reign as king of Judah began when he was eight years old. It is difficult to imagine that he was little more than a figurehead during those early years of his tenure. However, by the time he was twenty-six years old, he was firmly established as the ruler of Judah. He had what appeared to be some respectable leaders in Judah he could call upon, and they responded to him as their leader. Although twenty-six years of age is still a very young age to be leading a kingdom, there is no doubt that the early tutelage he received concerning what constitutes good leadership was then paying dividends. The adults in the kingdom could trust and rely on Josiah because he had been properly trained from a child to serve them and to be the kingdom’s leader. In today’s lesson, Josiah received some distressing news when the temple caretakers found the book of the Law. It was clear that the book of Law had remained unread and therefore unheeded for years under previous leaders. It is not clear whether Josiah had ever heard the word of God read before that point in time. If he hadn’t heard the word of God read at any time, then this event would have been even more dramatic! Because Josiah came into leadership without knowledge of at least this book, the kingdom continued to pursue a course of action that would cause the wrath of God to come upon them. The two previous kings before Josiah were both wicked. They both walked contrary to the will of God and led Judah astray from their faith. Josiah immediately began to repent and mourn when he learned of the impending judgment. The second step he took shows the character of the young king. Josiah assembled a delegation of five of Judah’s spiritual leaders and sent them to inquire of God concerning what would happen to the kingdom based on the words written in the book of Law. Note, when one wanted to offer prayers, or sacrifices, to God, then a priest would be sought to stand before God on their behalf. However, when one wanted to hear a word from God, then a prophet(ess) was sought. The delegation went to Huldah, a prophetess leaving in Jerusalem. She clearly demonstrated that she had the anointing of God upon her. First, she affirmed the word of God and all that it said. The people were sinning, God was offended, and judgment was coming. Secondly, she stated the specific sins of the people of Judah that were the root cause of the calamity that was to come. The people were ignoring God and worshiping idol gods by burning incense to objects they had made. Thirdly, she stated that God was going to spare Josiah because God had seen how Josiah reacted upon hearing His word read. She gave the details of what Josiah had done as sincere acts of repentance and humility. God knew Josiah’s actions were the outpouring of a tender heart, and He noted it. Therefore, God had heard Josiah’s prayer of repentance and would not allow him to suffer the agony of seeing His judgment against Judah. The accuracy of those things they knew to be true gave assurance of those things that were yet to come. I believe it is worth noting that when the king needed a word from God, the delegation went to a woman they knew to be a prophetess. They knew who she was, who her husband was, who his family was, and exactly where she lived in Jerusalem. Above all of that, they knew she was a prophetess of God. There is an implication in this. The word of God gives the true test of a prophet. If what they say comes to past, then they are true prophets. In other words, their visit to Huldah shows that this was not her first prophetic word, and they knew that her word was authoritative. Huldah’s word was meant to be delivered to the highest office in the kingdom, the king. Obviously, Huldah had prophesied before, and had proven herself to be a prophet(ess) of wisdom. Robert C. Hudson February 22, 2021