Week 2: Pages In Your Family's "Heritage of Faith," A Link-Up

  Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.


   In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphan son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the LORD. He said: “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the LORD, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people. Have them entrust it to the men appointed to supervise the work on the temple. And have these men pay the workers who repair the temple of the LORD— the carpenters, the builders and the masons. Also have them purchase timber and dressed stone to repair the temple. But they need not account for the money entrusted to them, because they are honest in their dealings.”


   Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the LORD.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. Then Shaphan the secretary went to the king and reported to him: “Your officials have paid out the money that was in the temple of the LORD and have entrusted it to the workers and supervisors at the temple.” Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.


   When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes. He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant: “Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD’s anger that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.”


   Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Akbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophet Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the New Quarter.


   She said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book the king of Judah has read. Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and aroused my anger by all the idols their hands have made, my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.’ Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people—that they would become a curse and be laid waste—and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the LORD. Therefore I will gather you to your ancestors, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.’”


   So they took her answer back to the king. (2 Kings 22, New International Version)


The Lord's people were in a mess. The nation was divided. There was one disastrous king after another. Idol worship was rampant. And then a young boy named Josiah became king. His father had been an evil king. Was it his mother who raised him to honor the Lord? To faithfully follow in the steps of David?


It struck me the other day when I read this passage how it fit perfectly with the message from Psalm 78 where the command is given to tell of the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord and testify to the next generation of His faithfulness SO THAT they would put their trust in the Lord and not be like the previous generations who were stiff necked and rejected the Lord. 


Can you imagine Josiah's grief when he heard the Lord's Law read aloud to him? It sounds like it was the very first time doesn't it? The previous generations hadn't faithfully testified about what the Lord had done. The Book of the Law "was found?" It has been piled in a corner somewhere and forgotten???? No wonder the people of God were in such a mess!


We need to faithfully preserve our own family's heritage of faith. So do you! We all do! Not only do our children need to be immersed in Scripture from the time they are tiny, but they need to be immersed in our own specific family stories about how the Lord is STILL at work TODAY! For US! Imagine the sense of value and purpose it will give them to understand the scope of His Faithfulness across not only the times of Scripture, but also into every day of their lives. 


That's why I am encouraging you to testify here to what He has done for your family. Tell us the stories. Let's hold each other accountable for faithfully recording our heritage. This is simply a tool. But it sure helps me to be thinking about it on a regular basis.


Link your post to a Page in Your Family's Heritage of Faith. It can be something you wrote a long time ago. It can be about something that happened a long time ago. There are no rules. Just an opportunity to tell what He has done for you. Grab the button on the right and include it in your post, if you like. I'm excited to read your testimony!