While I was doing my undergraduate work, I spent a great deal of time in some of the more esoteric texts in our library, paging through books written during the Middle Ages, always on the lookout for something new, something that had never been found before. It should not surprise anyone that I never did have one of those “Eureka!” moments when an undiscovered parchment fell from within the well-worn pages of Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English Speaking People or anything else as exciting as that.
During his reign, King Josiah ordered the long-overdue repair work that the Temple needed. In the midst of that work, the Book of the Law was discovered. Most scholars believe that this book was in fact Deuteronomy, which had most likely dropped out of usage sometime during the reign of one of the kings who strayed from following the commandments of God. But in the moment of rediscovery, Josiah began working to bring about a reformation within the land of Judah. This revival began when he called to the priest to inquire of God what should be done.
When we take time to read through the pages of the books of Kings and Chronicles, we see that one of the recurring themes of the “good kings” was their willingness to follow God’s commands and law. One of the constants among the “bad kings” was their desire to do whatever they felt was best. When we seek to follow God, we need to start that journey by rooting our lives in prayer, not entreating the Lord to do what we desire but rather asking for a reformation of our hearts and souls to be in accord with Him. We also must read the words of Scriptures to look for those places where God speaks to us as we “inquire of the Lord” to know His will for each of us.