may 31, 2022

Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 

He went up to the temple of the LORD with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the LORD.

The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the LORD—to follow the LORD and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.

2 Kings 23:1-3

Devotional

At this point in the history of God’s people, Josiah was the king of Judah, the Southern Kingdom. Much of the Northern Kingdom had been carried into exile in Assyria, and Judah was holding on. After a protracted period of “bad” kings, Josiah stepped into leadership. He became king when he was eight (8!) years old, and began to reign actively when he was twenty-four. He was actually more highly regarded by the Jewish people than King David. Josiah wasn’t just a good king; he was a VERY good king.
 
Whatever motivated the heart and soul of Josiah (no doubt God), the thing that set him apart was what he did in response to the discovery of the “Book of the Law” (likely Deuteronomy) when the Temple was being given a “freshening up.” Josiah had the entire nation respond to the Word of God through a national revival.
 
Years ago, when I was a seminary student and spending a year interning in a church, a constellation of events prevented me from being in worship for three weeks. The week I returned happened to be Palm Sunday. I can recall standing by myself in the sanctuary of that church as we sang the songs celebrating Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem; and as the congregation sang, I was rocked in my soul and moved to tears. I had forgotten how deeply I needed to center my life in worship.
 
So many people have shared with me a similar reaction to their return to corporate worship after a protracted period of online worship, necessitated—and in some cases become accustomed to—due to Covid-19.
 
There is something about feeling, and hearing, and joining voices with others to praise and thank God; it is probably a bit like what God’s people experienced when they “pledged themselves to the covenant.”

For Reflection

Has there been a time when circumstances prevented you from experiencing worship? What was your response when you “returned?”
 
Are there practices of the faith that you have “forgotten” and need to rediscover?
 
What has the experience of regularly reading God’s Word through the Quest series meant to you?

Prayer

Dear Lord, thank You for Your incredible and unending commitment to me. I know that too often I take You for granted, and I am sorry for that. Help me—today, this week, even every day—to follow You, and to let Your worship be a priority in my life. Amen.