Is the Bible important for us today? Let’s start by taking a look back in the history of Judah by looking at our study verse below.
Historical Setting
2 Kings 22:8-10 (also 2 Chronicles 34:14-18)
“8 And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. 9 And Shaphan the secretary came to the king, and reported to the king, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord.” 10 Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.“
To remind you of the setting, Josiah became king over Judah at the age of 8 around the year 640 BC. Eighty years earlier, the Northern Kingdom of Israel had fallen to Assyria. Josiah was preceded by his evil father Amon, who was assassinated after ruling for only two years. Prior to Amon, the apostate Manasseh reigned for 55 years. Manasseh was one of the most abominable kings in Judah’s history, committing wholesale slaughter, child sacrifices, and setting up idols in the temple.
So, for approximately 57 years the Book of the Law had been missing. It was evidently lost or concealed during Manasseh’s reign, who systematically trespassed its laws. The fact that it was discovered in the temple itself during renovations is quite telling. This Book of Law—likely some part of Deuteronomy—was relegated to scrap and deemed no longer of value.
Relevance to Today
I cannot help but see the parallel to today. What value do we hold God’s Word in our own society?
The Word of God has become just another book in our collection, almost a decorative piece. It’s on the coffee table or the nightstand, but never opened. We’ve become indifferent to it, opting for more “feel good” commentaries and self-help treatises. We rely on our pastor or Sunday school teacher to inform us of its contents and seem satisfied with our time spent in such devotion and feel quite good that we’ve had enough to hold us for another week.
We no longer turn to God’s Word in times of trouble—trouble in marriage, trouble with kids, challenges with our jobs, emotional turmoil, medical issues, etc..—instead, we seek out the latest self-help guru for a quick fix.
Consider these published statistics:
- Four out of ten Americans believe that when Jesus Christ was on earth He committed sins.
- Five out of ten believe that anyone who is generally good or does enough good things for others during their life will earn a place in Heaven.
- Four out of ten believe that the Bible, the Quran, and the Book of Mormon are all different expressions of the same spiritual truths.
- Seven out of ten born again Christians said they do not believe in moral absolutes.
- Only one out of ten Christians base their moral decision-making on the principles taught in the Bible.
- Only 45 percent of those who regularly attend church read the Bible more than once a week.
- Over 40 percent of the people attending are reading their Bibles occasionally—maybe once or twice a month, if at all.
- In fact, 18 percent of attenders say they never read the Bible.
Is it any wonder the majority of this Millennial generation see no need for God or church and believe that truth is completely relative, a concept unfortunately being reinforced by the day-to-day activities of our political leaders and the news media. It seems taking the high road in a dispute is now perceived as weakness and the ability to exchange differing opinions without personal insults is becoming a lost art.
I dare say we—myself included—have become as the world.
