READ: 2 Kings 22:11-17 (or the extended passage at
2 Kings 22 & 23)
(11-13) When the
king heard what was written in the book, God's Revelation, he ripped his robes
in dismay. And then he called for
Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the
royal secretary, and Asaiah the king's personal aide. He ordered them all: "Go and pray to God for me and for this
people--for all Judah! Find out what we
must do in response to what is written in this book that has just been
found! God's anger must be burning
furiously against us--our ancestors haven't obeyed a thing written in this
book, followed none of the instructions directed to us."
(14-17) Hilkiah the
priest , Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went straight to Huldah the
prophetess. She was the wife of Shallum
son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, who was in charge of the palace wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem in the Second
Quarter. The five men consulted with
her. In response to them she said,
"God's word, the God of Israel:
Tell the man who sent you here that I'm on my way to bring the doom of
judgment on this place and this people.
Every word written in the book read by the king of Judah will
happen. And why? Because they've deserted me and taken up with
other gods, made me thoroughly angry by setting up their god-making businesses. My anger is raging white-hot against this
place and nobody is going to put it out."
THINK: Read the passage again. As you do, listen for words or images that
especially impact you, such as raging anger that "nobody is going to
put…out," or the king ripping his robes "in dismay."
PRAY: Take time to silently repeat this word or
phrase from the passage or to let the image play itself out in your mind. See how it matches with your thoughts,
feelings, and memories. Eventually let
your contemplation lead you to consider whether there are any questionable or
sinful areas of your life that you have been ignoring lately. Can you tell why you've been ignoring
them? Bring them before God. What is your posture?
LIVE: Picture this God whose "anger is raging
white-hot." What's it like to be
before him? Now see Jesus, the mediator
between the holy God pictured in this passage and the sinful people God
loves. Turn to Jesus and together
examine your heart. Watch his response
to the sinful areas you noticed. What is
he inviting you to do in response to what you see? Respond to his invitation. Watch God the Father accept Jesus' redemption
of your sin--see God's white-hot anger cool--and experience being welcomed back
into full fellowship with him once more.
My
dear readers, I am happy for the chance to deliver each of these devotional
days to you. I think this one, however,
does not need anything more from me. You
know what God is speaking to you. I know
what God is speaking to me. I pray that
each of us has the courage to take a good, honest look at ourselves and find
those areas God would have us see, those areas that need to be addressed, that
we've been withholding from God, and find out why. I pray for the strength to get brutally
honest, knowing that God cares more about our character than our comfort, and that
we would allow him to do the work necessary to pry those sinful areas out of
our heart, regardless of how deeply lodged they are. Then, I pray that we would allow Him to fill
those areas of our hearts with what ought to be there: more of Him and more of His Word.
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