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. . . . When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes.
2 Kings 22:8, 11 NIV
Josiah was one of two kings described as following in the footsteps of David. He became king when he was eight, in a time of great turmoil. Judah was surrounded by two great powers, Babylon and Egypt, who wanted Judah as a buffer state against the other. And Judah was suffering from spiritual apostasy led by Amon and Manasseh, Josiah’s father and grandfather.
2 Chronicles 34 tells us that in the eighth year of his reign, Josiah began to seek the Lord; in the twelfth year, he began to purge the land of idolatry; and in the eighteenth year, he began work on purifying the temple.
During the cleansing and repair of the temple, a scroll was found. 2 Kings 22:8 describes it as the lost Book of the Law–they had rediscovered God’s word. This scroll was read to Josiah, causing him to tear his robes in distress and seek the Lord concerning what was contained in the scroll.
The Book of the Law
What was this scroll that caused Josiah so much distress? There is no universal agreement as to what it was. However, it is generally thought to reflect at least some part of Deuteronomy. And Deuteronomy 31 and 32 offer a potential answer to this question.
In Deuteronomy 31:19-21, God instructed Moses to write down the words to a song. A song that would be a witness against the people when they turned away from God. The words of this song are found in Deuteronomy 32. Deuteronomy 31:24-26 tells us that after Moses had finished writing in a book the words of the law, probably the same as the song, he instructed the Levites to place the book beside the ark as a witness against them.
This book, or something like it, is what was uncovered and read to Josiah. A book that described the disaster that God would bring on Israel for turning away from God and following other gods. And it led to a redoubling of Josiah’s reform efforts. Unfortunately for Judah, it was too late to escape the disaster awaiting them.
Note: 2 Kings 23:24-25 suggests there was more in this scroll than just the contents of Deuteronomy 32.
