Scripture to Read: 2 Kings 22:14-20
Josiah had sent Hilkiah, Shaphan, and the other men to inquire what God’s plan was for the nation of Judah after hearing from the book of the law. These men went to a prophetess, Huldah, and inquired what God had in store according to His Word. Huldah authenticated the book as God’s Word and then prophesied disaster for Jerusalem because the people had not obeyed God’s Law. But she also said that God promised that Josiah, because he humbled himself before God, tore his clothes and wept, would die in peace and would not see the coming disaster that Judah would still face. Huldah is one of the few named women prophets in God’s Word. What she shared led to Josiah’s major religious reforms. She is also the only person in the biblical text explicitly recorded as authenticating the book of the law as the authoritative Word of God. God used Huldah in a miraculous way, for she was His chosen vessel for that time and place. God desires that we not just read His Word daily, but when we get into His Word to also deepen our fellowship with Him by allowing it to penetrate our minds and hearts (Hebrews 4:12). God uses His Word to communicate His will to us so that we walk in constant fellowship with Him and obey Him every day of our lives. Without God’s Word, we will default to living according to how we feel and what we think is right (Proverbs 14:12, There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.)
Challenge & Application
Why did God promise Josiah that he would die in peace, and what do you learn from this?
How are you seeing God use His Word to guide you according to His plan for your life?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!