Introduction
Do you think it is surprising that the Book of the Law was found in the Temple? I find this very curious. Does the Bible need to be rediscovered in many churches today? I remember a couple coming to my office after attending a worship service; and they told me our church talked more about the Bible than any church they had attended. Then they said the Sunday before; the pastor just told about his recent vacation and never mentioned the Bible, or any portion of it. Some ministers open the Bible read a text, but then you can close your Bible and never need it for the rest of the service. Many churches in this nation need to be Renewed By The Word.

1.    The . . Discovery Causing the Renewal By the Word. Vs 8-13

    A.    The . . Place of the Discovery. Vs 8 a
    8 Hilkiah the high priest told Shaphan the court secretary, "I have found the book of the law
in the Lord's temple,"

    B.    The . . Prominence of the Discovery. Vs 8 b & 11
    and he gave the book to Shaphan, who read it. 11 When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.

    C.    The . . Probing of the Discovery. Vs 12-13 a
    12 Then he commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the court secretary, and the king's servant Asaiah: 13 "Go and inquire of the Lord for me, the people, and all Judah about the instruction in this book that has been found. " For great is the Lord's wrath that is kindled against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words of this book in order to do everything written about us."

    D.    The . . Pronouncement from the Discovery. v 13 b
    For great is the Lord's wrath that is kindled against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words of this book in order to do everything written about us."

Summary:    The newspaper today would have a headline "The Book of the Law Discovered," then the story would share about the place of this discovery. Many would think it very unusual the Book had been overlooked for several years. Shaphan gave immediate prominence to this Book and read it. The king likewise heard the reading of this Book, and it caused him to order a probing search to inquire further from the Lord. The king further makes a pronouncement about the wrath of the Lord. He believed the wrath of God hovered over them if they would not repent and return to proper observances of the precepts laid out in the Book of the Law. All of this took place simply because the Book of the Law was discovered and read.
 

2.    The . . Decision Causing the Renewal By the Word. Vs 1-3

    A.    The Decision By The King To . . Assemble And Read The Word. Vs 1-2a
    1 So the king sent [messengers], and they gathered to him all the elders of Jerusalem and Judah.
2 Then the king went to the Lord's temple with all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as well as the priests and the prophets--all the people from the youngest to the oldest.

    B.    The Decision By The King To . . Apply The Word . Vs 2b - 3
    "As they listened, he read all the words of the book of the covenant that had been found in the Lord's temple. 3 Next, the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant in the presence of the Lord to follow the Lord and to keep His commandments, His decrees, and His statutes with all his mind and with all his heart, and to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book;

    C.    The Decision By The People To . . Apply The Word . v 3b
        ". . . all the people agreed to the covenant."

Summary:    The king called for an assembly of all the elders, priests, prophets; and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. He then led them into the temple. As they read the Law, the king made a personal application of the Law. He unashamedly announced his commitment to the Lord for all to hear. In this day of, so called, political correctness it would be great to hear our leaders do the same. Following the king's lead; the people made a similar covenant as they applied the law personally. The character, and morality of leaders does matter, and we must expect them to lead in these areas.
 

3.    The . . Destruction Caused By Renewal Of the Word. Vs 4-6

    A.    The . . Command For The Destruction. v 4
    4 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second rank and the
doorkeepers to bring out of the Lord's temple all the articles made for Baal, Asherah, and the whole
heavenly host. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to
Bethel.

    B.    The . . Commitment To The Destruction. v 5
    5 Then he did away with the idolatrous priests the kings of Judah had appointed to burn incense at the high places in the cities of Judah and in the areas surrounding Jerusalem. They had burned incense to Baal, and to the sun, moon, constellations, and the whole heavenly host.

    C.    The . . Completion Of The Destruction. v 5
    6 He brought out the Asherah pole from the Lord's temple to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem. He burned it at the Kidron Valley, beat it to dust, and threw its dust on the graves of the common people.

Summary:    If the Lord is exalted; false gods must be destroyed, and the king made such a decision. He commanded the destruction of the articles used in pagan worship. His commitment led him to further do away with the idolatrous priests, and their "High Place of worship." The completion of the king's destruction came as he took the Asherah pole and beat it to dust, then spread the dust over the cemetery. Will it take this kind of action today to destroy the false worship of terrorists? This nation certainly needs to be Renewed By The Word. Amen? Amen!