“1 Then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him. 2 And the king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord. 3 And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant.”
- 2 Kings 23:1-3
Have you ever skipped stones across a crystal clear pond?
For a kid or any kid at heart, there is nothing like gathering on the side of a bank, searching for a perfectly shaped, smooth stone, and heaving it at just the right angle so it skips effortlessly across the surface of the water. Before long, it becomes a competition to out-skip whoever is joining you on the shoreline, or even outdo your previous throw. As the rock takes it’s last bounce on the surface and sinks below the waterline, it’s amazing to stare at the ripples, slowly spreading out across the water at each point of impact. Such a small rock and small touch can spread ripples across a large area.
Josiah was a good king for God’s people. The nation strayed away from the Lord and worshiped false gods of their own creation. God’s people had forgotten all about God, His Word, and His promises. It looked as though God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David would be lost until Josiah commissioned a clean-up day at the temple. As Josiah discovered the Word of God and all of His promises to His people, he was overwhelmed. He knew God’s Word was too great to keep to himself. He assembled all of the nation’s leaders to have the Word of God read aloud. Because of Josiah’s response to the Word of God and his sharing it with others, there was a ripple effect of repentance that spread across the whole nation!
As you hang your ornament, remember, showing God’s Word the importance it deserves not only changes you, but can change a nation.