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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Archeologists discover church remains in Turkish ancient city | Art & Culture | World Bulletin

Acts 11:26 "And they were called Christians, first at Antioch"


Archeologists discover church remains in Turkish ancient city | Art & Culture | World Bulletin

Archeologists have unearthed remains of a church in an ancient city in the Mediterranean province of Isparta, head of the team said on Monday.Associate Professor Mehmet Ozhanli, the head of Suleyman Demirel University's Archeology Department who heads excavations in the ancient city of Pisidian Antioch, said they had discovered remains of a church during their excavations.
Archeologists discover church remains in Turkish ancient city
Archeologists have unearthed remains of a church in an ancient city in the Mediterranean province of Isparta, head of the team said on Monday.



"We have found the remains of a three-nave church one and a half meters below the surface," Ozhanli told AA correspondent.

Ozhanli said the building was constructed as a Pagan temple, however it was converted to a church after the spread of Christianity.

"This is the fifth church we have brought to daylight in this ancient city," Ozhanli said.

Ozhanli said this recently found church was also below the Men Temple, and the number of churches in the area rose to six.

"This indicates that this area was an important center for Christianity, and it was the capital of Pisidia," Ozhanli said.

Pisidian Antioch (also called Antioch-of-Pisidia) was a major Roman colony that was visited by St. Paul on his First Missionary Journey. Pisidian Antioch marked an important turning point in Paul's ministry, as the city became the first to have a fully Gentile Christian community.

Situated on the southern foothills of the Sultan Mountains, Pisidian Antioch was spread over seven small hills in a manner reminiscent of Rome. The city was founded in the early 3rd century BC by the Seleucid dynasty.

It was one of 15 different cities named "Antioch" after several members of the family with the name Antiochus. The original settlers of the new Hellenistic city came from Magnesia on the Meander, a town near the Aegean coast.

The inhabitants of Antioch at this time were a mixture of Roman veterans and their families, descendents of the earlier Hellenistic settlers, and people of Phrygian and Pisidian background. Several of the Romans from Antioch became members of the Senate.

Around 50 AD, Paul and Barnabas visited the city and established a Christian community. The city continued to prosper in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, and in 295 AD it became the capital of Pisidia, a new province created by Diocletian. The theater was enlarged and anew agora and porticoes were built.

Antioch was the seat of the bishops of Pisidia, including Bishop Optimus who attended the Council of Constantinople in 381. There is no evidence of any churches before the 4th century, and Christians were actively persecuted under the governor of Pisidia in the early 4th century, Valerius Diogenes. But by the end of the 4th century, when persecuted had ceased, Antioch had between one and three church buildings.

Archaeological interest in Pisidian Antioch has been ongoing since its re-discovery in 1833 by British Chaplain F.V.J. Arundell.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

3,000-year-old altar uncovered at Philistine site suggests cultural links to Jews - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

3,000-year-old altar uncovered at Philistine site suggests cultural links to Jews - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

Head of the archeological dig on Tel Tzafit Prof. Aren Maeir says the find indicates that the two peoples thought of as bitter enemies may have been closer than we think.

By Nir Hasson

A stone altar from the 9th century BCE was found in an archeological dig on Tel Tzafit, a site identified with the biblical Philistine city of Gat. The altar is reminiscent of Jewish altars from the same period and sheds light on the cultural links between the two peoples, who fought each other for centuries.

The altar is approximately one meter tall, half a meter wide and half a meter long. It was found by a team of diggers led by Prof. Aren Maeir of the Land of Israel and Archaeology studies at Bar-Ilan University. The most outstanding features of the altar are a pair of horns on its front and a cornice in the middle. Its form is reminiscent of the descriptions of the Jewish altars in the scriptures, with the most noticeable difference being that the altar in the Temple was described as having four horns, while the Gat altar has only two.

ancient Philistine altar - 26072011

The ancient Philistine altar at the Tel Tzafit archaeological site.

Maeir said Monday the altar demonstrates the cultural proximity between the two nations, traditionally cast as the most bitter of enemies in the scriptures. “Every group continues defining itself distinctly, but there’s intensive interaction. Think about Samson for a second,”

he said. “It doesn’t matter if the story is real or not. It’s true he kills them and they kill him, but on the other hand, he does marry a Philistine woman and take part in their weddings.”

“The altar a small, but an impressive and special window into the Philistine and Israelite cultures of the time in general, and their rituals in particular. It’s not every day we find items from the biblical times so closely related to items described in the biblical text.”

Maeir has led the digging project at Tel Tzafit, in the southern coastal plain, for 15 years, with much of his work concentrated on the Philistine layer of the site. Gat was the most prominent and powerful city of the Philistines for much of that people’s existence, and Meir believes it was at times the largest city in all of the Land of Israel, until it was finally sacked by Hazael, king of Aram-Damascus, in 830 BCE. He said that the fall of Gat was the single most important geopolitical event of the century. Testimonies of the destruction, including a layer with thousands of pot shards, were evident in every dig at Tel Tzafit.

According to Maeir, the fall of Gat and the weakening of the Philistine kingdom in the south of Israel was what allowed the rise of the Kingdom of Judea and the golden era of Judean kings in the 8th and 7th century BCE.

Monday, July 25, 2011

AFP: Tiny 2,000-year-old golden bell found in Jerusalem

AFP: Tiny 2,000-year-old golden bell found in Jerusalem

Tiny 2,000-year-old golden bell found in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM — A tiny golden bell which was lost in Jerusalem some 2,000 years ago during the Second Temple period has been found among ruins near the Old City, Israel's Antiquities Authority said on Friday.


The bell, which is thought to have been an adornment which was sewn onto the garments of a senior official, was uncovered during excavation work on a drainage channel in the City of David, an area in the Arab neighbourhood of Silwan just south of the Old City walls.

"It seems the bell was sewn on the garment worn by a high official in Jerusalem at the end of the Second Temple period," an IAA statement said.

The bell was found inside the main drainage channel taking rainwater from different parts of the city to the pool of Siloam, which is mentioned several times in the Bible.

"Apparently, the high official was walking in the Jerusalem street in the vicinity of Robinson?s Arch and lost the gold bell that fell from his garment into the drainage channel beneath the road," it said, noting that Jewish high priests were known to have bells sewn onto their robes.

"It is impossible to know for certain if the bell did indeed belong to one of the high priests; however, the possibility should not be entirely discounted."

TEACH ME!

 Psalm 119:12 "Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes!"

Paul told Timothy to "be diligent to present yourself approve unto God (2 Tm.2:15)."  The King James Version translates this "Study to show yourself approved unto God." We take the KJV side of things a lot of times and use this to prove that we need to study (as in school work) God's word.  While this is not a wrong concept, this is not what Paul intended Timothy to understand. He wanted him to understand that being approved of God could come only from being diligent to present yourself everyday as God's workman.  With diligence in approaching God's Word, we also need an attitude of dependence.   Proverbs 2:2-5 states, "making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God."  Notice the statement in this..."call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding..."   This is an attitude far different from a more usual perfunctory prayer for God to teach us as we go to weekly Bible study.

Do we really believe we're dependent on the Holy Spirit to enlighten our understanding or do we  depend on our own intellectual ability in our study of Scripture?   I suspect that many of us, while giving lip service to dependence on the Spirit, actually depend on our own intellect.

It's difficult to maintain an attitude of diligence to be coupled with dependence. Yet, we must do this if we want to learn of God. He does not reward laziness, yet, neither does he reward a sinful self-confidence. Diligence when it is pursued with a sincere attitude and a reflection of total dependence on God. What we're talking about here is not just acquiring more knowledge of biblical truth. We have that.  Rather, we need to develop Bible-based convictions by which we are to live.  You might say, "Well...I have that." Unfortunately, too many Christians seem to approach Bible study in the same way they would approach academic subjects. We go to church, get our assignments, do our homework and move on to the next. When we do this, we're more apt to become proud over our "superior" knowledge of biblical truth"  than be humbled by what God would reveal to us. Our prayers should be to pray for knowledge of truth that will change our lives rather than simply inform our minds. Paul warned the Corinthians in 1 Cor.8:1, "we know that "all of us possess knowledge." This "knowledge" puffs up, but love builds up." 

We need to pray with the psalmist, "Teach me, o Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end" (Psalm 119:33).

Jim

In Palestinian city, diggers uncover biblical ruin | Jordan Times

In Palestinian city, diggers uncover biblical ruin | Jordan Times

In Palestinian city, diggers uncover biblical ruin

In this photo taken July 19, the archaeological park of Tel Balata is seen through a window, with the West Bank city of Nablus in the background (AP photo by Bernat Armangue)
In this photo taken July 19, the archaeological park of Tel Balata is seen through a window, with the West Bank city of Nablus in the background (AP photo by Bernat Armangue)


By Matti Friedman
The Associated Press

NABLUS, West Bank - Archaeologists unearthing a biblical ruin inside a Palestinian city in the West Bank are writing the latest chapter in a 100-year-old excavation that has been interrupted by two world wars and numerous rounds of Mideast upheaval.

Working on an urban lot that long served residents of Nablus as an unofficial dump for garbage and old car parts, Dutch and Palestinian archaeologists are learning more about the ancient city of Shekhem, and are preparing to open the site to the public as an archaeological park next year.

The project, carried out under the auspices of the Palestinian Department of Antiquities, also aims to introduce the Palestinians of Nablus, who have been beset for much of the past decade by bloodshed and isolation, to the wealth of antiquities in the middle of their city.

“The local population has started very well to understand the value of the site, not only the historical value, but also the value for their own identity,” said Gerrit van der Kooij of Leiden University in the Netherlands, who co-directs the dig team.

“The local people have to feel responsible for the archaeological heritage in their neighbourhood,” he said.

The digging season wrapped up last week at the site, known locally as Tel Balata.

The city of Shekhem, positioned in a pass between the mountains of Gerizim and Eibal and controlling the Askar Plains to the east, was an important regional centre more than 3,500 years ago.

As the existing remains show, it lay within fortifications of massive stones, was entered through monumental gates and centred on a temple with walls five metres thick.

The king of Shekhem, Labaya, is mentioned in the cuneiform tablets of the Pharaonic archive found at Tel Al Amarna in Egypt, which are dated to the 14th century BC. The king had rebelled against Egyptian domination, and soldiers were dispatched north to subdue him. They failed.

The city also appears often in the biblical narrative.

New city

Two millennia ago, the Romans abandoned the original site and built a new city to the west, calling it Flavius Neapolis.

The Greek name Neapolis, or “new city”, later became enshrined in Arabic as Nablus. In Hebrew, the city is still called Shekhem.

Nablus has since spread, and ancient Shekhem is now surrounded by Palestinian homes and car garages near the city’s eastern outskirts.

A visitor can walk through the gate, passing through two chambers before emerging inside the city. From there it is a short walk to the remains of the city’s temple, with a stone stele on an outdoor platform overlooking the houses below.

The identity of the city’s residents at the time remains unclear. One theory posits that they were Hyksos, people who came from northern Syria and were later expelled from Egypt.

According to the Bible’s account, the city was later Canaanite and still later ruled by Israelites, but archaeology has not corroborated that so far, van der Kooij said.

A German team began excavating at the site in 1913, with Nablus under the control of the Ottoman Turks.

The dig was interrupted by World War I but resumed afterward, continuing sporadically into the 1930s under British rule. Much of the German documentation of the dig was lost in the Allied bombings of WWII.

Over the years, the site fell into disrepair. The neglect was exacerbated after the first Palestinian uprising in the late 1980s, when Nablus became a centre for resistance to Israeli control.

Its condition further deteriorated after the second, more violent, uprising erupted in 2000, drawing Israeli military incursions and the imposition of roadblocks and closures that all but cut the city off from the outside world.

In recent years, with the Western-backed Palestinian Authority increasingly asserting security control over the cities of the West Bank, Israel has removed some roadblocks and movement has become more free.

‘Rewriting Palestine’s history’

Visitors to Nablus are still rare, but the improvements helped convince the archaeologists that the time had come to resume work.

The new excavations and the establishment of the archaeological park are a joint project of the Palestinian tourism ministry, the Dutch government and UNESCO. The project began last year and is scheduled to end with the opening of the park in 2012.

In Israel, archaeology, and especially biblical archaeology, has long been a hallowed national pursuit traditionally focused on uncovering the depth of Jewish roots in the land.

For the Palestinians, whose department of antiquities was founded only 15 years ago, the dig demonstrates a growing interest in uncovering the ancient past.

The department now has 130 workers and carries out several dozen rescue excavations every year on the sites of planned building projects in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority, said Hamdan Taha, the department’s director.

Ten ongoing research excavations are being conducted with foreign cooperation.

All of the periods in local history, including that of the biblical Israelites, are part of Palestinian history, Taha said.

Digs like the one in Nablus, he said: “Give Palestinians the opportunity to participate in writing or rewriting the history of Palestine from its primary sources.”

Monday, July 18, 2011

MAKE - not find!

Making Disciples! It has captivated my interest lately that Jesus tells his chosen apostles to go "make" disciples, not "find" disciples. Now, for the forensic among us, let's get into some basic language to make sure our understanding is correct, after all, most "versions" of the bible do not translate it like this.   Most versions say "teach all nations."  So - which is it?  

The term used in  the original Greek language is "μαθητευσατε (mathateusate)."  This term corresponds to the original Hebrew word "talmid" which means "to become a pupil" or if it is talking about you enacting upon someone it means "to enroll as a pupil or apprentice."  "Teach" is not an incorrect representation of the word, but it does not convey the essence of what Jesus is telling them.  To "teach" is used in Mt.28:20 and is the term " Î´Î¹Î´Î±ÏƒÎºÎ¿Î½Ï„ες (didaskontes)."  His instruction is to go to enroll and make pupils - not "find." We hope to find someone with maturity and gifts already - to be honest, so that we don't have to teach or train them. We forget that Jesus told us to go make them. Not find them. Making disciples is long, hard work.


2 Timothy 2:2- "You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others." 


Discipleship is about shared truth, the passing on what God has taught us to another. This is the environment of face to face discipleship, that in turn creates fellowship within the church. 


1 Thessalonians 2:8- "We loved you so much that we shared with you not only the gospel of God but our own lives, too." 

Discipleship is also about doing life together. It's about shared experiences and inviting people into the opportunities and activities that you do and letting them be a part of them and learn with you and from you. 

We often wonder why we no longer have "dinners" and "get togethers" things like we used to, and wonder why people have lost interest. Perhaps it is because we have chosen the "easy way out" of what God told us to do.  We are no longer sharing lives, experiences, frailties, etc, to generate relationships, friendships, bonds and fellowship.  We are sequestering ourselves in isolation, keeping people at arms length and "telling" people what to do instead of showing them what to do.

There is quite a difference in what Jesus said, and what we in our modern times "do."

Jim

Manariwa: On Tithing, Receiving, Serving and Giving

Manariwa: On Tithing, Receiving, Serving and Giving


Much has been said about the issue of bishops receiving or using money from the government. Before the issue finally dies down and swept into oblivion like so many other issues involving ministers or churches, let us take a quick look at what is really expected of leaders of the Christian flocks everywhere.

As much as I respect the opinions of fellow Christians on the matter of tithing or giving, it is necessary to look into the issue from the perspective of the apostles of the Lord Jesus. And no other personality would provide us a clearer picture of what it is and how it should be done than Apostle Paul.

First off, the word “tithe” or “tithing” (giving 10% of one’s income) is nowhere mentioned in the New Testament as a teaching or as a requirement for believers. The few verses available are allusions to the old Mosaic law given to Jews. This is an important point for it settles, once and for all, the basic difference between what tithing (in particular) is all about and what giving (in general) is all about. Tithing was necessary to support the Levitical priesthood. But with the fulfillment and eventual removal of the Mosaic system (including the priesthood) through Christ’s ministry, such a teaching or practice no longer holds. It was a command of Moses to the Jews only. Being Gentiles, I don't see how we should be compelled to follow it. Unless, we require men to be circumcised as well.

What remains now then is giving. Tithing is out. Or, it was never a command given to Gentiles. (Please check out Acts 15.) So, what is Paul’s teaching and attitude on giving? Can we consider it the final word on the matter?

In Acts 20:17-35, Paul calls for the elders or bishops from Ephesus and tells them how he had conducted himself before all, namely:

1. With humility
2. With suffering from persecution
3. With diligent teaching to the end of his life
4. With innocence

With such a virtuous stance no one then and now could question, he then warns them against the coming wolves. (As a prophet as well, Paul gives a warning to tell the early disciples and us future disciples of what was going to happen. That it did happen is no longer a question. It is just a matter of looking for wolves in sheep’s clothes.) He then commends the leaders to God's grace and leaves them his most ardent and revolutionary teaching on serving and giving, the one ministry that most religious groups are big on (but not necessarily in that order of importance). But what he tells them is so contrary to what is practiced and believed now. It is so obvious that I wonder why so many preachers do not teach this, to wit:

1. “Do not covet people's money or clothes.” (I could almost hear him say, "Do not covet anyone's SUV or Lotto profits.")
2. “I provided for my own needs and those of others. In this way, we must support the weak.” (He does not say: by asking for tithes or donations or alms from among your flocks. Remember, he was talking to bishops not mere disciples.)
3. Finally, quoting Christ, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Surprise!

How consistent is this statement of the Lord with the stance that Christians should give tithes to support the weak or, as a modern adjunct, to support the work of the Lord? If Paul told bishops to give rather than receive, why do we require people to give tithes to bishops or pastors then? We failed to see this: The leaders are supposed to give, not the followers. Who is more blessed now, the giver (the people) or the recipients (elders or churches)?Spiritually, we give and are blessed. Materially, we receive and are helped. Churches today are materially helped, not spiritually blessed, sad to say. That explains our penchant for nice, expensive church-buildings or monoliths that house our assemblies while the poor live in shanties and starve.

Just look around and see who live in comfort and contentment from the income of the weak and poor and you will see how Paul’s teaching on serving and giving has been totally inverted. No, the funds have been diverted! The weak continue to suffer while the strong bask in glorious wealth. Who live in palaces and nice houses of prayer and meditation? Who ride in cool cars and vans in pursuit of serving the weak and poor? And whose money is it that props up the government’ lotto or sweepstakes if not the poor in general? The rich do not bet to become richer, although many do. The poor who make up more than 60% of the population do. Do the Math and you will readily see how a single person can win P300 Million in a week while the rest continue to hold on to the same dream until they die.

The government takes and gives. That is its job. That is what taxes are supposed to be. But taking money and giving it to a few people through sheer luck is a wilderness gambit. Ask why Las Vegas can make the desert bloom and shine. Mammon controls such games and those who play it serve the god of this world. Of course, the government also takes and gives to deserving people. It comes, however, from being confused about taxes and pot-money.

As Christians, we are compelled to give – but, to the needy and the weak, not to the strong and powerful, like some pastors, priests and bishops. They must lead by the example set by Paul. It is not too late to learn to do the proper way. In some cases, deserving teachers and elders may need support. But as it is, the exception has become the rule.

In short, why don't we just follow the example of Paul and forget about a dubious command supposedly given to the churches? And why covet that which we clearly see to be what the weak and needy gave in order to get what they need? That does not only make us covetous but vile as well for condoning laziness and greed.

Humility, perseverance, diligence and innocence, as in the case of Paul, are pre-requisites to the genuine ability to give to others who need help. Who can be like Paul and work with his own hands from such a standpoint in order to serve and to give to others?

Thursday, July 14, 2011

BibleWalks Blogs » Blog Archives » Ancient Sabbath Marker found in Timrat

BibleWalks Blogs » Blog Archives » Ancient Sabbath Marker found in Timrat

BibleWalks Exclusive Discovery! A rock carving on a stone near the communal settlement of Timrat, located in the Lower Galilee near Nahalal, may have been a Sabbath (Shabbat) marker dated to the Roman period.

Nathan, a grandfather who visits his daughter’s family in Timrat, often takes the dog for a walk in the nearby woods. A month and a half ago he noticed a number of faint lines carved on the face of a stone along the path. He passed this rock many times, but apparently the angle of the light enhanced the lines at that time. This caught his attention, and so he climbed up the hillside to check it out. At first, they seem natural, as the rocks are crisscrossed by natural cracks and breaks.



– Nathan observing the rock


After looking closer, he was surprised to find an ancient marking. There were 3 letters carved into the rock, which clearly were chiseled into the surface of the rock. Initially, he thought it spelled in Hebrew letters as “שכח” (meaning: “forget”).



The marking on the rock


After checking with Biblewalks through his neighbor, Uncle Ofer, we have speculated that the word may have been “שבת” (Shabbat, or: Sabbath). Ofer filled up the carved letters with soil, and the letters came up with a better contrast, as seen below.

Ancient Sabbath markers are rare, and this finding is exciting. The purpose of the marker is to to mark the outer boundaries around the village. According to Talmudic writings, based on a biblical texts, Jews are commanded not to carry burdens on the Sabbath, outside of the “Sabbath zone”. Exodus 16:29-30: “See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day”. Jeremiah 17:21-22: “Thus saith the LORD; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers”.



The marking on the rock, filled with soil – Photo by Uncle Ofer


The limitation of work on the Sabbath includes walking at some distance outside the living areas. In order to prevent confusion, the boundaries of the area around the city or village are marked by poles, stones, or – as in modern times – by wire. The markers are located approximately 1km to each direction of the municipal area.

We speculate that the marker in Timrat is related an ancient town, located approximately 1kmto the south-east of the marker. This Jewish Roman town was called “Mahalul”, and flourished from the commercially strategic location during the Roman/Byzantine times (Mishna and Talmud). It is mentioned in the Jerusalem Talmud (Megila page 2 , 2 1:1, Hebrew): “Nahalal is Mahalul”, and listed among the walled cities from the period of Joshua. The distance from the Roman village to the Timrat Sabbath stone fits the exact range of the perimeter as defined by the Jewish tradition.


Read more on the site of Nahalal /Mahalul.


Another candidate for the town related to the marker is Simonia, located around the nearby Tell Shimron. This was another Jewish town during the Roman and Byzantine periods. It is also located about 1.5KM from the marker, on the south-west side.


Read more on the site of Nahalal /Mahalul.


The marker was probably located on the path from Mahalul or Simonia to the main Roman road from Legio to Sepphoris. In the photo below is a north view towards the location of the Roman road. This is a modern walking path, but may have followed the ancient path, passing by the Sabbath marker.



North view – a modern path going north



Another Roman period Sabbath marker is located in the nearby Roman site of Usha. The marker is carved into the face of a flat rock, on the side of a Roman road. It is written in Greek (“CAB”), and according to some scholars it may be the name of the Sabbath zone (the prefix of the word CABAT – Shabbat).

To confirm this amazing finding, BibleWalks has contacted Dr. Moti Aviam, an expert archaeologist of the Galilee. He visited the site, confirmed our discovery, and intends to publish it soon.
If you would like to see for yourself the Sabbath marker in Timrat, drive to the end of Moran street, then follow the path for about 40 meters. You can also try to find other Sabbath markers around the two ancient towns.

Gath dig shows ‘Philistine’ need not be ... JPost - National News

Gath dig shows ‘Philistine’ need not be ... JPost - National News

Josiah and the Re-Discovery of God’s Law | Bible Gateway Blog

Josiah and the Re-Discovery of God’s Law | Bible Gateway Blog

Josiah and the Re-Discovery of God’s Law

King Josiah hears the Law. (Artist unknown.)

Are you familiar with the story ofJosiah and the rediscovery of the Law? Josiah became king at a spiritually and politically bleak point in Judah’s history—a succession of (with a few exceptions) wicked kings had led the nation steadily away from Yahweh, while defeat and exile loomed on the horizon.

Yet in the midst of this gloom, God introduced a ray of light. While repairing the temple in Jerusalem, the people made an unexpected discovery:

While they were bringing out the money collected at the Lord’s Temple, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that was written by Moses. Hilkiah said to Shaphan the court secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the Lord’s Temple!”

This “Book of the Law of the Lord” was presumably one or all of the Books of Moses, and its preservation through the reigns of evil rulers like Manasseh and Amon, Josiah’s predecessors, was miraculous in itself. But even more miraculous is the way that Josiah reacted when God’s law was read to him:

When the king heard what was written in the Law, he tore his clothes in despair. Then he gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the court secretary, and Asaiah the king’s personal adviser: “Go to the Temple and speak to the Lord for me and for all the remnant of Israel and Judah. Inquire about the words written in the scroll that has been found. For the Lord’s great anger has been poured out on us because our ancestors have not obeyed the word of the Lord. We have not been doing everything this scroll says we must do.”

After endless accounts of wicked kings and disobedient people in the books of Kings and Chronicles, Josiah’s humble and chastened response to the Law is remarkable. How many of us, when confronted with evidence that we have sinned or erred, are so quick to respond with honesty and repentance? God’s law is often misunderstood as a list of judgmental “thou shalt not’s,” but here we see it serving as a lamp illuminating the areas in which God’s people had fallen short and needed forgiveness. And in fact, God honored Josiah’s repentance by postponing the imminent judgment He had decreed for Judah.

Although this is a relatively short account, there are many details and questions lurking between the lines. The Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth blog, reflecting on this story, identifies some of those questions and turns them to us today:

I began to ask myself just what the priests and Levites had been doing for all these years without the Law of the LORD. How had they ministered in the temple of God without God’s standards in place? And how had they gone all this time in the temple without discovering the book of the Law of the LORD? What parts of the temple were they inhabiting? What kind of service had they been offering? How corrupt was the priesthood at this time?

I applied this text to our modern situation by asking if God’s standards are in place in our service to him. Have we been ministering according to God’s standards or our own? Are the things that are important to God important to us? Is our preaching based on the text of Scripture or do we just use the Scriptures the legitimize whatever it is we already think or feel? These are important questions and if the history of Israel and Judah can teach us anything, it’s how detrimental abandoning God’s standards can be.

See also his follow-up post on what the story of Josiah’s discovery tells us about accountability.

If you haven’t read the story of Josiah, take a few minutes to do so—it’s one of many fascinating accounts located in a section of the Bible too often relegated to Sunday School lessons.