A sermon for the Watford church of Christ
- Huldah, vv14-20
A. What was an Old Testament prophet?
QUESTION: Definition?
A ‘covenant enforcer’
B. One of a few female prophets
The others: Miriam, Deborah, and Isaiah’s wife (Exod 15:20; Judg 4:4; 2 Kgs 22:14; Isa 8:3).
No sense this wrong
No sense should be a man
Contemporaries: Jeremiah; Nahum; Zephaniah; Habakkuk
C. Knew the Bible
Knew the book – even though lost
Knew it was Scripture
Knew how to interpret into her time
- Josiah, vv8-13; 23:1ff
A. Strikes against him
Evil grandfather and father – 2 Kings 21:6; 21:20-22
Tragic family – 2 Kings 21:23-24
Evil societal religious culture – 2 Kings 23:6, 7, 10,
Evil leadership culture – 8/4
His elders and betters had got it wrong
Not a victim
B. Spiritual Integrity
Enquire of the best person – even if not conventional.
Wants to know how much authority this book has
Wants to know what it means for him
C. Renews covenant & Passover
23:1-3, 21-23, 25
Urgent, thorough, self-motivated, brave
Consequences to religion industry!
Purity of heart — he was OK. Did this for Israel and God.
Why did Josiah react in the way he did? What does that tell us about him?
What motivated his actions? Why did he do what he did?
What can we learn from Josiah?
What does Huldah’s response tell us about her?
Why do you think Josiah asked her, not any other prophet?
What can we learn from Huldah?
Summary
Josiah had a good heart
He needed someone to help him interpret God’s Word
Huldah had cultivated her relationship with God
She was ready when the most important opportunity came
- God and Us
A. Huldah as a model of spiritual wisdom
Do you need to devote yourself to learning scripture?
We are all teachers – but teachers need to learn
B. Josiah as a model of repentance
Do you need to seek out someone to help you understand your spiritual state?
Do you need to repent?
Any idols?
C. God as patient, warning, helping
Conclusion
Josiah’s name: healed by God; God will support; God heals
1 Peter 2.24 – his wounds heal us
Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.
Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: malcolm@malcolmcox.org.
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“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)
God bless, Malcolm
