The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-06-04
SUNDAY MEDITATION.

lone reading these notes should first carefully
study the paragraph from the Holy Scriptures a.
indicated aboye.l
SUBJECT: HrLKIAH's DISCOVERY OF THE
Book OF THE LAW.
l. Data.
We have two accounts, 2 K, 90: s-14. and ?
Chron., 80: II %. These should be carefully
read and compared.
q Time.
We date b. C. Co., That was 81 years after
Israel had been taken eaptiVes by the Assyri-
ans. Josiah had been ruling for about IS
years. He was, however, only 2G years Of age.
u XII %: l, 3, and ? Ch., 81 /: /, 81
3. Place.
The lesson is located in jerusalem and par
tcularly on Mt. Moriah, in the Temple build
ing. The Book of the Law properly ought to
have been in the Ark. and the place for that
was the Holy Of Holes. We do not know IN
what part OF the building the Book was found.
Jerusalem Was divided into three parts by
different walls. Within the first walls the
artisans aud common people in general lived;
within the second the professional, the moro
we'll do, the cultivated, thO5s having more
leisure; within the third were the sacred
buildings, with their attendants. Abarbiual
the Spanish rabbinical doctor, ID. 1887 is
authority for this statement. The middle part
OF the city, also called the second part, had
therefore the name Misnah Tor Mshuehl.
Huldah lived in said portion Of the city. The
revised edition says she lived in the second
quarter lOf the city. Literally, our word
college means % bring tOKcther-COn, together,
aud lcgi. to collect. The Mi5hueh was the sec
ond quarter Of the city, where people collected.
g. josiah.
His father was Anon King OF Judah, and
his mother Jedidah. His grandmother on
mothers side was Adaiah. q XII, . ~ His
A.. D. T.I
IL is supposed the mother WAS a deyOut woman,
and that she left deep religious Impression
on her son, neutraiiziug to a great extent the
idOlatrOus and wicked influences Of his father.
JO-iah's life was devoted to tho extinction OF
idol worship. Places before used for such wOr-
ship were defled and destroyed. Religious
knowledge was scattered. Tho people were
called upon to reform. The temple was cleansed
aud repaired. The Ark was restored to its
proper place. Church ordinances were re-
established. He ruled for 81 years. Y HI,
- IL He died aged % years. lie was slain
by PhaTOah- SecbOh ut MegIddO. t23 DO It
seems depl0rable one so useful died so young.
IL Is the more sad seeing that his death resulted
from his meddling ia a cause entirely out Of
his province. IL was Ggd's will josiah die in
peace not in war, and probably at more all
vauced age. q XII, p: 90 lie died in peace
in the sense he died ia Jerusalem the city
whose very name means peace, aud IN the
sense he and those once the greatest enemies
OF Israel, the Assyrians, were at peace.
s. The Circumstances
Josiah resolved on complete revolutiO or
reformation in religious matters within bis
Kingdom. Among other things he resolved 10
renovate aud repair the temple. II had been
shamcfully desccrated and neglected. Re5pOn-
sibe persons were set to work to cleanse and
renew aud refurnish the entire sacred inelOs-
ure. Ample sums Of money were raised. Idol
atrous places were pulled down and made
utterly offensive. Men inclined to heather
worship were removed from official positions
Workmen Of all classes were engaged under
Competent overseers. All needed utensils for
the proper worship Of Jehovah were secured.
6. The Discovery Of he Book Of Ie Lar.
/. The discuyerer. He was fliIkiah, the
high priest lie is not to DO eonfOgnded with
the father Of the prophet Jeremiah. DER, I: l. y
Both HiIkiahs were contemporary, aud both
were priests. Hilkah the dscOyerer belonged
to the line Of Eleazar while the father Of Jere-
mah came from the line OF ithamaT.
2 The lost Book We cannot tell when il
was first missed. 1t must have been q matter
of sore lamentatiOn to the more devOut when
it became known that the authentic official
copy Of the Book Of the Law could not be
found. We cannot tell how it became lost. It
may be some mischievOus person, quite under
the iuiugnCe Of idOlatry, Concealed the roll Of
/ Holy Scripture. tie not tar enough gone
10 DESTROY it. His conscience was not so scared.
/ II TIm., ARR Or it may be that friend OF
/ mOuOthcism. true descendant Of Moses and
I David. fearing the venerable and valuable doc
ument might be destroyed hy the idOaters who
I were 30 far gone as to introduce idOiatrOus
/ worship and objects into the very temple, took
\ the precaution 20 hide IL from ruthless hands.
| 1t is possible the Book had not been intention
/ ally concealed. but that, IN the shifting about
/ Of the Ark, altar, etc, II became lost.
| 3. Place Of discovery. Hilkiah said, 4" / have
| found the Book Of the Law in the House OF
\ the Lord" q Hi, y: S; 2 ChFOn., "a lJ.) II
had been hidden somewhere within the sacred
/ iuclosuTe. The high priest would naturally
make diiigent search in the Holy Place and
I the Holy Of Holes The rabb.us say the Book
| was found by HiIkiah buried under paving
! stone 10 is barely possible that HiIkiah, know
/ ing said Book mad been lost made il his special
business to try TO find t. As times were in
the days OF Josiah, no harm could reach the
volume if il became known it was found.
| A. We find from Deu., 81 81 26, that after
Moses completed the Pentateueh he ordered il
to be placed in the side OF the Ark Of the
, Covenant" 1t must be kept forever, so as 70 be
! a corrective Of al copies. Like standard
weights and standard measures of time, il was
TO be kept for comparison with all pIofessed
sacred writings. Ii lost there was no protection
| Accuracy COulu HOT Do d11LICu WIN duoO4uLt
certainty. That one copy would always b.
sacred As having been produced By Moses him
SELF and as being unquestiOnably correct.
,. What Book did HIlkiah find? In the &C
count given in Kings it says "the Book o
the Law" In the account in 2 Chronicles we
read Book Of the Law Of the Lord given bJ
Moses" given through his agency, Moses having
been a sort OF Rmanuenss- Let Us notice some
views:
a. 1t was the autograph of Moses the real
copy which he wrote. Those who take Thu
view generally hold it consisted of the entire
Pentateuch. The Compreusiye Commentary
Kitto, Jameson & Co., Patrick, so teach. /
was possible for said volume to become lost
We remember Ahaz introduced idols within
the very temple. It seems from Chron.
g, that the Ark had been removed from
the Holy Of HOLES. The contents could easily
have been disturbed. Moses probably furnished
the Pentateuch about 500 years before on
lesson. MSS. could exist so long intact. Henct
the Book found could readily have been thu
standard Pentateuch. We can hardly aceOun
for the stir, JOY and reform produced by tn
discovery on other suppOsitiOn than that tn
Book was the veritable copy left by Moses
b. The views held by PrcOpius Gazaeus, VIII
was writing A. ID. 5l3 as n sophist and com
menta tOr of the Holy Bible, was that the BOOl
found consisted Of the Book Of Deuteronomy.
c. Some hold the sacred writings as thel
known consisted of abstracts, and that the pOr
ton found by Hilkiah was that part of tn
Book of Deuteronomy now covered by Chap
tiers % 81. This is the view of Dr. Adam Clark
and Of George Smith, f. s. A. We know tn
entire Pentateuch was put into the Ark or tn