Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1898-12-01
THE BOOK OF THE LAW FOUND.
Sunday school Lesson in the Interna-
tiOnal Lesson Series Tor December
4, 1s9S Kings 22ss-2O.

GOLDEN TE[XT.-Blessed are they that
keep His testimonies and thai seek Him
with the whole heart--Pss- 1ls:2
THE SECTloN.-T'he reign Of Josiah @
Kirgs IA to $3.50. Read aNSo Chron. "a
and IS.
TIME.-JoSiah reigned from b. c. CSC to
COS. He followed close after Manasseh
Qsesson WILL The fading of the book OF
the law was In his eighteenth year-B.
PLACE-Jerusalern and Judah.
EXPLANATORY
!. Josiah the Good Boy King.-Jo-
siah, Jehovah via support was born
at Jerusalem, B. C. CAT. S. Josiah be-
gan TO reign B. c. osa. when he was
eight years old. Ii seems to have been
by the choice or election of the people
e Chron. 1929. He reigned 81 years,
and died b. c. 600, before he was 40
years old His conversion took place
when he was 16 years old, when 'he be-
gan to seek after the God Of David, his
father" e Chron. s4:3). He put him
self under the influence of the religious
men of his kingdom.
III. The Rekorma tion.-Josia en-
tered upon his great reformation in
the twelfth year of his reign, when he
began TO destroy the idols. Jeremiah
began his ministry in p. c. o27, IN the
thirteenth year of Josiah's reign DER
1:2), just about the time the reforma-
ton commenced, and continued till
after the destruction of Jerusalem in
$50. In the eighteenth year of his
reign Josiah reestablished the re-
ligious services Of the temple e Kings
1887; . Chron. s4:s-13). His first eff
forts were to repair the temple, which,
during the $50 years since King Joash
had made his great repairs, had be-
come dilapidated.
III. Finding the Book of the Law
VS.. $40. A little more fully in Chron.
34:14-1s. The eighteenth year of Jo-
siah's reign. s. "Hilldah, the priest"
!. e., the high priest, said 1
have found the book of the laws" The
Flaw of the Lord given by Moses" 1t
had been deposited in some secret
place, probably during the reigns of
some of the idolatrous kings. to pre-
serve it from estruction. The find
ing mentioned in this verse was not
discovery of something unknown be-
fore, but the rescuing of the temple
copy of the law from the hiding place
in which It had long lain.
9. "Shaphan the scribe:" The sec
rotary of state. ''Thy servants have
gathered the money!" The kings sec
rotary reports the work done. It
seems a collection was taken up for the
temple repairs not only in the temple
itself, where the system of Joash q
Kings 12:4-12) seems to have been re-
verified to. but also throughout Judah
and Benjamin, and all the land Of
Israel q Chron. 34:9).
10. ''Shewed the king !. a (the)
book: ut was of the utmost impor-
tanee to the king in the work he was
doing.
". The Results of Finding the Book.
VS.. 1920. First A Desire for In
struction. "And Shaphan read 1t be-
fore the king" OF course at the kings
request. He was anxious to know what
the truth was, and the nature of the
law he had baen trying blindly to obey,
Second. An Awakened Conscience.
IL. when the king had heard
he rent his clothes:" An expression Of
deepest sorrow and consciousness of
danger.
The reading of Gods Word brings
conviction of sin. It shows us our de-
partures from the true standard, it is
a mirror in which we see our weak
ness and our sin; it is measuring line
by which we learn chow far and wide
we stray"
Third. Seeking More Light on the
Path of Duty. 10. '~rhe king com
manded Hilkiah," etc. His leading Of
ficers, and most intelligent.
10. Go We, inquire of the Lord for
me-" He must know from the highest
source just what he ought 10 do, for it
was of the utmost importance.
II. Went unto Huldah the prophet
ess:" through whom they would in
quire of the Lord We do not know
why they went to her instead of the
other well-known prophets. The keep
er of the wardrobe was a person of
consideration in ancient times
Fourth. Gods Threatenings Will
evil upon this place. My wrath :.
shall not be quenched:" Thenation had
gone SO far in sin, was so thoroughly
imbued with idolatry, that nothing
could persuade them, as a whole, to re-
pent and be saved. Nothing but the
actual infiiction of the threatened pun
ishment would cleanse them from idol
airy. The reformation Of Josiah was
of great value. 1t saved a remnant, a
portion of the people as the hope of
the future; but for the mass of the peo-
pie it was the I'd ruffiing the surface
of the waters, but not changing it's
deeper flow. This threat was accom-
plished within SO years. because they
have forsaken me-" Religion and
righteousness were the basis of the
kingdoms prosperity. To destroy
these, to forsake God was to take the
very foundation from under them
Y. Gods Tender Mercies.-Vs. 10, 20.
because thine heart was tender !.
thou shalt be gathered into thy grave
In noaea. He Vruc slain IN t1a4 flo hint