Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1911-07-27
Finding Of the Book
of the Law
Sunday School Lessen fer July 30, 1911
Specially Arranged for This Paper

IL III HdV0 Il Hlu
n mine heart, that I might not sin
against thee."-Psa. 1911.
TIME-B. G, 62l. in the 18th year of
Tosiah's reign, when he was 26 years old.
Stage " of the last lesson.
PLACE-The Temple and Palace at
Jerusalem.
PERSONS-Joslah the king. Huldah
he prophecies. Hilkiah the high priest.
bhaphan the scribe or secretary.
With hundreds of millions of Bibles
n. existence and several millions more
printed every year, it Is somewhat diff.
fcult for us to imagine how knowledge
Of the written Bible, and Of the exact
.enor Of its teachings could be lost.
Some facts will help us to understand.
There were at that time very few
copies Of the sacred books in exist.
snce. They were very expensive. 1t
was customary for these copies to be
kept in the temple, while the copy
which according to the law was
made for the use of the king, would
most certainly have persisted under
such kings as Manasseh and Anon.
It IL plain that the finding Of this
book was not the discovery Of some
thing unknown before, but the rescu-
Ing of the temple copy Of the law from
The hiding place in which 1t had long
lain" 1t must have been the ancient
copy of the law, and not a book writ
ten, as some critics think, by unknown
persons in the reign of Manasseh,
never seen or used among the Jews
before.
When they brought out from the old
chests In the temple the money con-
tributed for repairs. which had been
deposited in the safest hiding place,
Hilkiah the priest, who had charge of
the money, in searching the chest
found at the bottom a book of the law
Of the Lord, the law given by Moses.
Hilkiah delivered the book to Shap.
han, King Josiah's secretary of state.
as the fitting person to show 1t to the
king. When Shaphan reported the
pie, he brought the book with him, told
how it had been found, and read 1t to
the king.
The king heard the book read, and
he assembled the elders and priests,
and the Levites. They made a public
covenant and pledge. The king him
self first made a pubic covenant be-
fore the Lord, to walk after the Lord,
and to keep his commandments, with
all his heart.
This was very similar to the great
meeting under Joshua on the slopes of
Mount Ebal and Gerizim eight centu-
ries before, On taking possession of
the Promised Land. The same motives
were presented. and the same cove
nant made.
The covenant was made under the
power of the strongest and best mo-
tives that could be brought to bear
upon them, when their minds were up
lifted into clearest vision, above the
smoke and clouds of earth. That was
the right time to make a decision. God
has given us feelings on purpose to
move us to decide Alright.
Josiah restored the regular temple
services under the priests and LIE.
vites; and he celebrated a passover,
such as had not been celebrated from
the days of the Judges that judged Is-
rael, nor In all the days of the kings
of Israel, nor of the kings Of Judah.
From all parts Of the land the people
flocked up to the renovated temple and
Joined with every demonstration Of
gladness in the eight days festivlty
prepared for them. Thirty thousand
males of full age attended. During all
these days the services OF the temple
choir were brought into requiistion-
the singers of the famous clan of
Asaph chanting, in relays, the psalms
for the season, appointed centuries be-
fore by David, Asaph and J%eduthun.
The Bible may be lost today by neg.
Letting it-~neglecting to read 1t daily.
Neglecting family reading and prayers.
Neglecting to read its stories to little
children. By disobeying 1t. Disobey-
Ing It's precepts dulls the conscience,
and the whole moral nature, so that 1t
may be said, Eyes have they, but
they see not, ears have they but they
hear not"
BY being so absorbed in worldly
things that while he heareth the word
with his ears, the care of this world,
and the deceitfulness of riches, choke
the word, and he becometh unfruit-
,ul." BY keeping the Word far from
daily life, SO that all It's blessed truths
are admired, but not geared on to right
action.
BY making the Bible unattractive. I
lave heard a number Of ministers read
the Bible so poorly that people were
aot interested in 1t, listened careless
ly, and liked 1t less than II 1t had been
unread. Then the printing Of the Re-