Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-05-18

path" Pisa. 119.
The revival began by Hezekiah
was short-lived. His wicked son,
Mapasseh, undid almost everything
his godly father had accomplished.
His reign was the longest of any Of
the kings, and therefore his influ-
ence was very disastrous. God pun
ished him with captivity; but as
| captive in Assyria he humbled him
self-no doubt the long-delayed an
sWer to his fathers prayers for him
and turned to God. God turned
his captivity and brought him again
into his own land and to his throne.
His son, Anon, was grown and mar
ried at this time; and just six years
| before Manasseh's death, a grandson
was born who was named Josiah.
| That the custom of making Jeho-
vah's name a part of the royal
| heirs name was now resumed would
indicate that it was about this time
! that Manasseh's conversion had TAX
en- place.
Anon reigned only two years, and
was slain by his own servants be-
cause he sinned more grievOusly
than his father had done. And the
| people took his eight-year-old boy,
| Josiah, and made him king in his
| fathers stead.
The Boy King
Josiah was a remarkable char
| acter. At eight he came to the
throne; at sixteen he began to seek
| God; at twenty he began to repair
| the temple; at tWenty-six be brought
about the greatest revival in the
history of Judah. At thirty-nine he
was killed in battle with the King
of Egypt. Sirdack, the Hebrew his
torian, classed him as one of the
three great and godly kings of Judah
David, Hezekiah and Josiah. He
says of him: "In the days of wicked
men he made goodness prevail"
/ That is a wonderful testimony both
to the mans piety and his power.
| Can any one write that of you?
He had good influences to help
him and to guide him in his tender
years. His mother, Jedidah, and
her father, Adaiah, helped to guide
him toward God. Jeremiah was
about the same age, and received
his call to the prophetic office five
| years before the great revival be-
gan. While his early ministry was
|
yet he no doubt helped to create
| the atmosphere in which Josiah
worked. Zephaniah was a prophet
! of his time also and so was Nahum.
1t is more certain, however, that
| the men who were his immediate
| counsellors were chosen by the ear
lier friends of the boy-king for him,
and that they were among those
who had experienced q reVulsion
from the idolatrous practices Of the
earlier years of Manasseh and more
recently of Anon. Hilkiah, the
priest, and Shaphan, the scribe, were
two Of these. Indeed there appears
to have been large group of them,
for when the house of the Lord was
repaired the money was turned over
/ to the carpenters and builders and
! masons, and no record was kept of
it because they were all so conscien-
tious and faithful that it was not
necessary.
1t is an interesting story to study,
/ Of the way in which he was con-
verted at 16, the period of adde's
| cence when characters are usually
being determined for time and eter-
/ nifty; Of his sweeping reforms in
Jerusalem; of his collection by vol
untary offerings and an every mem
, Der canvas of the monies necessary
| to repair the temple which had got
| ten into bad condition through the
sin and neglect of his father and
| grandfather; of the two political par
| ties that were striving for suprem-
acy in his kingdom and of the in
| fluence on his own life and that of
| his subjects that playing politics
| had.
But these are matters that must
be waived here, for the thing that
concerns us most today is
The Discovery of the Book
which was made by Hilkiah and
how the Book discovered the king
ard his people when it was read in
their hearing.
In the thirteenth year of Josiah's
reign young man, jeremiah, the
son of l1ilkiah, q priest of Ana
10th just l IL hours northeast OF
Jerusalem, received a call from
| God to preach. He was diffidenc and
retiring, but God thrust him out
into the most difficult work any
man was ever called to do For five
| years he faithfully proclaimed the
word OF Jehovah to his people, often
with tears as he spoke of their
sins. You may read his sermons in
~ LII Ieu chapters OIL MS auto
biography.
Probably partly as a result of
this Josiah begun the work of re-
pairing the temple in the eighteenth
year of his reign. In the progress
or the work Hillliah, the priest.
discovered under the rubbish a
| scroll which proved to be the tenn
| pie copy of the book Of the law of
the Lord given by the hand of
Moses. Shaphan, the scribe, read
It, and then took it to Josiah. When
he heard it read (see Deut 27. %,
etc.,, ne rent his clothes as he
realized the enormity of their sin.
Inc book had discovered him and
ms people: lie sent deputation to
HuIdah, the prophecies, who dwell
IN one of the suites of the temple
TO inquire whether it would stand
Some in recent days have cues
toned the authority of this book
the book of Deuteronomy is one of
the bltterest points of attack Of the
cr1tlcs-but there was no doubt in
any Of their minds but that it was
the word Of the Lord by the hand
OF Moses, and they accepted it and
acted upon it as such. AS never be-
fore the authority of the Bible is
being attacked today, and unfortlln-
ately by those who claim to be the
friends of God. The open attack of
an avowed enemy is not nearly so
dangerous as the insidious secret at
tack of a supposed friend. The Bible
is Gods Word from Genesis IL to
the last verse of Revelation. To say
that this part or that is not in.
spired is to make all Of it uncertain
for one may accept one portion. and
another reject another portion. ANY
mans own conscience may be thus
] set I'D as the illdpp and no. NOR, 10 % Z,