How God Blesses

2 Chronicles 34:26-31,26 And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to enquire of the LORD, so shall ye say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel concerning the words which thou hast heard; 27 Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the LORD. 28 Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same. So they brought the king word again. 29 Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD. 31 And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book.

Introduction: What is going on here is:

The Jews stop looking to God and went off to do their own thing. No one had been in the Word and they had stop doing all the things God wanted them to do. They even stop the Passover.

Josiah (yo-shee-yaw) which is the king at this time and Hilkiah (hil-kee-yaw) is a priest who finds the book of the Law or the Bible of its day.

Shaphan (shaw-fawn) takes the Bible to the king and read it to him and the king get convicted that he need to turn to God and serve Him.

I.       Josiah (yo-shee-yaw) returning to God's Word

A.    Look back in verse 1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. 2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left.

1.     I want you to note that he was saved and thought he was doing the right thing which he was

a)     In verse 3 yo-shee-yaw began to seek God in the eighth year of his reign

2.     Now look in verse 14 And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah (hil-kee-yaw) the priest found a book of the law of the LORD given by Moses.

3.     Than they take the book up to the King and end up reading it to him.

B.    Now the King needed to find out what God wanted him to do. So they started to read the Bible.

1.     He starts to seek God's will for him in his life

II.     The King than humbles himself before God

A.    Look in verse 27 Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me

1.     God was about to bring judgement down on his people because they were not doing His will.

B.    So the King went before God and prayed and ask God for forgiveness and what He want him to do

1.     He humbled himself before God

III.    Than the King commitment himself to God

A.    First he got his house in order

1.     Look in verse 29 Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the Lord

B.    Second the King made a covenant with God

1.     Covenant means = an agreement or promise

2.     The Book of the Law was a covenant as it says in verse 30. It was Gods promises to His people

3.     What promise did he make to God?

a)     Look in Verse 31 And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book

b)     So here is the list

(1)   To walk after God, Look to God for everything

(2)   Keep God's commandments

(3)   With all his heart and soul

(4)   Than he repeats him self to do what the Bible says

Conclusion:

After the King learns what God wants him to do as he learns the Bible, God starts to bless him.

2 Chronicles 34:28, Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same. So they brought the king word again.

So the King and all his people turned to God and He blessed them the rest of their lives.

Sunday morning Biker Services 8/10/08