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MAPS AND AMMO BOXES
ICEBREAKER
For an icebreaker I’d like to talk about maps, and just for fun I might display a few examples of some funny maps that I’ve found just as an attention getter. Here are a few that I found amusing. I am someone who has always been fascinated by maps. I love maps. There’s just something oddly satisfying and inherently interesting about a well-made map. It gives you perspective, it gives confidence in travel, it gives comfort in a way. Maps clarify the unknown and allow you to plan your pathway through any landscape. Now maps can teach you more than just how to get from point A to point B. I’ve found in my years of teaching that maps can teach principles as well. There is a map in the back of your Church produced version of the scriptures that contains a fascinating principle in it. It’s map #5. This map will be the focus of our study today. Now at first glance it doesn’t look like much. “Why should I care about the borders of the Assyrian Empire between 721 BC and 650 BC” you might ask. I think you should. The principle this map teaches may very well hold a key to your exaltation. What do you notice as you look at that map? For one, you’ll notice that the Assyrian empire greatly increases in size between those two dates. The Assyrians, during that time, are able to conquer a majority of the ancient world—everything from Mesopotamia in the east, to Turkey in the north, and all the way into Egypt in the South. But look very closely, and what else do you notice in that map? Look at this right here. Do you see this little, tiny circle or dotted borderline surrounding the city of Jerusalem? It labels it the Kingdom of Judah. Interesting huh. The Assyrians were able to conquer basically everything else in the ancient world, but not that one city. That one little area. Now why is that? That’s the money question today. And there are two men’s names that you really need to know in order to understand that border. They are Isaiah and Hezekiah. Isaiah is the prophet at this time, and Hezekiah the King of Judah. Now I’m sure you’ve all heard of Isaiah before, and we’re going to be studying his book in depth in later this year, but have you ever heard of King Hezekiah? He’s not as well-known a personality in the Old Testament, but I think he should be! He was one of the greatest kings of all time.
A LITTLE HISTORY
I want to help you to understand why Hezekiah was such a great king. We really need some context to comprehend his greatness. You may remember a few weeks ago that we discussed the splitting of the Israelite nation. No longer do we have one kingdom united under a single king, but two: the Kingdom of Israel, and the Kingdom of Judah. The split came under Solomon’s son Rehoboam. The northern tribes, ten of them, rebel against Rehoboam and choose a man named Jeroboam to be their king. Now we have two kings to keep track of at a time. I don’t want to spend too much time getting bogged down in the history, but perhaps this chart can help to give you a better overview and perspective of the Old Testament timeline. I’ll make this chart available as a handout. What it shows is a list and order of all the kings of both the Israelite and Judean kingdoms. Then you’ll see that there’s another column that shows all the different prophets that will be called during these times. You may also notice that one kingdom column is shorter than the other. That’s because the Kingdom of Israel will not last as long as the kingdom of Judah. The Kingdom of Israel is going to be conquered and scattered by the Assyrians right around this same time in 2 Kings when Hezekiah is the king of Judah. That’s how they become known as the lost ten tribes of Israel. The kingdom of Judah is going to last a little longer, but eventually it too will be conquered by the Babylonians. That takes place at the end of the book of 2 Kings. The people of Judah are also going to be scattered, but not forgotten. They eventually will return and reestablish themselves in Israel. We’ll talk about that next week in Nehemiah and Ezra. But what is the major cause of these kingdoms being destroyed? What is it that led to their demise? In a word—idolatry. You may remember at the beginning of this year another map lesson that we had where we discussed the reason for why God placed the Israelites where he did? Right in the center of the ancient world, at the convergence of three continents. It was so that they could influence and bless spread the gospel message to all that were around them. The danger of that, was that the influence could work the other way as well. And that’s what happens. That’s the Old Testament problem. They really struggled with being influenced by the nations and the pagan religions of the nations that surround them. Now there is a term that you’re going to see all throughout this portion of Israelite history, and that term is “the high places”. What were these “high places”. High places were centers of worship for false gods, for idolatrous practices. Immorality and child sacrifice were often associated with these places. We read of high places being set up in both kingdoms initially under Solomon (1 Kings 11:6-8) and later Jeroboam I (1 Kings 12:28-33). But back to our initial question: What made Hezekiah so special? Well let’s see. What was he able to do that so many others could not? Now what I’m going to do is give you the name of a King and a scripture reference. And the question is, did they remove the high places?
1 Kings 15:14 Asa—High places remain.
1 Kings 22:43 Jehoshaphat—Still there.
2 Kings 10:29 Jehu—Still there.
2 Kings 12:3 Joash—Still there. A
2 Kings 14:4 Amaziah—Still there.
2 Kings 15:4 Jeroboam II—Still there.
2 Kings 15:35 Jotham—Still there.
2 Kings 16:4 Ahaz—Still there.
2 Kings 17:11 Hoshea—Still there
2 Kings 18:4 Hezekiah?
Ah. There we go. Look at what Hezekiah does here. Let’s take a look at the first four verses of this chapter.
Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign.
2 Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.
3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did.
4 He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.
So right off the bat you can see why I admire Hezekiah so much. Now Israel really has no righteous kings, while Judah has a number of mostly wicked kings, there are few righteous ones (Hezekiah being one, and a King named Josiah that we’ll talk about later today) and a whole string of ok kings, that weren’t necessarily wicked, but they wouldn’t break down the high places. They were too intimidated by the people to do so. But Hezekiah does something that no other King before him is really able to do, including his own father. He removes the high places. He destroys the false idols and helps the people return to a true worship of Jehovah in the temple. Now that should help us set the stage for the rest of our lesson here.
THE PROBLEM
Now here in 2 Kings 18, Hezekiah and his people have a big problem on their hands. What is it? Perhaps you could just scan verses 8-17 for the answer. What’s the big problem? The Assyrians. The Assyrians are conquering everything and everybody. In fact, in verse 11, you can see that this is the point that the kingdom of Israel, the northern 10 tribes are conquered and scattered. And now the kingdom of Judah is surrounded and outnumbered. The Assyrians have virtually conquered everybody else. Now Hezekiah does hold them off for a while by paying tribute, but that only lasts for so long. Eventually, the King of Assyria sends an army to lay siege to the city of Jerusalem. Hezekiah and the people decide not to surrender, but to find refuge behind the walls of Jerusalem—their only defense. They just don’t have the manpower or numbers to stand against the Assyrians. So that’s our setting here. Picture the city of Jerusalem surrounded by countless hosts of Assyrian soldiers. And that’s where we want to begin to liken the scriptures. And I help my students to make that transition by asking the following question: How is our situation today similar to the people of Jerusalem?
We too are surrounded by the enemy. We too seem to be outnumbered. Faithful disciples of Jesus Christ are few in comparison with the rest of the world. Our values are under siege. Our morality is under siege. Our beliefs are under siege. And who is attacking us? Who are our Assyrians? The influence of the world? Disbelief and cynicism? Temptation and sin? Perhaps those who strive to tear down our faith or lure us or our children into addictive and destructive behaviors. At first glance, our prospects as a people and Church may not look very hopeful or optimistic. What’s a believer to do?
And at this point in the story, up to the walls of Jerusalem strolls the captain of the Assyrian army, a man named Rab-shakeh. And he’s going to try to convince the people to give up, to surrender, to allow themselves to be captured and conquered.
And who would Rab-shakeh be a type of, or a symbol for? Who is it that tries to get us to surrender to give in to their influence? Satan, right? He’s the leader of our opposition.
IN YOUR OWN WORDS
Now here’s what I’d like you to do in this next section. I want you to look for parallels between the arguments Rab-shakeh uses to try and get the people of Jerusalem to surrender, and the arguments the adversary and the world use to try and get us to give up—to give up on our faith and our obedience. I’ll give you a set of verses, and you put the worldly argument you see in them in your own words.
19 And Rab-shakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?
20 Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?
21 Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.
22 But if ye say unto me, We trust in the Lord our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?
What’s the argument here? Here’s how I would put it. “Your faith in God is vain.” Rab-shakeh asks, “What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?” Another word for confidence would be faith. Satan has always been and always will be anti-faith. “You think you can stand against me?” he taunts, “You think you’re strong enough to resist. Just who do you think you are? Your faith can’t save you.” Does the world ever use this argument against us? Is faith in an unseen God mocked and scoffed at. A belief in miracles, spiritual gifts, angels, gold plates, and revelation will always seem foolish to the unbelieving. “It’s silly to have confidence, trust, or faith in these things.”
Then in verses 26-28 you have this interesting interchange between the Judean leaders and Rab-shakeh. Rab-shekeh is speaking in Hebrew to them. And so the leaders plead with him to speak in Assyrian. They’re worried that the soldiers on the wall or the people in the city might hear his words and be intimidated by them. And do you think that’s going to deter him from his tirade? No, it doesn’t. It just emboldens him, and he scoffs even more at them and says something rather vulgar to suggest that they’ll eventually starve to death and insists on speaking in Hebrew.
Now what’s his argument in your own words in verses 29-31?
29 Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand:
30 Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.
31 Hearken not to Hezekiah:
What’s his argument? Don’t listen to your leaders. They’re deceiving you. They’re wrong. Hearken not to Hezekiah. Does the world make this argument to us? You bet. Don’t listen to those old men in Salt Lake. Don’t listen to your local church leaders. They have ulterior motives. They’re just trying to control you. They don’t know what they’re talking about. They’re too old-fashioned, prudish, and behind the times. Their teachings won’t save you. Hearken not.
Then what’s the main gist of the argument in :31-32
for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern:
32 Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, The Lord will deliver us.
Oooh. This is such a good one. Give up, join us, and your life will be better. Do you hear how Rab-shakeh is trying to convince them how much better it will be for them if they just surrender? Make an agreement with me, and you’ll eat from your own vine, and your own fig tree. Yeah. If you give in, everything is going to be ok. I’ll treat you well. But in the very next verse he says, “until I come and take you away to another land. A land of oil and honey and bread and vineyards.” Of course, he’s whispering under his breath, “Yes, you’ll be our slaves, we’ll control every aspect of your life) but things will be so much better with us.” Does Satan do the same thing? He always promises freedom out of one side of his mouth, while he hides his chains of sin behind his back. As soon as we surrender and come out from behind our walls of obedience and faith, he starts to wrap us up in the chains of spiritual bondage, consequence, and addiction. The adversary does a very good job of luring and enticing people into surrendering their righteousness. He makes worldly lifestyles and attitudes, and opinions look inviting, liberating, and progressive. But spiritual slavery and captivity are what lurks behind it all.
And finally, what’s the argument you see in verses 33-35?
33 Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
34 Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand?
35 Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of mine hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand?
In my own words: Others have fallen and so will you. Satan will often try to persuade us to surrender because “everyone else is doing it”. Or he tries to point to examples of other people who have given up or given in to persuade us to do the same. So and so had faith and look what happened to them. This person fell, you think you’re better than them? I got them, and I’ll get you too. Intimidation and fear are some of the adversary’s greatest weapons.
Now has the adversary ever used any of these arguments against you? Have you ever heard the taunts of today’s Rab-shakeh’s in your own life? I’m sure you have. So what can we do about it? I’ll tell you what we can do. We can follow the example of Hezekiah and his people. Contrary to what the Rab-shakeh’s say, we do have some weapons of our own. We have protection and sources of strength that we can turn to in times of challenge.
AMMO BOXES
At this point in the story, I like to do a little object lesson. Years ago I found this item at a military surplus store, and I bought it. Do you know what it is? It’s an ammo box. Soldiers would carry ammunition or bullets in these containers. When the enemy came to attack them, they could open these boxes and replenish their ammunition. If you have a military surplus store nearby you, I can almost guarantee that they will have these available for a small price. If not, amazon has them available as well, and I’ll put a link in the video description below if you’re interested (https://amzn.to/3NFWbvy).
But then I make the point that Hezekiah and his people had some ammunition of their own. There are things that helped them to stand strong in the face of the overwhelming power of the Assyrian army. I’m going to give you a number of verses to study and I want you to look for the things Hezekiah or his people did to fight back against the Assyrians. What gave them strength? Here are the references. And then once they find things, I invite students to come forward and write those things on the board. And inside my ammo box, I have some items and pictures that I pull out as my students identify things. And if they identify something that I don’t have an item for, that’s all right, just allow them to write that thing up on the board. But what do you see?
Verses to study 18:5-6, 18:36, 19:1, 19:5, 19:6, 19:14-19
18:5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel. Faith was part of his ammo. So out of my box I’ll pull a little plant. One of my favorite symbols for faith. Faith is like a little seed that, if nourished, will grow into a beautiful and fruitful tree of testimony. Faith is a powerful weapon against evil. We don’t just rely only on what we can see with our own two eyes, but we believe in things that we can feel with our hearts and be inspired by in our minds.
18:6 He clave to the Lord, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments. What’s the weapon? Obedience. A commitment or cleaving to ovedience is a powerful weapon against evil. At this point I like to pull a CTR ring out of my ammo box. When we make covenants or promises to choose the right and observe the Lord’s commandments and counsels, we make ourselves strong in the face of the enemy.
18:36 The people held their peace and answered him not a word. Ignoring the taunts of the adversary can be a great tactic in our fight against Satan. Out of my ammo box I might pull a picture of someone with their hands over their ears. Remember that you don’t have to engage with every argument or attack you encounter. Sometimes the best tactic will be to just ignore. Hold your peace. You don’t have to engage with every doubt, temptation, or question the adversary throws at you. Stay away from those people, places, and things that seek to tear down your faith. You don’t have to listen to them or respond.
19:1 Hezekiah went into the house of the Lord. What’s one of the best places you can go for strength in challenging times? The temple. The temple is a house of refuge—of protection. Pull out a temple recommend or a picture of a temple. Frequent temple attendance and worship can really help us to stay strong in the face of opposition. Remember what Hezekiah did at the beginning of the chapter? He reestablished the temple as the center of worship for his people. He gets rid of the high places and destroys the idols. The temple becomes the focal point of the people’s faith once again.
19:5 Who was Isaiah to these people? Their prophet. They went to the prophet for counsel. I suggest we do the same. Trust in and rely on the teachings and leadership of the living prophets. At this point, I pull out a picture of the current president of the church or quorum of the twelve apostles. We can find strength in hearkening to their counsels and listening to their teachings.
19:15 Prayer can help us. Pull out a picture of someone praying or hands in the prayer pose. God can help us if we reach out to him. Prayer can give us power. Ask and ye shall receive. And Hezekiah’s prayer here is worth reviewing here.
14 And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.
15 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.
16 Lord, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, Lord, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God.
17 Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands,
18 And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.
19 Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only.
Hmmm. Beautiful prayer and plea. You really get a sense of Hezekiah’s faith in those verses don’t you.
One more set of verses that don’t come from 2 Kings that I’d like to show you here. But you’ll see in the footnotes on page 536 a cross reference to 2 Chronicles 32. Now the books of Chronicles are really a bit of a repeat of the events of 1 and 2 Kings but with some different details. And 2 Chronicles 32:6-8 offer us this fantastic description of what Hezekiah says to his people:
6 And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the street of the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, saying,
7 Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him:
8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
Now isn’t that a great description of the power of faith. I love Hezekiah as a Bible character. Such a great man.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Well let’s take a moment again and seek to liken the scriptures here. Have you ever used any of this ammo successfully in your battles with the world, temptation, and the adversary? How has one of these things helped you to stand strong and not surrender?
What other items do you have in your ammo box that have helped you? I’d probably pull out the scriptures and my patriarchal blessing as well
THE RESULTS
Well what’s the rest of the story then? It’s all fine and good to have faith and listen to the prophet, but there is still the reality of that Assyrian army out there. What’s going to happen. This is so cool.
What happened to Hezekiah and his people? Let’s take a look at these things together.
18:7 And the Lord was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.
19:20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.
So Isaiah reassures Hezekiah that God heard him.
19:25 Hast thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times that I have formed it? now have I brought it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste fenced cities into ruinous heaps.
The Lord reassures them that he has heard his servants in the past and blessed them in their battles. I helped them and they conquered. What I did for them, I can do for you too. That’s one of the reasons I think the Lord gave us the scriptures. They are there to show us what God has done for others, and to implicitly suggest that he will do the same for us.
And then this is great. The Lord makes Hezekiah a promise.
32 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.
33 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord.
34 For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
Now that’s one heck of a promise. I will defend this city. Don’t worry Hezekiah. They won’t even shoot an arrow at you. When I was growing up, prominently displayed on a bookcase in our home was this greenish looking ancient arrowhead. My dad found it at an antique shop in Jerusalem on one of his travels there. Curious about it he asked the shopkeeper about its origin. “It’s Assyrian,” he answered, “twenty-seven hundred years old, but it was not found here in Jerusalem.” Now we know why right? God promised Hezekiah that the Assyrians would not even shoot an arrow at Jerusalem. My Dad bought that arrowhead as a reminder of the promise of God’s protection over those who stand strong and refuse to surrender to the influence of the world.
Well what happened to the Assyrians then?
35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
I find it kind of funny how that’s worded there. So they woke up dead the next morning. God fought their battles for them. The Assyrians never do attack Jerusalem.
TRUTH
If I trust in the Lord’s ammunition (obedience, temples, prophets, prayer, etc.) then the Lord help me, and I will win my battles.
CONCLUSION
So let’s go back to the map. Does this mean more to you now? That little circle around Jerusalem speaks volumes, doesn’t it? Do you see why it’s such a powerful map to look at? What’s the message of the map? It doesn’t matter how powerful the enemy looks, how many others he’s conquered, how forceful his words are, if we stay true to our faith, we will stand firm and not be overcome. So I hope that name Hezekiah becomes a more household name in the Church after this Come Follow Me lesson. Let’s not forget the great lesson that his life and example hold for us.
POWER OF PERSONAL PRAYER
Now there’s another little story about Hezekiah in chapter 20 that I just want to mention really briefly here. Hezekiah gets sick, and Isaiah the prophet shows up and gives him a really encouraging message. He says, “Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.” Well that sounds pretty final there, and it is a prophet speaking. But Hezekiah doesn’t just leave it at that. So what happens:
2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying,
3 I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
4 And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
5 Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord.
6 And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
Isn’t that fascinating. Now I’m not comfortable in making any definitive doctrinal statement on the message of that story. But it could be that prayer is powerful enough to even change the Lord’s mind or plan for us? Could that be a principle here? His faith was such that God was willing to extend his life a bit. Maybe. Or, was this a trial of faith for Hezekiah, and the Lord wanted to see if he would have the faith to pray for help. I don’t know, but regardless, it is a story about the power of personal prayer. The Lord can do great things for us when we have the faith to ask for his help and intervention.
Another interesting little facet of this story is what the Lord shows Hezekiah as a sign that he will be healed. Remember the story of Gideon and the principle of fleeces? Here is another example of the Lord giving a reassurance to a person of faith. And so the Lord gives him a choice. He instructs him to go out to a sundial and observe the shadow. And God says, “Hezekiah, which would you like me to do. Move the shadow forward 10 degrees or backwards 10 degrees. You choose.” And Hezekiah says, “Hmmm, it’s kind of a bigger deal for the shadow to move backwards than forwards, I choose that.” And so he looks, and the shadow goes back 10 degrees. Now what I love about that, is that nobody but Hezekiah was probably going to notice that miracle. I mean, it is a big deal, moving the sun for him but 10 degrees really isn’t that much. This was a personal miracle and message just for Hezekiah. I believe the Lord can answers prayers like this for us too. He can answer with personal little miracles and messages that help to bolster our faith and fill us with reassurance. A discussion question you may ask your class? Has God ever given you a “sundial experience”? A personal answer or minor miracle just for you? Please share.
KING JOSIAH
ICEBREAKER
There is another great king of Judah that I hope we recognize as well after this week. And that is King Josiah. Like Hezekiah, he too grew up under the influence of a wicked father and grandfather who reverted the children of Israel back to idol worship, even after the righteous reign of Hezekiah. You can read about that in 2 Kings chapter 21. It’s really sad to see how quickly the people could fall back into their wicked ways and return like a dog to their vomit, as the Proverb goes. Bad leaders can lead to bad nations. But Josiah is different. It’s important to keep something in mind before we go too deeply into this story. The wicked kings Manasseh and Amon all but destroy the worship and memory of Jehovah among the people. The law of Moses, the scriptures, temple worship, all are basically eradicated under their reign. So when Josiah comes to power, he doesn’t even really know the right way to worship God. All that has been lost.
So for an icebreaker, I would direct you to a little seminary film that the Church produced a number of years ago. It does an excellent job of helping your students understand the major message of Josiah’s life. I’ll provide you with link to watch this video above here and in the description below. It’s called, “Josiah and the Book of the Law.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2011-03-0040-josiah-and-the-book-of-the-law?lang=eng)
SEARCH
To help your students get more out of the film, you could give them this secret phrase activity handout to fill in as they watch the film and study the scriptures. Part of the answers come from the film, and part come from the scriptures themselves. The secret phrase contains a great truth that I feel this story teaches us.
FROM THE MOVIE
Before Josiah was king, his fathers had built _______ for Baal and Molech where child sacrifices were performed. ALTARS
After Josiah was made king, he decided to repair the __________. TEMPLE
Even though Josiah sought to restore the true worship of Jehovah again, he feared he wouldn’t be able to change the _________ of the people and turn them away from their idols. HEARTS
While working on the temple, the ______ of the Law was found. BOOK
After hearing the words of the Lord that had been found, Josiah feared the ________ of the Lord would be kindled against the people for their years of disobedience. WRATH
The King decided to _________ the words of the Book of the Law in the ears of all the people. READ
After hearing Josiah, the people made a _______________ to turn to the Lord. COVENANT
During a battle with the Egyptians, King Josiah was struck by archers and later _____. DIED
Now I hate to just have my students watch a movie without engaging with the actual scriptures themselves. So after the movie, I instruct them to find a few more answers from the scriptures that will guide them to a few of the more significant verses from the story.
FROM THE SCRIPTURES
In 2 Kings 22:19-20 we hear the Lord promise Josiah great blessings because he had ___________ himself before the Lord. HUMBLED
After hearing the words of the book of the law, the people made a covenant to walk after the Lord, and keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with ____ their heart and soul. (2 Kings 23:3) ALL
2 Kings 23:4-20 describes all of King Josiah’s efforts to destroy the practice of ___________ out of the kingdom. IDOLATRY
2 Kings 23:25 gives Josiah a great tribute. Apparently, Josiah is considered to be ____________ King of all the Kings of Judah. GREATEST
TRUTH
What’s the secret phrase then? THE SCRIPTURES HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE LIVES
That’s what happens in this story, isn’t it. It was the scriptures that had the power to change the people. It wasn’t until the scriptures were read to them that they were able to leave behind their former lives and evil practices. The scriptures changed them. King Josiah also deserves part of the credit as he was the one who was willing to teach the people the scriptures and led them by example and invitation to commit themselves to make a covenant to live according to laws of God. The scriptures in the hands of great teachers and leaders can make a huge difference in people’s lives.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Have your students share what they wrote in response to the final question on the handout:
What evidence have you seen in your life that this statement is true?
Well, you don’t have to work too hard to convince me of this principle. I know that it’s true. I have seen it with my own eyes over and over again. The scriptures have power. If people will just value them, and open them, and study them, and apply them, I can promise them that they will have a profound and life changing impact on them. I know they have for me. I love the scriptures. I’ve been teaching from their pages almost daily now for the past 23 years, and you know what, I’m not tired of them yet. I’m nowhere near that point and quite honestly, don’t think I’ll ever tire of them. I know you’ve heard me share this before, but I don’t mind repeating that I believe the scriptures to be more relevant than any newspaper or magazine, more fascinating than any Harry Potter or Tom Clancy novel, more practical than any self-help book, and more instructive and educational than any textbook. And it seems that the Jewish people really learned something from their greatest king. I believe that every religion has something to teach us, and we could all afford to have a little more holy envy for the strengths demonstrated by other faiths. One of the things that I love most about the Jewish people is their incredible love and respect for scripture. If you go to a synagogue or to Israel, you may get a chance to see the way the rabbis read from the scriptures. They carefully remove the Torah scrolls from their cases, then walk slowly and solemnly with them cradling them in their arms like a small child. Then, they gently unroll and read from them with great reverence and respect on their lips. There is so much love and affection for the word of God. There is even a special ceremony and a kind of funeral, when a Torah is considered to be too old and needs to be retired. They take that Torah and bury it almost as if it were a person. Does our love of the scriptures compare with their respect and love for the Torah? And we have so much more! We have the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. I feel we would do well to learn from their example and develop and deep and abiding love for the word of God. I'd like to conclude with my favorite thing that Joseph Smith ever said about the scriptures. He said, "He who reads [them] oftenest will like [them] best." If we take the time to study and value the scriptures, we will develop a love for his word that will bless us for a lifetime. Both Joseph Smith and Josiah understood that.
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