Deut. 17:14-20, The Kings and the Word of God

(This post was intended for several days ago.  Not sure what happened.  The other "list" referred to in the first line is the one for Jan. 8 - 2 Chron. 15:1-8.)

In today's and tomorrow’s posts we want to produce lists based in 2 Chronicles.  Tomorrow’s is a listing of prophets that ministered in the Southern Kingdom of Judah (SK).  Some of the names might be unfamiliar to you.  Today’s list has to do with the relationship of the Law (i.e. the Word of God, usually referring to Deuteronomy) to various kings.  In Deut. 17:14-20 we see that God’s intention for a king in Israel was that he actually write out a copy of Deuteronomy for himself (v18-20).  He was to be a student of the Word of God!  Did that happen?  Not always.

·       12:1: Rehoboam forsook the law of the Lord and all the people with him.

·       13:11: Abijah knew and referred to the Law when he rebuked the NK.

·       14:4: The next king, Asa, commanded Judah to observe the law.  The nation had for some time been without the true God, a teaching priest and the law (15:3).

·       17:3,9: Jehoshaphat kept the law and sent out men to teach the Book of the Law.

·       21:6: There is no mention of the law in Jehorams 8-year reign. 

·       22:3: Again, no law in the 42-year reign of Ahaziah, who followed Ahab.

·       23:18; 24:9: After the 6-year reign of Queen Athaliah (that’s 56 years with the Law of God absent), Joash ruled for 42 years. He was given a copy of “the Testimony” (a reference to Deuteronomy) and under his mentor, the priest Jehoiada, there is evidence of following the Law. 

·       25:4: Amaziah initially obeyed the Law, but then turned away from it (v14).

·       26:5: Uzziah’s 52-year reign featured a prophet named Zechariah.  Otherwise, there is no reference to the Book of the Law.

·       27:6: For 16 years Jotham prepared his ways before the LORD his God, but there is no mention of the Law.

·       Ch. 28: The 16-year reign of Ahaz showed no interest at all in God’s Law.

·       30:16: In the 29-year reign of Hezekiah there were great reforms which were based in the knowledge of the Law of God (after 84 years without the Law).  In 31:21 he prospered because of his work in the law and in the commandment.

·       33:8: Manasseh, in his 55-year reign, reversed all that was done by his father.  The law was absent.

·       33:21-25: The same was true in Amon’s 2-year reign.

·       34:14: Under Josiah, the book of the Law given by Moses was found (after 57 years) as they were cleaning out the temple.  Josiah was immediately obedient.

·       Ch. 36: Josiah was followed by 3 sons and a grandson.  Nothing is said about the Book of the Law in their time.  We know there were prophets, most notably Jeremiah, during these days.  But the Word of God was not prominent in the story.

Now this was a rather rudimentary study.  But we have done two things.  One, we showed what we would have expected: inconsistency among God’s people in Judah in terms of faithfulness to God’s word, even though the temple was in Judah.  Second, we have seen how much the times of revival under Joash, Hezekiah and Josiah were needed.  God worked in amazing ways after lengthy periods of spiritual darkness.