“HATH GIVEN ME A BOOK”

—II Chronicles 34:18

by Joseph Tirrito

“Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.” II Chronicles 34:18.

The occasion is that the Book of the Law had been found in the temple, and it was presented to King Josiah of Judah, who read it and came under conviction before God. A nationwide revival followed.
          As I read this a couple nights ago, I thought to myself about the wonder of this. The Word was hidden to the multitudes for so long, and then God providentially allowed it to be discovered again, and there was a national revival in which idolatry was destroyed.
          There are two points here which struck me. The first is the power of the Word of God when He blesses it. He brought His Word once again into the full view of the people, and there was a revival. Oh, lay hold of His precious promise: “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: ~ So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 58:10-11). Christian, do not underestimate for a minute the Book which you hold in your hand—the Book whose “antiquated language” and “ridiculous message” the world mocks at and makes a hundred thousand other mockeries at, but which God has blessed unto the saving of your soul and every other precious soul of His elect. “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (I Corinthians 1:18).
          This leads me to the second point which God spoke to my heart through this verse. “Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book.” Each of us may likewise say, “God hath given me a Book.” Think of the authority which the message you give to your unsaved friends and loved ones carries—the very authority of Almighty Jehovah God Himself. Why? Because God hath given you a Book! That Book called the Bible is God’s Word, down to the last jot and tittle! And His Word shall not return unto Him void. Nor shall it ever pass away.

“For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89).

“I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name” (Psalm 138:2).

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: ~ That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (II Timothy 3:16).

“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (I Peter 1:23).

Hear Jesus’ decree concerning the God-inspired Scriptures and their immutability: “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matthew 5:10). “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).
Are you a Bible-believer or a Bible-rejector? If you’re the latter, why don’t you start believing what the Bible has to say? It’s not a pick-and-choose issue. You must believe it or reject it, but the lukewarm will be spued out of God’s mouth (Revelation 3:16). Oh, believe God’s Word and believe in His Son (of whom it speaks) who died and rose again for sinners like you! Believe this Book! Believe these Scriptures! And believe on Him of whom this Bible speaks, for He shall not make you ashamed! Jesus Himself tells you today, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39). “But these things are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31).
If you’re the former, then go forth now with trust in the fact that God hath given you a Book, and give it and its message to somebody else today. God didn’t give you His inspired preserved Bible—with its truth sealed by Jesus’ precious blood and the Holy Spirit of God, and testified to by the blood of literally millions of martyrs through two thousand years—so that you could lay it down on your bookshelf to collect dust! Read it, live it, and preach it! Give it out! Hilkiah gave Shaphan a Book; Shaphan gave it to Josiah; and the Lord of the harvest brought forth fruit thirty, sixty, and an hundredfold—“God gave the increase” (I Corinthians 3:6). Think on these things, and act according to this example, asking for the Holy Spirit’s blessing. Amen.

[Edited from the original, which appeared as a post to the Evangelical/Catholics Message Board at Christianity Online (Keyword: COL) on America Online, Tuesday, August 24, 1999.]

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