Cherishes God’s Word

Cherishes God’s Word

A HERO’S TALE

Imagine, for a moment, what would happen if the president of the United States took the stage outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, and read aloud from the book of Deuteronomy to a crowd that included the nation’s senators, representatives, Supreme Court justices, every DC resident, and many other Americans from around the country —and called everyone to obey God’s laws. What a historic event that would be!

Well, that’s basically what King Josiah did in 622 BC.

After his servants discovered the Book of the Law (probably a scroll of Deuteronomy) while repairing the temple, Josiah publicly read it at the temple, the most important building in Jerusalem, Judah’s capital. In his audience were Judah’s government officials, priests, prophets, all of Jerusalem’s residents, and others from around the nation.

According to 2 Kings 23:3, Josiah “renewed the covenant in the LORD’s presence. He pledged to obey the LORD by keeping all his commands, laws, and decrees with all his heart and soul,” just like Deuteronomy 31:11 commands. After seeing Josiah’s example, all the people did the same.

DECODING THE MESSAGE

Josiah cherished God’s Word. To cherish something means to hold it dear or show affection for it. As soon as the forgotten parts of Scripture were found, Josiah cherished and obeyed them with all his heart.

What do you cherish most? A certain toy? Your PlayStation, Xbox, or Wii? Clothes? Money? Friends? It’s fine to enjoy all those things, but you should cherish God’s Word the most.

To do this, you’ve got to obey what it says. And to obey what it says, you’ve got to know what it says. And to know what it says, you’ve got to read it often. See the progression?

If you’re wondering why we should cherish God’s Word, the answer is simple: because it’s exactly what it claims to be —the very words of the Lord God Almighty (see 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21). The Bible ——all66 books, from Genesis to Revelation —is our guidebook for life. The Creator and Ruler of the universe has graciously provided us with an instruction manual on how to live, so we should follow it wholeheartedly.

The Bible also wonderfully details God’s salvation plan for sinful humanity. It’s a 100 percent–true story of how he saw our need for a Savior and answered with his Son, Jesus.

The reasons go on and on. But here’s the point: cherish God’s Word. You’ll be glad you did.

BATTLE PLAN

Commit to reading the Bible every day. Those who cherish God’s Word read it often.