I've been spending a lot of time going through the Old Testament this summer. When going through the two books of Kings and the two books of Chronicles, all the mess-ups in Israel's history are a little overwhelming sometimes. The people seemed like they went out of their way to find ways to anger God. But perhaps one of the causes of those centuries of disobedience is rooted in their neglect of the Old Testament, or, the Book of the Law as it was called at that point. Finally, after a string of failed leaders and horrible kings, a young king by the name of Josiah shows up. He was just eight years old when we took the throne, but his child-like innocence and the humility that comes with youth may have been just the thing Israel needed. He spent his early years devoting himself to God and getting reacquainted with the Lord that his nation had been neglecting for so long. When Josiah reached the age of 28 he decided to do some repairs on the temple, which also had been neglected and was starting to look shabby over the years. During the renovations, the priests uncovered a dusty old book—the Book of the Law. They took the book to King Josiah and read it to him, and his heart shattered.
