Psalm 119:11

New International Version (NIV)

I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

For Meditation

His grandfather Manasseh was probably the worst king Judah ever had. That wicked king is reputed to have sawed the prophet Isaiah in two. Amon, his son, was no better. As a result of his wickedness, he was assassinated  two years after his enthronement and his eight-year old son, Josiah, succeeded him. However, Josiah was of a different breed from his father and grandfather and the prevailing evil of their time. He carefully followed the LORD, purged the land of idolatry, repaired the temple and restored the worship of Jehovah, observing all its festivals and sacrifices.

1. So, what set Josiah apart from his father and grandfather and the idolatrous practices of their time?
2. Can I suggest the finding of the Book of the Law by Hilkiah, the priest (2 Chron. 34:14) as the trigger of his heart after God?
3. Can you observe the reaction of the young king when Shaphan, the secretary, read the Book of the Law to him (18-21)? Can you take notice of Josiah’s receptive heart?
4. Do you see Josiah’s immediate response to the word of God (21-32) and the extent of the reformation he rolled out across the nation (35:1-19)?
5. Isn’t God’s word powerful (Heb. 4:12)? When we accept the word of God and set our heart after God, is there any limit to the transformation it would bring to our life?

I pray that Psalm 119:11 will come alive to us today: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

So: May we embrace the word of God in its entirety, meditate upon it, nurture a tender heart for it, be humbled by it, and allow the Holy Spirit to use it to guide our walk with Christ, so that we may honor God in all that we do; and may we be blessed in all that we do in Jesus’ matchless name, amen!

What sets us apart from the world is the word of God very much alive in us.

Shalom