Daily Deliberation and Prayer - 02/07/2011 - "What Do We Do?"

What Do We Do?

3 In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, the secretary, to the house of the Lord, saying, 4 "Go up to the high priest Hilkiah, and have him count the entire sum of the money that has been brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the threshold have collected from the people;5 let it be given into the hand of the workers who have the oversight of the house of the Lord; let them give it to the workers who are at the house of the Lord, repairing the house, 6 that is, to the carpenters, to the builders, to the masons; and let them use it to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the house. 7 But no accounting shall be asked from them for the money that is delivered into their hand, for they deal honestly." 8 The high priest Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, "I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord." When Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, he read it. 9 Then Shaphan the secretary came to the king, and reported to the king, "Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workers who have oversight of the house of the Lord." 10Shaphan the secretary informed the king, "The priest Hilkiah has given me a book." Shaphan then read it aloud to the king. 11 When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes. 12 Then the king commanded the priest Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary, and the king's servant Asaiah, saying, 13 "Go, inquire of the Lord for me, for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our ancestors did not obey the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us." 14 So the priest Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to the prophetess Huldah the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; she resided in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter, where they consulted her. 15 She declared to them, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Tell the man who sent you to me,16 Thus says the Lord, I will indeed bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants—all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read.17 Because they have abandoned me and have made offerings to other gods, so that they have provoked me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched. 18 But as to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard, 19 because your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the Lord, when you heard how I spoke against this place, and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and because you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, says the Lord. 20 Therefore, I will gather you to your ancestors, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring on this place." They took the message back to the king.

2 Kings 22:3-20

This rather long lectionary passage for today is one of which I never have had to preach on during communal worship on Sunday, nor is it one which I will probably ever encounter as one of the listed Sunday lectionary readings. And for that, I am thankful. And yet, what does that say to me, and to you, on the importance which we place upon such an almost obscure biblical text?

What do we do, when the words of our sacred text come to meet us – when we hear them read, or when we take the time to read them ourselves – murky as they may be for us? And make no mistake about it, we most assuredly do something. For many the response is simply to shrug off what they have just received; as though it has no bearing whatsoever upon the lives they lead. For others, it may come as an interesting text, to maybe explore further or to discuss with another, maybe later sometime. For a few, however, to hear or read the sacred words of faith carries with it great import, not only in attempting to understand the text before them, but also in inquiry upon how these ancient truths speak to the events of their daily routines, and how they personally are moved to respond to these words which have broken into their lives. All of these responses are different reactions to be sure, but all are responses. The word of faith, in a very real regard, is not neutral, even in its great mistiness; nor is it something to be waved off as being irrelevant for life. The ancient words call for a reply of some sort, from us the readers/hearers.

In our passage above (and it is ours; our story – our faith – our struggle in the search of ultimate truth), King Josiah is faced with the same quandary which we often meet. What to do – how to respond – to the book of Hebrew law which appears to have been lost, and then found, and had now been handed to him. For King Josiah, it was most likely an encountering of these faithful texts for the first time; at least in writing. He had probably heard vague remembrances from others of the existence of this sacred book, or scroll, which had been hidden away or lost during the nation’s tumultuous political upheavals. But now here it was, the treasured laws of ancient Israel, here in his own hands; something he could read with his very own eyes (although, according to this scriptural passage, he had Shaphan, the secretary, read it to him). Either way, by his own reading or by his hearing, the laws of his faith were present before him. What will be his response?

And what would be our response; if we were in the King’s sandals? It is a crucial question, I believe, that we face often and is one that should not, cannot, be brushed aside lightly.

On Sunday mornings, as I gather to worship with fellow congregants, I take the effort to follow along in my Bible as the scriptures are read, by our pastor or layperson; and also quickly ponder all those passages and as to how they may speak my life and my connection with my God. Now, as a disclaimer, I know that my doing so does not in any way make me a better Christian than anyone else whom I have gathered with on any given Sabbath morning. However, I have noticed on countless occasions that, during the reading of our sacred texts of faith, so many worshippers are occupied with other matters, like writing checks for the upcoming offering or glancing about the sanctuary to see who actually took the time to attend church that day, and even catching up on emails on their Smartphones, just to name a few. And I confess that there have been moments in the past when I too have focused my attention on something other than the spoken word of faith. What is this saying to us, when we encounter the written words of our faith is such manner? What kind of response is that to our God, whose yearnings are to enter a deep and divine relationship with each of us?

King Josiah’s response was different, though. At least this time. He probably could have tossed the book of ancient law out, claiming that it had absolutely nothing to do with the present national circumstances at hand that were pressing upon him from all sides. He could have decided to instead stick to his own insights and wisdom, and those of his religious and military advisors. But, he did not. Instead, he told the priests to, "Go, inquire of the Lord for me, for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found.” In other words, he intently listened, and queried the importance of these words of faith for the here and now, knowing, or at least suspecting, that ancient as they may be, the written and spoken texts of our faith are just as critical to the living of our lives now, as they were for the lives of the authors and their contemporaries. It seems also to be the fact that King Josiah also clearly saw that the movement away from these ancient laws of truth were the reason for the deterioration of the national political/social fabric that held them together as inhabitants of the land God had given them.

And his response, after all his hearing and probing, was one of personal repentance; for he knew then that he, as King and leader, and the nation as well, had fallen far short of that which God required of them. And, I believe, King Josiah also knew in the depths of his heart that to fall away from these truths of God, that the book of law contained, was also to fall far short of the fullness and wholeness and happiness that our God longs for, for us, personally and as community.

The words of our faith - those ancient stories of our ancestors’ ongoing, struggling and changing relationship with God – are as critical to us today, as they were to them then. These words, spoken and read, can speak noticeably to the present chaos of the world in which we find ourselves. These ancient truths – heard, studied and taken to heart – can enlighten us now to God’s new direction for our lives, as our God still speaks to us through the Holy Spirit.

• Words: faithfully passed down to our generations.
• Stories: to be reheard and retold, again and again, among ourselves, to our children and to their children.
• Scriptures: through which our God still speaks God’s desires, in ever shifting and ever changing patterns of relationships.
• Words: which have always called forth a response; even from you and I this day.

  

As I toil through the quandaries of life, O God, may I ever approach your written word, that I may hear you speak through it in new and life-giving ways. Help me to understand and embrace your yearnings for this time and place in history, in which I live my life. May I always hear the freshness of your Spirit, in and through the sacred scriptures, as it brings, not an old, but a new light to my thinking, understanding, and response to your Kingdom, ever breaking open in inexperienced ways around me.

Amen.

Rev. Michael Kirchhoff