Huldah: Prophet of Wisdom March 21, 2021. 2 Kings 22:14-20

Here we have Josiah as King of Judah. He began his reign at the age of eight years old. In the eighteenth year of his reign Josiah started repairs of the temple. King Josiah asked for a count of the money that was brought into the house of the Lord. It was during this time that the long forgotten ‘Book of the Law’ was discovered. The priest read the book to King Josiah.

When Josiah heard the words of the book, he tore his clothes in shame. He recognized his sins and the sins of the people. He had a great desire to hear from the Lord. He wanted to know what the future had in store for his people. The people rightly deserved punishment for their wickedness. Josiah sent his priest Hilkiah and several other royal officials to Huldah, the prophetess wife of Shallum, keeper of the wardrobe. Josiah wanted to know if the people had time to repent.

Could they do anything to avert the coming judgement of the Lord? Huldah reply, ‘tell the man that sent you to me, this is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the ‘Book’ the King of Judah has read. Josiah’s worst fears were realized. His father the king before him sin and his father the king before also sinned. Huldah went on to explain how the people forsook God and burned incense to other gods thereby provoking God to anger. They aroused him to anger by all the idols their hands had made. Huldah prophesized that God’s anger has been kindled against this place and it will not be quenched.  King Manasseh’s, Josiah’s grandfather, disregard for the Lord was so great that that he built altars to foreign god in the court of the temple and placed the image of an idol inside the temple. He also sacrificed some of his sons to pagan deity. Judah had reached a place from where they could not get forgiveness. God’s anger could not and would not be quenched.

Then Huldah addressed what would happen to Josiah. Because Josiah showed great sorrow for the sins the people committed; because you humbled yourself, tore your clothes, and wept in my presence, I will listen to your pleas. God promised Josiah that he will not see in his lifetime the disaster that God will bring upon Judah and Jerusalem. The disaster will occur after Josiah has died and gone to his ancestors decades later. Unfortunately, Josiah died in battle (2 Kings 23:28-30) but he did not see God’s judgment of Jerusalem and Judah. The coming judgment did not mean that God would not look favorably on those who turn away from idols and sought God’s forgiveness.