Read: 2 Chronicles 34:29-33; John 7:38
He read . . . all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD. (2 Chron. 34:30)
When my after-shave cologne is nearly gone, I mix the remaining contents with a little water to get a little more use out of it. But that trick doesn’t work for long. I can only live on the perfume of an empty bottle for a short time.
In the days of the Chronicler, people thought they could live off the heritage of David and Solomon. But they were ignoring their present experience, drawing from the spiritual well of the living God. Then when the temple was restored, the book of the law of God was discovered in the temple (2 Chron. 34:15). King Josiah took his people back not only to the time of David and Solomon, but to the origins and source of all Israelite faith. This was God’s covenant with Moses when Israel was in slavery and was delivered by the grace of God. Grace is the spiritual source for Israel and all humanity to have a present vital relationship with God.
The modern world is discovering today that we cannot go on indefinitely living from the spiritual capital of the past without having a spiritual source that is vital today. May we discover in the Scriptures not an empty bottle from the past, but a vital source today that constantly replenishes with the living Christ. “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’ ” (John 7:38).
As you pray, ask God to bring you into living communion with himself today through Jesus.
About the Author
Kent Fry is a retired pastor and visiting research fellow at the Van Raalte Institute in Holland Michigan.
