King Josiah Found the Lost Book of the Law. Here's What Happened Next

Maybe your Bible is on a shelf right now. Maybe it is in the car, or on the nightstand under a stack of other things. You know it is there. You just have not opened it in a while.

You are not the first person in Scripture in that place. In 2 Kings 22, God's own people had lost track of God's Word inside God's own house. And when a young king named Josiah finally heard it read, everything changed.

The story of King Josiah and the book of the law is one of the most hopeful stories in the Old Testament. It shows what happens when a heart hears God's Word again, and it reminds us that it is never too late to pick it back up.

Ready to open God's Word again with a simple plan? The 365-Day Bible Study Journal gives you a full year of guided Scripture study. See the journal here.

Who Was King Josiah?

Josiah became king of Judah when he was 8 years old, and he reigned for 31 years in Jerusalem (2 Kings 22:1). He came to the throne after generations of kings who had led the people away from God. His own grandfather, Manasseh, had filled the land with idol worship.

Yet Scripture says this about young Josiah:

"And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left." (2 Kings 22:2, KJV)

In plain words: even before the book was found, Josiah wanted to follow God. He just did not yet have the full picture of what God had said.

How the Book of the Law Was Found

In the 18th year of his reign, Josiah sent men to repair the temple. During that work, the high priest made a discovery.

"And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it." (2 Kings 22:8, KJV)

In plain words: the written Word of God had been sitting unread inside the temple, and it was only found while they were cleaning.

Let that sink in. God's people still had the temple. They still had priests. But the Word itself had been set aside for so long that finding it was news.

That can happen to any of us. We can keep going to church, keep our Christian habits, and still let the Book itself gather dust. Josiah's story is not written to shame us. It is written to show us what happens next.

What Happened When Josiah Heard God's Word

Shaphan brought the book to the king and read it aloud. Josiah's response was immediate.

"And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes." (2 Kings 22:11, KJV)

In plain words: when Josiah heard what God had actually said, he was so moved that he tore his clothes in grief.

He did not argue with it or file it away for later. He let the Word reach his heart. Then he sent men to ask the LORD what to do, and they went to a prophetess named Huldah (2 Kings 22:14).

God's answer through Huldah included this tender line for the king:

"Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake... I also have heard thee, saith the LORD." (2 Kings 22:19, KJV)

In plain words: God saw Josiah's tender response to His Word, and God heard him.

A Tender Heart Toward Scripture

That phrase, "thine heart was tender," is worth sitting with. Josiah did not have to know everything. He did not have to be the most educated king. He simply let God's Word move him.

This is what God is looking for when you open your Bible. Not a perfect streak. Not the right highlighters. A tender heart that is willing to hear.

What Josiah Did Next

Josiah did not keep the book to himself. He gathered all the people, from the least to the greatest, and "read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant" (2 Kings 23:2). Then he made a covenant before the LORD to follow God with all his heart and soul.

After that, he cleared the land of the idols his grandfathers had set up. The Word he heard became the Word he lived.

Scripture gives him this remarkable summary:

"And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses." (2 Kings 23:25, KJV)

It all started the day someone found the book and read it.

How to Pick Your Bible Back Up

If your Bible has been on the shelf, here is some good news from Josiah's story: the Word was still there, and it was still powerful. Nothing about the time away had weakened it.

You can start again today. The 365-Day Bible Study Journal uses the P.R.R.P. Method: Pray, Read, Reflect, Pray. Try it with this story.

Pray. Ask God to give you a tender heart as you read.

Read. Read 2 Kings 22:8-20 slowly.

Reflect. Write down what Josiah did after hearing the Word. Then write 1 thing God is saying to you through this passage.

Pray. Thank God that His Word is still waiting for you, and ask Him to help you keep it open.

It Is Not Too Late to Open the Book

Josiah's story began with a young king who wanted God, and it turned into a whole nation returning to Him. The turning point was simple. Someone opened the book and read it.

Your turning point can be that simple too. Take the Bible off the shelf. Open it to 1 chapter. Let your heart be tender to what God says.

If you are ready to open God's Word again, the 365-Day Bible Study Journal gives you a steady place to start. A full year of guided Scripture study, walked through with the P.R.R.P. Method, so the Book never goes back on the shelf. Start your year in the Word here.

FAQ

How old was King Josiah when he became king? Josiah was 8 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 31 years in Jerusalem (2 Kings 22:1).

Where was the book of the law found? Hilkiah the high priest found it in the house of the LORD while the temple was being repaired in the 18th year of Josiah's reign (2 Kings 22:3-8).

Why did Josiah tear his clothes? When Josiah heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes as a sign of grief and humility (2 Kings 22:11). God said his heart was tender and that He had heard him (2 Kings 22:19).