About twenty years before Lehi and his family left Jerusalem, the king of Judah, Josiah, assigned his scribe, Shaphan, to oversee some repairs to the temple in Jerusalem. During these renovations, the high priest found a sacred record which he called “the book of the law.” When Shaphan read this book to King Josiah, the king’s response was heartfelt and dramatic. He “rent his clothes” as he recognized how far he and his people had strayed from God’s commandments. (See 2 Kings 22:3-13.) He called his people together and “read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord” (2 Kings 23:2). He vowed that his people would follow the instructions in this book going forward “with all their heart and all their soul,” and his people ceremonially stood to acknowledge that they accepted this covenant (2 Kings 23:3). Then, they celebrated the Passover, precisely as prescribed in the book. The author of 2 Kings describes this memorable event:
Surely there was not holden such a passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah.
2 Kings 23:22
Biblical scholars debate the exact content of the scroll which prompted this religious revival, but most agree that it was an early form of the book of Deuteronomy, and perhaps content from other parts of the Torah. Josiah’s repentance and conversion to a holier form of worship was prompted by hearing the word of God in the book of the law. The author of 2 Kings asserts that “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; neither after him arose there any like him” (2 Kings 23:25).
Lehi was likely a young man at the time of this communal spiritual awakening. If he was living in Jerusalem, he certainly would have been aware of these events and might have even been among the assembly, hearing his king read the words of scripture and seeing the impact of those words on his entire community. Even though Josiah isn’t mentioned in the Book of Mormon, his influence as a devout and conscientious believer is an important part of Lehi’s spiritual heritage. Lehi may have been surrounded by mockers as he shared his testimony publicly, but not many years earlier, during his lifetime, the city had experienced a miraculous spiritual rebirth because their king engaged meaningfully with scripture.
Lehi’s subsequent spiritual experiences reinforced the importance of sacred texts. For example, not long before the family left Jerusalem, he saw a vision in which a heavenly being handed him a book and commanded him to read. “As he read, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord” (1 Nephi 1:12), just as he was later when he examined the brass plates (1 Nephi 5:17). For Lehi, scripture was not only a source of spiritual truth but a tool to lead him and his family closer to God.
Today I will follow the examples of Josiah and Lehi, engaging intentionally and conscientiously with sacred texts and believing in the power of God’s word to transform me and the people I love.
Thank you for sharing this. I will strive to acknowledge sacred texts more than before, going forward.
Thank you! l like your goal for this year’s study and I appreciate the integration of the Book of Mormon with getting ready to study the Old testament as well. I never put it together that it was during lehi’s lifetime that the righteous king Josiah had a revival. That was cool.