Josiah and the Book of the Law

Josiah wanted to be a righteous king (2 Kings 22:1-2; 2 Chronicles 34:1-2). Unlike his father and grandfather, who had turned away from God and suffered for it, Josiah led a campaign against idol-worship at a young age (2 Chronicles 34:3-7). He did the best he could with his limited understanding, but when he was twenty-six, his ability to follow God increased massively.

The high priest, Hilkiah, was counting temple donations when he found a book. He sent it to the king, who had his scribe read it aloud. The book contained “the law of the Lord given by Moses” (2 Chronicles 34:14), probably an early version of at least portions of the Torah. When Josiah heard the words of the book, “he rent his clothes” (2 Kings 22:11; 2 Chronicles 34:19). He declared that the Lord was angry because they had drifted from the words of the book (2 Kings 22:13; 2 Chronicles 34:21). He consulted a prophetess named Huldah, who confirmed the importance of following the words of the book (2 Kings 22:14-20; 2 Chronicles 34:22-28). And he gathered his people, “read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant,” and made a public covenant, together with his people, to follow the words in the book (2 Kings 23:1-3; 2 Chronicles 34:29-32). Then, he presided over a great passover, following the instructions in the book (2 Chronicles 35:1-19).

This event occurred approximately two decades before Lehi and his family left Jerusalem. Lehi certainly would have been aware of it, and his commitment to scripture suggests that it had an impact on his spiritual life. In particular, when he recognized that his family was leaving Jerusalem permanently, he insisted on his sons retrieving a spiritual record written on brass plates at great personal peril (1 Nephi 3:1-5).

Nearly 500 years later, a descendant of Lehi, King Benjamin, emphasized to his sons the importance of that written record for the spiritual well-being of Lehi’s descendants:

My sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God.
For it were not possible that our father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have taught them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates; … that thereby they could teach them to their children, and so fulfilling the commandments of God, even down to this present time.

Mosiah 1:3-4

Like Josiah, Benjamin gathered his people to the temple, taught them, and presided over their making a covenant with God.

Josiah recognized that his people had failed to live God’s law because they had failed to read it. Lehi prioritized the written word of God, and generations of his descendants were strengthened as a result.

Today, I will remember the importance of the written word of God. I will study it, share it, and do my best to live it.