Humble Yourselves Before God

Friday, January 30, 2015
2 Chronicles 34:24-33 KJV 

24Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, [even] all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah: 25 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched. 26 And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to enquire of the LORD, so shall ye say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel [concerning] the words which thou hast heard; 27 Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard [thee] also, saith the LORD. 28 Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same. So they brought the king word again. 29 Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD. 31 And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book. 32 And he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand [to it]. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 33 And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that [pertained] to the children of Israel, and made all that were present in Israel to serve, [even] to serve the LORD their God. [And] all his days they departed not from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) During King Josiah's reign, the people began to repair the house of the Lord. At the same time, Hilkiah (the high priest) found the Book of the Law. The king was grieved and commanded Hilkiah to seek the word of the Lord through Huldah the prophetess.  What did the Lord proclaim to His people and to their king? Why? (v.24-28)
2) What did the king do? (v.29-33)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
3) Have you ever read a passage of Scripture that convicted your heart of the error of your ways? If so, please describe one such time?
4) What did you do to repent of (turn from) your sins?

LIFE LESSONS
5) Ignorance of God's word does not exempt us from the penalty for not doing what the word says.
6) God has given us His word so that we may, humble ourselves before Him, ackowledge our sins, repent of them, and be forgiven.
7) We receive the blessings of the Lord when we are obedient and humbly submit to His word (will) for our lives.