Get the setting:
To understand how we happen into the moment of Huldah, we need some historical background:
2 Chronicles 33:10 NASB
10 So the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention.
The trouble started with Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, who is regarded to this day as the wickedest king ever to rule over the Kingdom of Judah. He plunged Judah into a cesspool of idolatry and sin unparalleled even by many of the foreign kings, whose idolatry God absolutely detested.
2 Chronicles 33:21-22 NASB
21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem. 22 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, just as his father Manasseh had done, and Amon sacrificed to all the carved images which his father Manasseh had made, and he served them.
After Manasseh, his son Amon assumed the throne of Judah. He was as bad as his father. Worse in fact. After only two months on the throne of Judah, he was assassinated by his own servants. Of note, neither Manasseh nor his son, Amon were buried in the royal sepulcher, rather they were buried in the Garden of Uzza, on the palace grounds of Manasseh.
The Child who would be King
1 Kings 22:1-2 NASB
1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem, and his mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. 2 He did what was right in the sight of the Lord and walked [a]entirely in the way of his father David, and did not turn aside to the right or to the left.
Thus, the next king to ascend to the throne was an eight-year-old child. Just a child. But, he was appointed by God. And ultimately, nurtured by God. His mother’s name was Jedidah, which means, ‘Beloved of God’, or ‘Friend of God’. The bible states that he ‘did what was right in the sight of the Lord and walked entirely in the way of his father, David’. That did not happen by accident, but rather, by Providence. (Just didn’t want to waste an opportunity to honor a godly mother)...
The Rise of The Remnant
2 Chronicles 34:3 NASB
3 For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the [a]Asherim, the carved images, and the cast metal images.
At the age of sixteen, Josiah began to assume a more complete role as king of Judah and as a man after God’s own heart, in the manner of his father, David. At the age of twenty, he began to institute strict, far-reaching religious reforms. This is had been foretold by an unnamed prophet some three hundred years earlier concerning the Idolatry of Jeroboam, the first king of the ten tribes of Israel after they rebelled against Rehoboam…
1 Kings 13:1-2 NASB
1 Now behold, a man of God came from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord, while Jeroboam was standing at the altar to burn incense. 2 And he cried out against the altar by the word of the Lord and said, “Altar, altar, this is what the Lord says: ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and human bones shall burn on you.’”
Hidden Treasure
2 Chronicles 34:8 NASB
8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, Maaseiah an official of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the secretary, to repair the house of the Lord his God.
In his twenty-sixth year, Josiah completed the purge of the false idols from Judah. He then turned his attention to the restoration of the Temple of the Lord, which had been allowed to fall into a state of grave disrepair over the previous fifty years during the reign of his grandfather, Manasseh, and his father, Amon.
2 Kings 22:11 NASB
11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.
During the restoration of the Temple, a scroll that contained some or all of the Law of Moses was found. As is the case with scrolls, they are read from the last place they were closed. One can surmise then, that this particular scroll opened in a place that, when read, brought immediate dread to the heart of the king. So much so that he tore his clothes. In the Jewish culture, this was a sign of total hopelessness. Josiah had been instituting religious reforms throughout Judah and Israel for six years and in this moment, it felt as if he had accomplished nothing. The dread of God’s judgment on Israel and Judah had fallen on the young king. Some theologians believe this may have been the passage that was revealed when the scroll was opened...
Deuteronomy 29:24-28 NASB
24 All the nations will say, ‘Why has the Lord done all this to this land? Why this great [h]outburst of anger?’ 25 Then people will say, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt. 26 And they went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods that they have not known and whom He had not [i]assigned to them. 27 Therefore, the anger of the Lord burned against that land, to bring upon it every curse which is written in this book; 28 and the Lord uprooted them from their land in anger, fury, and in great wrath, and hurled them into another land, as it is this day.’
1 Kings 22:13 NASB
13 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for the wrath of the Lord that burns against us is great, because our fathers did not listen to the words of this book, to act in accordance with everything that is written regarding us.”
Josiah sent his advisers to a local prophetess, Huldah to inquire of the Lord on behalf of the nations of Judah and of Israel. This is where this week’s lesson begins...
1 Kings 22:14 NASB
14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of [e]Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (and she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her.
Hilkiah, the High Priest, and the other advisors go to the home of Huldah. Huldah is identified as a prophetess during the reign of Josiah. Another prophet identified during this time is Jeremiah, though, at this point in time, he has only been in ministry for three years. There is also some indication that Jeremiah may have been the son of Hilkiah, the High Priest. It is probable that, so early in Jeremiah’s ministry, Huldah would have been the more authoritative voice. It is likely that she served as a mentor to Jeremiah. One thing is certain, Hilkiah and the king’s advisors went to Huldah to hear a “Word’ from the Lord.
2 Chronicles 22:15-16 NASB
15 Then she said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me, 16 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Behold, I am going to bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants, all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read.
First judgment. It is imperative that we understand and accept that our sin is clearly exposed before God. Huldah’s words cut immediately to the matter at hand: the stench of Judah’s sin before God. Through Huldah, God speaks to Josiah as a man first, not as the king. This confirms Josiah’s stature before God as just a man, required by God to humble himself before God as any other. Then, through Huldah, God confirms that the words of the scroll found in the Temple will surely come to pass.
Romans 6:23a NASB
23 For the wages of sin is death,
2 Kings 22:17 NASB
17 Since they have abandoned Me and have burned incense to other gods so that they may provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands, My wrath burns against this place, and it shall not be quenched.’”
Yes, Judah would suffer for the sin of Manasseh and Amon. The stain of their idolatry persisted, in spite of Josiah’s reforms. Thus, Huldah confirms, by the word of the Lord that the scriptures found by Hilkiah and read to Josiah are indeed Holy Scripture and are true.
Interlude
Let’s take a breath. Let’s talk about Huldah for a moment. Does she remind you of anyone in your own life? In the Black culture in America, almost everyone can identify a ‘Huldah’ who has crossed their path. I have spoken in the past of my grandmother, Allie Mae Sneed, who I consider to have been a great woman of God, but she wasn’t the only one. There are countless stories within our community of mothers and grandmothers who seemed to have a supernatural insight into the lives of the members of their community, particularly their loved ones. Denzel Washington tells a story of a woman who was a customer in his mother’s beauty shop who prophesied over him in almost a happenstance manner. It just happened. There was a time in his life when he was failing in college, unsure of which way to go, and this unnamed woman just spoke to him while he was visiting his mother’s shop and literally below spiritual breath into his body. She spoke life to him. She didn’t draw a map for him, she just pointed him in the right direction. At a time when he needed a word from the Lord, she gave voice to the heart of God, full of hope and grace, for the replenishing of a weary soul. In the black community, there are elders, both men, and women who fill this role, but today, our focus is on a woman, a prophetess, Huldah.
I have had the honor of meeting both men and women that I regard as prophets. I was telling a friend a few weeks ago of an elder, Mother Pratt, who, when she looked over her glasses at you it was as though she were looking right through you, as though nothing was hidden. I’ve met others, men and women who told me some of my innermost secrets. Yes, that can be very uncomfortable. I have had several elders over the years speak words of correction, rebuke, and encouragement that were uncannily specific to my life situation.
Epilogue
2 Kings 22:18-20 NASB
18 But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord, this is what you shall say to him: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Regarding the words which you have heard, 19 since your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become an object of horror and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have indeed heard you,’ declares the Lord.” 20 Therefore, behold, I am going to gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not look at all the devastation that I am going to bring on this place.’” So they brought back word to the king.
1 Samuel 16:7b NASB
“...God does not see as man sees, since man looks at [e]the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Song of Solomon 2:2b NASB
2b And his banner over me is love.
In much the same way as I described above, Huldah encourages Josiah with words of comfort. You see, when God enters a place of intimacy with you, it is reciprocal. He is as willing to reveal His heart to you as you have before Him. And God’s heart is full of love for those who love Him. Huldah affirms to Josiah that, though God’s judgment is certain, His grace and love toward Josiah is sure. Josiah can… rest. God will have mercy. Most assuredly. Beloved, God is Love. Don’t ever forget that He always has your best interest at heart. Huldah’s message to Josiah sparked a renewed effort in revival, not only for Josiah but all of Judah and Israel. While Judah eventually came under judgment, Josiah was spared and for a time, so was Judah. Josiah had a long reign and eventually rested with his fathers, meaning he was buried in the royal sepulcher of David, an honor reserved for only the righteous kings of Israel. God used Huldah, the prophetess to encourage a righteous king and lead a nation to repentance and to renew their covenant with God.
1 John 3:1a
1a See [a]how great a love the Father has given us, that we would be called children of God;
Selah
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