2 Kings 22:14-23:3
“Then the king directed that all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem should be gathered to him. The king went up to the house of the LORD, and with him went all the people of Judah, all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the prophets, and all the people, both small and great; he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD. The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to follow the LORD, keeping his commandments, his decrees, and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. All the people joined in the covenant” (2 Kings 23:1-3)
Recognize. Reengage. Reestablish. Reform. Renew. Repeat.
The history of Israel’s relationship with YHWH is one in which draughts of faithfulness are met by renewed vigor and zeal to be faithful. Our passage today comes from the time when King Josiah, who became king of Judah at a very tender age, discovers that the Book of the Law (what we might call the Torah or Genesis through Deuteronomy) had been discovered during a construction project in the Temple. I mean, first question, how do you lose this book, right?!? But what is interesting is that when the Book is discovered, Josiah doesn’t form a committee to investigate how it went missing; there’s no “blue ribbon commission” and subsequent 438-page report 18 months later. No, he accepts where he and all of Israel are (read: in a bad way) and pledges to move forward in faithfulness. To be sure, the past has its place, but often it’s just that… in the past. Indeed, in many instances, scouring history holds us back from our future. One of the delicate balancing acts of life is discerning what role the past should play in the present and the future.
In fact, isn’t it interesting that we don’t see the word “repent” in the highlight passage above? (To be clear, penitence is part of this equation; see: 2 Kings 22:19). At this point in Israel’s history, King Josiah discerns that future promises outweigh present penance for the well-being of God’s people. And so, they come together to hear God’s story and Law read anew, and then they make a covenant (read: BIG promise) to be more faithful in the future. Significantly, even the penance in 2 Kings 22:19 pertains only to Josiah, while the covenant is for “all the people.”
This isn’t the only season in which Israel will come back to YHWH. The particulars are always different (sometimes it’s just a king, sometimes it’s out of exile, etc.), but the generalities remain the same: Recognize. Reengage. Reestablish. Reform. Renew. Repeat. Indeed, not every time this pattern plays out is it because of an accumulation of sins. For example, we don’t know what happens between the end of Genesis and the beginning of Exodus, but we do know that a couple centuries have passed, and all of the sudden Israel are all slaves. It’s time for a reform movement. And maybe this is why penance isn’t as significant as promise in today’s story too.
Whatever the case, we can see that these sorts of peaks-and-valleys seasons are common to the people of God. Indeed, we may be living in just such a season right now. COVID has surely taken us into some deep, dark valleys (and all the more so for those who have been sick and/or lost loved ones). Engagement is dwindling. It almost feels like we’ve accidentally stowed our faith away in that damp corner in the basement. And if that is what you feel like, one, that’s a bummer. But, two, look at the pattern set out before you in today’s story. For rekindling faith is always just a renewed promise away. Not just for each of us individually, but for us as a community – a family – of faith. Simply put, the way things are is not the way they have to be. All it takes is for all the people to join in the movement, in the promise. Amen.
