When the king heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes.
— 2 Chronicles 34:19
Here we see the power of the Word of God on full display.
King Josiah is one of the most remarkable kings in Israel’s history, and one of the things he is best remembered for is the discovery of the book of the law in the temple. By the time he came to power, the people had drifted far from God — following in the ways of Manasseh and Amon before him. The regular practices of temple worship, the reading of Scripture, and the offering of sacrifices had all been abandoned. But when Josiah came to power, restoring the things of God was among his first priorities. And when the book of the law was found and brought to him, he read it — and our text records what happened next.
The king tore his clothes.
The Word That Convicts
The immediate effect of hearing the law was a deep and cutting conviction. Josiah understood at once how far they had strayed from obeying God — and like the great king he was, he recognised the gravity of what that meant. This is the power of the Word of God. It does not merely inform — it convicts.
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
— Hebrews 4:12
The Word of God can go straight to the heart. It cuts past every facade and every mask we construct to protect our true intentions. On the surface a person may appear sincere and together — but when the Word of God is opened and read, it goes directly for what is hidden within.
The Word as Mirror
The Word of God also functions as a corrective — a perfect standard, a balancing scale, a mirror. When Josiah saw what was written in the law, he immediately saw how far they had departed from God’s perfect requirements. This is the function of God’s law. It stands perfect and declares what we ought to be — and in doing so, it forces us to reckon with how far short we have fallen.
Paul reflects on this in Romans 7:
I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.”
— Romans 7:7
And so Paul concludes that the law of God is good — not sinful — because even though it stirs up the sin within us, it brings that unrepentant sin out into the open. It exposes us to the truth that we cannot save ourselves, and that no amount of good deeds can cover what lies within. The psalmist simply confirms it:
There is no one who does good, not even one.
— Psalm 14:3
Why We Avoid the Word
The Word of God brought Josiah to a place of deep despair and utter submission. He saw plainly that the people had stopped observing the Sabbaths and the Passover, had turned to false gods, and had sunk deeply into a lifestyle of sin.
And if we are honest, this is precisely why many of us would rather not open our Bibles, attend church services, or sit with people who speak seriously about the things of God. We know, somewhere deep within us, that when the law of God is read and spoken, it will convict our hearts and expose what lies hidden within them. And so rather than face that conviction, we put it off.
We tell ourselves we are simply too busy or too tired. But the truth, if we are honest, is that we are afraid of what we might find — afraid of being brought to the place where Josiah was, where the only response is to tear our clothes in grief.
The Word That Also Heals
But this perspective misses something vital. Because while the Word of God does expose the darkness within us, it also presents us with the solution to that darkness. It is in the same Word of God that we find the comfort of a God who, seeing that we cannot save ourselves, sent forth a Saviour.
But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law.
— Galatians 4:4
God not only diagnoses the problem — the indwelling sin in our hearts and our total inability to meet His righteous requirements. He goes further, and in the same Scriptures presents us with the solution in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He made this promise through Jeremiah:
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The LORD our righteousness.’”
— Jeremiah 23:5-6
Taking Up the Word
May we not shy away from taking up the Word of God. May we as believers come face to face with it — ready to be convicted, ready to be exposed, and ready to be healed of the sin that so easily hinders us.
May we lay aside every excuse — busyness, laziness, or fear — and be like the psalmist who found full satisfaction and joy in meditating on God’s law day and night.
How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.
— Psalm 119:9Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.
— Psalm 119:11
Amen.
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