“What’s on Your Nightstand?
April 1, 2020
My curiosity was recently sparked when I saw an Oprah article about what spiritual leaders read before bed. As an avid reader, who reads at all different times of the day including before I fall asleep, I curiously caved and read the article. However, I was sorely disappointed that among the eight suggested books spiritual leaders read, books such as, “The Collected Poems of Maya Angelou”, the Bible was not mentioned as a book that spiritual leaders were reading before they went to bed. Maybe it was unrealistic to expect the Bible to be mentioned, but nevertheless, I was disappointed.
Earlier this year, I took an online bible study on 1 Kings and 2 Kings, to shore up my knowledge of the various kings, a weaker area of my Bible knowledge. Josiah, who became king of Judah at 8 years of age, after his father, King Amon was assassinated, has long been my favorite king, mostly because he did good things in his youth. However, before taking this online bible study, little did I know what truly good things Josiah did in his youth.
A longer version of Josiah’s thirty-one year reign can be read in 2 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 34: 1-7. In these passages we can read of the many reforms Josiah brought to the people, reforms which were good in the sight of the Lord. And these good things were not prompted by the books which are found on the nightstands of today’s spiritual leaders. These good things, to a large degree, were prompted by God’s Word.
One of Josiah’s reforms was to rebuild the temple and it was during that rebuilding that an important discovery was made by Hilkiah, the high priest (2 Kings 22: 8-12 Finding the Book of the Law). Deuteronomy 17 explains why this Book of the Law, which were the teachings given to Israel by Moses, was so important:
18 “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, 20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.”
The Book of the Law was important because the kings were to:
- Write it down
- Keep it with them
- Read it in ALL the days of his life
Why were the kings to do this? So that they may learn to fear the LORD and be obedient to the words of the LORD (vs. 19-20).
There is more to know about how Josiah responded to the God’s Word and if we completely read 2 Kings 22 we will learn about Josiah’s posture toward the Word of God. He heard the Word, he inquired of the LORD about the Word, he received the Word, and personally applied the Word to his life which was lived out both personally and publicly.
Josiah’s example is one that challenges me and makes me question, “Do I keep my Bible with me? Do I read it ALL the days of my life? How do I respond to God’s Word? Do I ask the Holy Spirit to help me understand it? Do I receive it and repent where necessary? Do I live out the Word as a LIGHT in a dark and crooked world? Is the Word even on my nightstand, and do I read it before I turn out the LIGHTS?
How about you? What’s on your nightstand?