“Then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant” (2 Kings 23:3 NKJV).

During times of distress, God has a way of pulling people out of the shadows and into the light onto center stage. We have seen this happen from time to time. People will pop up from seemingly out of nowhere to lead a movement or forge new ideas that change society. The world we live in presents many opportunities for change and transformation. 

This was also the case during biblical times. Remember Amos, the sheepherder, and cultivator of sycamore trees, was a little disgruntled when God upset his plans and called him to prophesy to disobedient Israel. God thrust him into the prophetic office even though he wasn’t known among the prophets. God needed a person to shake the nation with words of impending doom and a promise of restoration (Amos 7).

God also put an obscure woman in the spotlight to warn His people of imminent judgment because of their continuous disobedience. During king Josiah’s reign in Judah, the book of the Law was discovered while repairs were being made on the house of the Lord (2 Kings 22). Some scholars believe that Josiah’s evil predecessors hide the book on purpose so that they wouldn’t have to obey what was written therein.

When Shaphan, the scribe, read the book to Josiah, he was dismayed and wanted to hear a word from God concerning their lack of reverence toward Him. Instead of seeking Jeremiah or Zephaniah, two known prophets of the day, he sought the prophetess, Huldah, whose name is only mentioned 4 times in Scripture. Little is known of Huldah other than being the wife of Shallum, the keeper of the wardrobe, who lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.

Why did Josiah seek Huldah for a ‘now’ word from God? Even though Huldah’s name is sparsely mentioned in the Bible, it’s obvious she was a highly respected woman of God among Judah’s leaders. Apparently, she had a sharp spirit of discernment and a keen understanding of God’s Law. When asked what God was saying concerning the nation, Huldah didn’t hesitate to speak a hard-to-swallow word of prophecy to the king. She was fearless and unwavering in her stance. Huldah also spoke words of comfort from the Lord to Josiah. He was a tendered hearted king who reverenced the Lord. God rewarded him for His faithfulness by withholding the calamity that he was bringing on Judah until after his death.

As a result of finding the book of the Law and receiving the word of doom from the prophetess Huldah, Josiah gathered the people and shared the word of the Lord with them and presented them with a Covenant, which declared that they would follow the Lord wholeheartedly. Josiah commenced to tear down the high places and rid Judah of all evidence of idol worship. He also commanded the people to keep the Passover, an act of worship that had not been observed since the days of the Judges. 

2 Kings 23 ends with God’s testimony of Josiah. “Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him” v. 25 NKJV).

Notice, Huldah never left her home, but God used her to spark a revival in the land. We don’t have to be famous or promote ourselves. If we prepare ourselves by studying God’s Word, seeking Him in prayer, and living a life of integrity, we position ourselves to be used of God, when He opens the
door of opportunity.

Sisters and brothers, we are living in distressing times, can God thrust you on center stage to send a word to the king that will ignite a fire in this land—a fire of righteousness, a fire of holiness, a fire of love, a fire of moral purity, a fire of obedience, and steadfastness? You too, like, Huldah, though unknown to many, can bring about transformation in the hearts of people and, thus, the world.

Can revival begin with you?

Pray…

Lord, I am unknown by many, but I desire to be used of You. Will You purify my heart and give me a mind that is devoted to You and Your ways? Let revival begin with me! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Posted by on Wednesday, August 26th, 2020 @ 10:00AM
Categories: Empowering, Encouragement, Inspirational
Tags: inspirationalblog, Revival, transformation, womeninleadership