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Our Instruction Book
Ravi Zacharias tells the story of a friend who found a suitcase full of money on a Beirut street and contacted the owner. When the man brought his family to meet this man with a soul in the midst of a war-torn, disintegrating society, Ravi's friend gently prodded him to reconsider his own priorities. He said, "You think you have recovered your treasure. Let me tell you how passing it is. With the fragile state of our country, this could become worthless overnight. Let me give you the greatest and most enduring treasure you can ever have." With those words, he handed the man a copy of the Bible.
Ravi Zacharias gives us some powerful words to describe the importance of the Bible for every culture: The Bible is the definitive reality of life's purpose, from God's mind to ours. This Book mirrors the soul as it was intended to be. It reveals the sacredness of our words to each other, engendering trust. It holds us to the sanctity of our marriage vows, enriching the splendor of love. It preserves the essential dignity of every human being, elevating the beauty of relationships. It commands us to respect the property of others, breaking the stranglehold of fear. It guards our essential purpose, energizing us through worship. It is the mind of God. It is the law of God. It is not bondage to a set of rules, but gives us deliverance from evil.
This is the treasure that Josiah gave back to his people. It is also the greatest contribution to our North American society as well. As Ravi says, "It was not the Code of Hammurabi that touched the conscience of this nation. It was not the Koran. It was not the pantheistic framework of Eastern mysticism. The soul of our nation was built on the Word of God!"
King Josiah grew up under the evil reign of Manasseh. It is unlikely that he received any spiritual training during his youthful years. Chances are that Manasseh had outlawed the Scriptures and burned them during his campaign of terror against the prophets. Josiah knew of them by reputation, but probably had never heard or read the words themselves. The impact on him when the words of God were read in his presence was enormous: he tore his robes in grief as he fully realized the depth to which his nation had fallen.
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