My husband and I met in Jackson, Mississippi at Jackson College of Ministry, a Bible college, also known as a Seminary by some. I studied music courses for my first year, followed by Missions for two years, while his major was in Theology for his entire college career. No matter the chosen major, there were bible courses that were mandatory for everyone to take, because they believed you needed a solid doctrinal foundation for whatever ministry you would embark on in the future following your graduation. A couple of these courses were, Old Testament Seminar, taught by Sister Ruby Martin, and Bible Survey, taught by Brother David Bernard. These courses are where we learned about the struggle the Israelites had following the One true God, and how they desired a king that they could see like other nations had.
Though it was not God’s will for them to have a king like other nations, because he longed to be their only king, he allowed it because of their insistence. 1 Samuel 8:7 says, “And the Lord said unto Samuel, hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.” However, God told the people through Samuel, who was their judge and priest at the time, all the negative aspects and consequences that would happen to them individually and as a nation if they did appoint a king, yet they still wanted to go through with it. Let us not be too harsh on them though, because this struggle continues still today. In John 20:29 we see the discussion between Jesus and Thomas, “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
These studies proceeded to teach us about the United Kingdom of Isreal, which spanned the reign of Saul the first king who reigned for forty-two years, then Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, who was snuck in for two years by Saul’s captain Abner, and then killed by two of his own army captains, to David who reigned for forty years, to his son Solomon who also reigned for forty years. This is a span of one hundred and twenty-four years, as a United Nation, yet they vacillated between doing good and evil almost daily, so much so, it is hard to keep up with it. The kingdom had been taken from Saul’s family due to his disobedience to God, and David was chosen and anointed several times before he was eventually appointed as king, fifteen years later. Though he committed sin and was not perfect, his repentance before the Lord is recorded repeatedly.
His son Solomon who was given great favor by God, and though he was also flawed, as we all are, he refused to repent before God. The command was given in Exodus 20:3 and Deuteronomy 5:7, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.,” yet he could not or would not comply to this directive. He had so many wives and concubines from all around the then known world, and he allowed them to not only bring their gods with them, and serve them, but he build temples for them as well. He was not subtle about his rebellious behavior. To this God proclaimed the punishment that ten of the twelve tribes of Isreal would be taken from his kingdom.
Thus, the divided Kingdom followed. The northern kingdom continued to be known as Isreal, consisting of ten tribes and the southern kingdom became known as Judah, which consisted of two tribes, Judah, and Benjamin. Remember in our quick Old Testament history lesson, the twelve tribes came from twelve brothers, whose father was Jacob, which means ‘deceiver’ who was later named Israel by God, in Genesis 32:28, “And he said, “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” Both kingdoms had around nineteen kings each over the years, however, the northern kingdom of Israel did not have one king who did right in the sight of God. In the southern kingdom of Judah there were eight kings who tried to live righteously before God.
The seventeenth king of Judah, Josiah was one of the eight good kings, yet he stands out as going beyond all others, in trying to follow the Lord. His father Amon and grandfather Manasseh who preceded him on the throne did evil in the sight of the Lord; however, his great-grandfather Hezekiah did what was right in the sight of the Lord. His great grandfather Hezekiah was 25 years old, his grandfather Manasseh was twelve years old, his father Amon was twenty-two years old, and Josiah himself was eight years old, when they became king. We see a couple of these were barely out of their teen years, and one had possibly just graduated from his Bar Mitzvah ceremony, and the other had not even hit puberty yet. How could they rule a nation, run a country, or a kingdom? We can note in scripture how it was done. We see when these kings were named, their mothers were named also. Hezekiah’s mom was Abi, Manasseh’s was Hephzibah, Amon’s was Meshullemeth, and Josiah’s was Jedidah. The mothers were in essence ruling, while they were still raising them and giving them parental directives.
A mother should never underestimate the impact that she has on the upbringing of her children. It is in fact the most important job she will ever have, even if she does other remarkable things with her life and career. These mothers played a huge role in the lives of these young men as to whether they served the true God of Israel or not. Just to clarify, this of course does not excuse anyone from personal responsibility as they grow up into maturity and adulthood. When I think of Huldah and the girls, I think of a quote my husband says often, when we see something that gives us pause, whether for good or bad. It comes from an outdoor show we have seen a few times in Branson, Missouri, called, ‘The Shepherd of the Hills,’ and must be done with a country accent for effect. It is, “What would Sarah and the girls say?” It is cute and I know he is just saying, “Wowzer!” Well, let me introduce you to Huldah.
In 2 Kings 22:1-13, we read how Josiah in his eighteenth year of reign, going about his royal duties, sent some of his scribes up to the priest to gather the temple offerings, to take the money to the temple workers who needed it for making repairs. During their meet and greet with the priest Hilkiah, he blurts out, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.” When they got back to Josiah, they stated that their task was completed, and that Hilkiah had given them a book, and they read it to him. Scriptures says, “And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.” He had so much honor for God, even though he had never had the opportunity to read the book of the law before. He then sends five men, including the priest and the scribe to ‘enquire of the Lord’ regarding the book, saying, “… great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.” 2 Kings 22 then continues, “So… they went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her.” What an interesting story!
Huldahthe prophetess gives a word from God, without fear. “And she said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read: Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched. But to the king of Judah which sent you to enquire of the Lord, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard; Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heard what I spoke against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.”
Huldah spoke plainly, and yet Josiah’s response was epic. He tore down every idol along with their temples, everything and anything that was not in worship to the One True God. He commanded the people to serve God, instituted the Passover once again, and had the Temple cleaned up. He reigned another thirteen years after that, before he was killed by an enemy at age thirty-nine. His reign started and ended at an early age, but he accomplished more for God than those who had gone before or after him. A wonderful lesson for us to learn is that when the Word of God is given, it demands a response. It could be of disobedience, by neglecting to take affirmative action, or it can be a Josiah response, which is to immediately eradicate all sin from your life!
Miriam in Exodus, Deborah in Judges, the wife of Isaiah in Isaiah, Anna in Luke, and the four virgin daughters of Philip in Acts, are other prophetesses who were spoken of in scripture. They all had to give hard sayings. They were not speaking for themselves, but for the Lord to the people. They were also mothers, daughters, wives, and widows, which is possibly what gave them the courage to speak the word of the Lord boldly as they did. We must not underestimate our roles in life, which can serve as preparation for other things the Lord may have in store for us. Whether you are a parent, pastor, teacher, prophet, prophetess, school principal, or manager on your job, you must be ready and willing to give the hard sayings, you cannot pick and choose what you want to say or not say. This comes with the position of authority that has been entrusted to you. When working for the Lord, you will soon find out that it is not for wimps, because God is not about candy coating things, but he speaks direct and to the point. He says what he means and means what he says, as the saying goes.
People who have been placed in positions of authority have not been put there to be a friend or best buddy to their workers, children, or colleagues, but to lead and guide them in the direction of God, the family, or the company you are employed with. Discipline is often associated with the job description, which is derived from the root word to disciple or to teach. For parents to bring up viable citizens in our nation, they themselves must teach by word and by example. For pastors, teachers, prophets, and prophetesses to bring up mature saints of God who will be fruitful in the Kingdom, they must disciple and teach in word and in deed as well. Likewise, for managers to create a cohesive team for a company, they must be willing to lead by example and offer every opportunity of collaboration and advancement. Sometimes employees who are not complying with the policies that have been laid out need to be called on the carpet or ‘into the principal’s office,’ so to speak, and hard sayings may need to be conveyed, but it is for their betterment and the good of the whole.
We are all born with the nature of Adam, which is inclined toward self-service, this is why children need to be taught, hear the hard saying of their parents, and be directed to the right path. The Scripture tells us in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” However, Jesus did a hard thing for us. He died on calvary, not for anything that he had done, but in order that we could be set free from that nature and become new creatures. He taught in word and in deed during his earthly ministry. He did not cower down to the religious of the day who were trying to trick him. He had a place of authority, given to him by God and he navigated his position with strength and confidence. The scriptures tell us that he showed love and compassion wherever he saw a need, but he did not back down from the hard sayings. He was so direct that he often surprised his closest followers. Mark 6:60 tells us, “Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, this is a hard saying; who can hear it?” Sometimes a hug, a pat on the back, and a ‘at a boy’ is needed, but there will be many occasions for direct, strong words to get the job that we have be entrusted with, done.
Problems cannot be solved by ignoring them. Josiah being king had all authority over his men where he could have said, “We will not speak of this again.” Yet he had wisdom beyond his years and knew that they were guilty of breaking this law, and that now that it had become known, restitution and restoration was needed for them to go forward in peace. Jesus said in Luke 7:35, “But wisdom is justified of all her children.” If you have wisdom, it will be known by what comes forth from your words, actions, and the example you set. Truth and wisdom will exonerate and vindicate itself. If you choose to sweep the dust under the rug, and not take care of the problem, when the rug is lifted, the truth, aka the dust and dirt will be seen, and in the interim, your house will still feel and smell dusty and musty. There is no way to hide or ignore problems. No amount of odor eradicating sprays can keep the smell of those filthy athletic shoes and socks in your son or daughter’s room down forever.
Though we may be going through the motions as the people in Josiah’s day were, having a form of religion, they had to repent when they heard the hard sayings that Huldah brought to them from God. We cannot sweep our sin under the proverbial rug. Church must become more than just a social club for us. It needs to be a place where we really seek the face of God for forgiveness as well as direction going forward. We all need a Huldah in our lives. A prophet, a prophetess, a pastor, a leader, a teacher, a friend, a mentor, or a parent both physically and spiritually, to give us guidance and not be afraid to speak the ‘hard sayings’ of the Lord to us. We are living in the last days, where people want everything, sugar coated, cotton candy sermons and strawberry fields forever, but that is not what will save our souls. 2 Timothy 4:2-4 admonishes, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”
We must have a combination of hearing and doing, faith and action, to be pleasing to God and to be used in His kingdom. You might say you are going to bake a cake or a loaf of bread, but without the active ingredient of yeast or baking powder, it will not rise, and you will end up with a flat, hard, undesirable product. Your family may come home after school excited, in great expectation of the brownies you promised you were going to make while they were gone, but if you did not put cocoa in the batter, you will not have brownies. There may be something baked, but it will not have the chocolate goodness for which they are hoping. A person going into the beauty salon to get a perm, may come out with curly hair after hours of sitting in curlers, but if the active chemical, Ammonium thioglycolate was not added to the hair at some point of the curling process, those curls will fall out in a day or two. Hearing the hard sayings, aka instructions of the word of God, and acting on them as Josiah demonstrated, is what makes our faith work. And Hebrews 11:6 tells us, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
God does not always use a Huldah, because we are living in the New Testament era, and if we have His Spirit, he can speak to us directly; however, no matter how we hear, or who gets the word to us, we need to have a Josiah response. We must tear down the idols and walls we have built up around ourselves and when we hear Him speak to us, even if the truth is often hard to hear. The truth does hurt sometimes, but we should not be like the man that James wrote about who looked at himself in the mirror and thought he saw that his face was dirty, but went away without washing it, as if it were clean. What a shameful way to live before the Almighty God, who is not pleased with such behavior. James 1:25 describes God’s response to Josiah in New Testament words, “But whoso looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”
We need to hear the word of the Lord and lay aside everything that is a hinderance to our relationship with him. Romans12:1-2 tells us, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus demonstrated genuine faith to us, by his actions. I am thankful for all the ‘Huldah’s’ in my life who have shown me the way. Who is your Huldah right now? Who is trying to help you and give you direction in your life right now, but you are resisting because the sayings are hard? Look to Jesus the author and finisher of your faith and act upon His word. You will never regret it.