And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “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. 9 And Shaphan the secretary came to the king, and reported to the king, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the LORD.” 10 Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.
How many people, even those who know the Word of God well, know who Shaphan the secretary is? This man plays a bit part in God’s story of redemption, and yet he is worthy of consideration. Shaphan’s example shows us the value of reading the Word of God and sharing it with those whom God has put in our life. In Shaphan’s case, this was King Josiah.
Hilkiah, the high priest, finds the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord and gives it to Shaphan in v. 8. And then the end of v. 8 simply states… “he read it.” We don’t know what motivated him to read it. but by God’s grace to him, he read! And he doesn’t stop there. Verse 10 goes on to say that Shaphan read the Book of the Law “before the king.” When King Josiah hears the Book of the Law, he tears his clothes and begins to seek the Lord. As the story unfolds, God uses Josiah’s repentance to bring spiritual refreshing to Judah, even though eventually Judah will come under judgment, thus showing that God is just and always punishes sin.
Shaphan’s example to us is simple. He receives the Word of God and reads it, and then he shares it with those in his life… and good things happen.