For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist," Says the Lord. "But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word. - Isaiah 66:2
In Isaiah 66:1, the Lord speaks about His majesty and greatness, revealing how glorious He is. Then, in verse 2, we see something very very important: in all His greatness, He looks with favor upon a person who possesses certain important characteristics. One of those characteristics is a heart that trembles at His word.
Today, the Lord
places a question before each of us: When was the last time your heart
trembled at His word? Do you have a heart that is sensitive
to the word of the Lord?
The Bible speaks
about one such man in II Chronicles 34:31 and II Kings 23:25. His name was
Josiah. He was a king, a man with authority over an entire nation. He was
clothed in royal garments and surrounded by worldly splendor. Yet, the Bible
records in II Kings 22:11 that when Josiah heard the words of the Book of the
Law, he tore his clothes because his heart was shaken by God’s word.
Not only that, when
the Lord spoke through a prophetess, He described how Josiah responded to His
word. This is beautifully recorded in II Kings 22:19 and II Chronicles 34:27.
19 because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” says the Lord.
27 because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” says the Lord.
What was it about Josiah that caused the Lord to look upon him?
a) His heart was
tender
b) He humbled
himself before God
c) He tore his
clothes
d) He wept before
the Lord
What a heart that
was truly sensitive to the word of the Lord!
The Lord looked upon
Josiah because his heart trembled at God’s word. Because of this, the Lord
promised him that his eyes would not see all the calamity that was going to
come upon that place and its inhabitants.
Even today, the Lord
looks for a heart that trembles at His word. Is your heart
like that?
