If I had a biblical hero, someone I want to be like, it would be Huldah. 2 Chronicles 34 tells the story of The Book of the Law being found, during Josiah's reign. The king, his court, and the religious leaders were appalled to learn that they had not been following God's commands. When Josiah wanted to inquire of the Lord, to find out if this book was the real thing, he sent the priest and his men to "the prophet Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe" (v.22).
I picture Huldah spooning baby food to the littlest, sitting in the high chair, while two other children are playing. The tv is on some PBS channel, and the doorbell rings. "Huldah?" asks an official looking group of men on her doorstep. "Can we ask you a question?"
In the next three verses, she tells them what prophets throughout all of Israel's history have been saying: if you don't follow the Law, you will face God's wrath. Then she has a word for the king himself: because you were humble before the Lord, you won't see this happen in your lifetime. Verse 28 ends, "So they took her answer back to the king," and he begins a revival in Judah.
Huldah's husband was the keeper of the wardrobe. He was just a worker in the temple, serving the priests as they changed clothes for their holy duties. He punched a clock and provided for their household. Huldah didn't lead a bible study or a temple ministry. And yet when she was bumped, look what she knew. She knew truth when The Book of the Law had been lost; she knew Truth enough to hear His voice when the king came to inquire of her. And the leaders knew to find her, when the king wanted some godly insight.
I want to live like her, with a private depth in my ordinary life. I want to know the True King, in the midst of my humble, quiet life married to an ordinary (but wonderful) man. When I am bumped, I want Truth to spill out of me. If the Lord writes a few verses about me, I want them to reveal Him.
2 comments:
Dear Kitchen Window:By coincidence--or Providence--I saw your September blog on Huldah. Instead of living a quiet life (it turns out) she was was one of history's greatest women. A few months ago Wipf and Stock published my book about her. Here are some of the back cover's comments about her: "This book reveals—for the first time ever—the extraordinary impact of Huldah the prophetess on our Bible. She was both a leader of exilic Jews and a principal author of Hebrew Scripture. She penned the Shema, the ardent, prayerful praise that millions of worshippers repeat twice daily. Moreover, Jesus quoted as his own last words the ones that Huldah had written centuries before—'Into your hand I commit my spirit.' Huldah was an extraordinary writer—arguably she ranks among the best in Hebrew Scripture. As such, she added to God’s Word a feminine aspect that has inspired numberless believers—men and women alike. This book’s new techniques reveal that, though subjected to extreme verbal abuse, Huldah surmounted her era’s high barriers to women. As elder, queen mother, and war leader during the sixth-century BCE, she helped to shape Israel’s history. .... In years ahead, experts might well place Huldah alongside the very greatest women of antiquity; indeed, they may even conclude that she is among the most influential people in human history." The book is modestly priced and is available from Wipf and Stock. Preston Kavanagh
Thanks to your comment, Preston, I googled Huldah, and sure enough, she's listed as one of the Seven Prophetesses of Jewish history. She was related to the prophet Jeremiah. Cool stuff.
Even leaders have an "ordinary person" aspect. And I still hope, should the Lord write about me, I get verses like Huldah's. Thanks for leaving a comment!
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