How We Worship Part 5 The Reading of The Law

Second Kings 22–23 recounts the rediscovery of the book of the law, the king’s contrite response, and a sweeping reform that rooted itself in public hearing and covenant renewal. Finding the law exposed a generation’s spiritual neglect: Israel’s worship tolerated idols, child sacrifice, and priestly corruption because God’s revealed will lay unread. Reading the law reopened the people’s identity before God, produced genuine mourning over sin, and prompted a covenantal vow to walk “with all his heart and all his soul.” That public reading functioned not as mere tradition but as the catalyst for cleansing the temple, destroying idols, deposing illegitimate priests, and restoring Passover worship.

The law appears as a multifaceted blessing. It confronts and convicts, showing the need for mercy and pointing to the Mediator. It restrains social evil by naming right and wrong; removing it invites moral chaos and makes societies susceptible to deeper corruption. It also instructs the redeemed in holiness, serving the Spirit’s ongoing work of sanctification by directing grateful obedience. The narrative emphasizes patience and persistence: reform began with the law’s recovery, grew over years, and required continual hearing rather than a single dramatic act.

This recovery model places the law at the heart of corporate worship. The text underscores that the law was read “in their hearing”—to all, small and great—so that reform starts in the house of God before it extends outward. Regular, visible engagement with Scripture cultivates covenant memory, keeps God’s character central, and prevents a truncated gospel that makes Christ into merely a moral teacher or a cosmic benefactor. The apostolic witness in Romans clarifies the balance: justification comes by faith apart from works of the law, yet faith does not nullify the law; it upholds it. Thus, the law’s public reading both humbles sinners and sustains grateful obedience, enabling the church to restrain evil, declare God’s character, and live faithfully under covenant promises.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Recover public reading of the law Regular, audible reading of God’s law reorients a people to covenant identity and prompts corporate repentance. When the law lives in worship, the community remembers who God is and what he calls his people to be, producing steady reform rather than fleeting moralism. [12:38]
• 2. Law exposes need for Christ The law shows sin’s depth and the impossibility of self-justification, driving hearts to the Mediator. By revealing both God’s standards and human failure, the law magnifies mercy and makes the gospel intelligible and necessary. [15:25]
• 3. Law restrains and guides society As public moral truth, the law limits social chaos and protects the weak by fixing objective standards. Removing that restraint blurs right and wrong and opens a culture to deeper evils that policy alone cannot check. [30:56]
• 4. Reform begins in God’s house Authentic reformation starts with the church’s recovery of Scripture in corporate worship before it reshapes public life. When the faithful hear and heed God’s word together, they gain the inward change required to pursue outward renewal. [38:09]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:24] - Reading the Law in Worship
• [00:48] - Context: Josiah’s Early Reign
• [01:10] - Discovery of the Book of the Law
• [01:38] - Josiah’s Mourning and Repentance
• [02:33] - Public Covenant Renewal
• [03:03] - Cleansing the Temple
• [03:44] - Destroying Idols and High Places
• [05:03] - Judgment and Prophetic Fulfillment
• [07:00] - Restoring the Passover
• [12:38] - Why Read the Law Regularly
• [15:25] - The Law and the Gospel
• [22:11] - Visible Reverence for Scripture
• [30:56] - The Law’s Civil Restraint
• [38:09] - Reform Begins at God’s House

Bible Reading
*2 Kings 22:8–11, 23:1–3 (ESV)*
*And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.”... Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king. When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes... Then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him. And the king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord. And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant.*

*Romans 3:27–31 (ESV)*
*Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.*

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Observation questions

1. What specific actions did Josiah take after hearing the Book of the Law read aloud (2 Kings 23:4–25)?
2. According to the sermon, how does neglecting the law lead to spiritual chaos in a community? [13:32]
3. What two purposes of the law are highlighted in Romans 3:27–31?
4. How did Josiah ensure the law was heard by everyone, and why was this important (2 Kings 23:2)?

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Interpretation questions

1. Why might public reading of the law have been a catalyst for repentance and reform in Josiah’s time, and how does this compare to modern attitudes toward Scripture?
2. The sermon argues that the law “restrains evil” in society. How does this function practically, and what happens when this restraint is removed? [30:56]
3. Romans 3:31 says faith “upholds the law.” How does this reconcile with the idea that salvation is by faith alone, not works?
4. Why does the sermon emphasize that reform must start “in the house of God” before impacting broader culture? [38:09]

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Application questions

1. When was the last time hearing or reading Scripture led to a specific change in your priorities or actions? What made that moment impactful?
2. The law exposes our need for Christ by revealing sin. What habit or attitude in your life have you been tempted to minimize, and how might the law’s clarity confront it? [15:25]
3. How can you personally contribute to making Scripture central in your community—whether through public reading, discussion, or visible reverence for God’s Word? [22:11]
4. In what areas of society do you see a lack of moral restraint? How can the church address this without compromising the gospel’s priority? [30:56]
5. Josiah’s reforms required persistence over years. What long-term commitment could you make to help your community grow in faithfulness to Scripture?
6. The sermon warns against viewing the law as “irrelevant” or “outdated.” What practical step could you take this week to engage more deeply with the Old Testament? [28:40]