Tender Hearted

2 Chronicles 34:22-28

“… because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the LORD.”

Yesterday we saw the first dozen years of Josiah’s reign including the discovery of the Book of the Covenant followed by Josiah’s responsiveness to this ‘new’ Truth. He not only leads the nation in repentance but also inquires more fully through God’s prophetess, Huldah. She reiterates the full consequence of the nation’s forsaking God but also gave God’s encouragement to those who were responsive.

But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lᴏʀᴅ, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard, because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lᴏʀᴅ1

Tenderhearted. How often we harden ourselves against change, against what God wants to do in our lives. Here we have the King of Judah who has done nothing willfully against God being tender of the heart, openly responding to the Lᴏʀᴅ and forthright before the nation. Tenderhearted and humbling himself, open to God, not blaming evil ancestors or not having the Torah in his youth. God sees and hears this offering, and sends His word,

Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place and its inhabitants.” 2

How shall we respond to the Lᴏʀᴅ? Is there anything for which we individually should repent? Or as we think of our family, nation and world, how tenderhearted are we or should we be? God’s listening.

FOOTNOTES:
1 2 Chronicles 34:26-27 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/2ch/34/26-27/s_401026
2 2 Chronicles 34:28 (ESV) -https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/2ch/34/28/s_401028
2 Chronicles 34:22-28 (ESV) - https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/2ch/34/22-28/s_401022

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
All Scripture references from the Blue Letter Bible, ESV
at https://www.blueletterbible.org
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016, 2025 by Crossway Books and Bibles, a Publishing Ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x