We are not sure where it was, nor what time of the day, but during one of his tedious work shifts, Hilkiah found something in his cleaning which totally revolutionized the nation. As he was removing some of the centuries-old debris and many of the old temple implements, which had fallen into disuse, he came across an old scroll. Blowing off the dust, he could see that this was a rather important law scroll. But he needed the assistance of the scribe Shaphan in order to determine precisely what this scroll was about.

We can imagine the mixed feelings of excitement and fear which may have gripped Shaphan as he began to read the ancient Hebrew letters. Apparently he said little to Hilkiah. But he could not hold back his emotions! He made his way through all of the repairmen and headed right to the king's palace. When it was his turn to address the king, he got the formalities out of the way first, the reports about the repair work. Then, he could not contain himself any longer As if no one else was present, he said to King Josiah, "Hilkiah the high priest has given me a book." Then he read the whole book to the king.

"Inquire of the Lord---" Hilkiah knew this book was something special. So did Shaphan; but no one was as deeply moved as King Josiah. It did not take him long to realize that this scroll was none other than a copy of the Torah which Moshe had received from the Holy One. Upon hearing its words, Josiah did the only thing which was appropriate when the Word of God was read after so long a period of time: `And it came about when the king heard the words of the book of the Torah, that he tore his clothes." Then he commanded Hilkiah, Shaphan and the other spiritual leaders to: "Inquire of the Lord for me and the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that burns against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us."

After hearing this rediscovered Torah, God so moved in King Josiah's life that he immediately embarked upon a massive spiritual reform movement such as Judah had never seen. Idols and false places of worship were removed from both the temple itself and all around Jerusalem and Judah. Moreover, the nation celebrated Passover for the first time since the days of the judges! In the end, the Lord said of Josiah, "And before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Torah of Moshe, nor did any like him arise after him." (All quotations from II Kings 22 and 23)

Even though the story of Hilkiah rediscovering the Torah took place around the year 632 BCE, it has highly significant parallels to life among the people of God today.

First, note that the Torah was not lost, but merely hidden amid the ruins of the Temple of God. The same is true for us. The body of Messiah, according to the Brit Hadasha, is the temple of the living God. Yet for centuries, for the most part, the Torah has lain hidden and misunderstood, its true nature and value unknown. Here and there; believers through the centuries have seen glimpses of it, but by and large it lay ignored, collecting dust amid all of the religious trappings held in high esteem by the people of God.

Beloved, the Spirit of God is causing more and more of God's people to "rediscover" His ancient words. Today, the Torah is increasingly becoming more than just the children's storybook about our favorite Bible characters. More and more believers are beginning to rediscover the Torah as a book of the covenant given to God's redeemed people, as a document describing the lifestyle for the holy community, and as the sacred marriage agreement between God and His people. Indeed, today, more than 2,500 years since Hilkiah's monumental find, believers from all parts of the world are making the same rediscovery for their own personal and corporate lives.

There is a second parallel. The Torah was first recovered among the people of Judah, and rightly so, because first and foremost it was a Jewish document, a covenant between God and the children of Israel. This is also the case today. For the past 30 or so years, more Jewish people have come to believe in Messiah Yeshua than perhaps in all the previous centuries except the first! That is quite a significant movement of God. Since He is turning many of the children of Israel to Himself, it would only make sense that God is also opening the eyes of many Jewish believers to the privileges and responsibilities of the Torah.

But it has not stopped with the physical children of Israel. The wonders of the Torah are also beginning to be understood by an increasing number of those who are grafted in to Israel-the non-Jewish believers in Yeshua.

There was something else significant about Hilkiah's discovery. The rediscovery of the Torah led those who saw it for what it really was to make immediate and significant changes in their personal and communal lives. King Josiah was the natural leader in this. He allowed the Torah to deeply affect him. Then, as the leader, he led his people into an unparalleled spiritual reform based entirely on the Torah. This included overseeing a national Passover celebration held for the first time in about 550 years. It is significant that a rediscovery of the Torah led to a greater appreciation of the doctrines of redemption!

GUIDE FOR LIFE: For many years, the body of Messiah all over the world has been praying for revival. In some places it is happening. But especially in the western world-where most of the Jewish people live-this long-anticipated revival has yet to transpire. Could it be that when believers begin to let Torah be their guide for life, and begin to participate in the annual celebrations of Israel which are disclosed in it, that many will see more clearly what redemption truly is, as did the believers of ancient Israel?

Whatever the case, all who are currently learning how to apply the Torah to their personal and corporate lives are experiencing deep-seated and profound spiritual growth.

We have chosen the story of Josiah and the rediscovery of the Torah to serve as a prologue to this book about the Torah because of the direct parallels between Josiah's time and ours. In this day and age, many individuals and fellowships are beginning to rediscover the Torah for themselves, and are happily reaping the results of their findings.

It is the purpose of this book to help you rediscover the Torah for yourself. These pages are intended to help you get to know the Torah for what it is, the written Word of God. In other words, we want to function somewhat like a Jewish Shadchan, a matchmaker who brings couples together hoping that a wonderful and lasting marriage will result.

May we be your matchmakers, your Shadchan? We want to introduce you to a wonderful, loving, giving, gracious, and beneficent friend-the Torah. We want to help you get to know it, to see not only its beauty, but also all of the other magnificent qualities it possesses.

Please do not listen to all of those rumors you may have heard. Give Torah a chance! King Solomon spoke about wisdom the way we would speak of Torah.

Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech: Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed. By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. (Proverbs 1:20-21; 24:3-4)

This book is intended to help you who have never really had a chance to get to know Torah and to discover what a joy it can be for your life. To be sure, it can be misused, but if related to in the way God designed, we are certain that you and Torah will have many happy years together, ushering you into new depths of intimacy with your God.