We are coming around the final bend here in our look at the young man,
King Josiah, who was devoted to the Lord and sought to reform the land
and people he had authority over. Now that the Word of the Lord had been
found and read, Josiah's mission to purge the land took on a new intensity
as he became horrified at his people's neglect of Divine commandments
and their impending judgement. Such should be the case in our lives as
we read the Holy Scriptures, amen? As we read the Bible and learn about
the Lord, what His perspective is, what He expects of us, what His commands
for us are, and the judgment for disobedience to them, we find out real
fast that no matter who we are, we all fall short... Have you admitted
this truth to yourself yet, dear lady? Or are you still, by rejecting
what the Bible says, trying to prove that there is good in you? The truth
is:
Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
When we admit our shortcomings in light of the truth, we begin to realize
that we NEED to acknowledge the Lord FIRST in all our ways in order to
do the right thing and avoid the wrong we have been so blind to. With
humble hearts we should begin to inquire of the Lord, calling first upon
His name for deliverance from our sins through salvation to escape the
judgment of hell.
Psalm 116:13, "I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name
of the Lord."
Romans 10:13, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved."
After we call upon His name for deliverance from our sins and become a
born-again child of God, we then need to continuously call upon His name
for the direction our lives should take once we are saved. Humility remaining,
we will realize that unless we lean upon the Lord for guidance and help
in all areas of our lives, we will go astray. This is exactly what Proverbs
3:5-6 exhorts us to do:
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
"With all thine heart...." Hmmm - does God have ALL of your heart today,
dear lady? Or are you keeping back part of it? When you truly love the
Lord, you will naturally inquire of Him, for it will become your heart's
desire to know what it is that pleases your Father in heaven, and once
found, you will seek to do the right, whatever the cost. Why? Because
your whole heart is involved!
Deut. 6:5, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy might."
Psalm 27:4, "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to
behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple."
Last week we considered how knowledgeable our society is about what is
written in the Bible... How many people do you think really enquire after
the Lord about what they are doing? I wonder how many Christians even
make this a daily habit in their lives! Ladies, I hope that through the
preaching of the Word of God, you are freely allowing the Lord to reveal
to you those things you SHOULDN'T be doing, those areas you are NOT obedient
to Him that displease Him, and so direct your path onto the right. There
are warnings for us in His Word if we neglect to do so! Better heed them....
Reading the Bible should change the way we live, amen? I hope that when
you open the Word of God to read it on your own, you are prayerfully seeking
to find what it is you SHOULD be doing also. As you pray, inquire of Him
- simply and sincerely ask the Lord, "Father, show me where I am wrong,
show me the right thing to do and help me to do it." It's not complicated
at all - all that is necessary is a tender heart, as Josiah discovered....
2 Chronicles 34:27, "Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble
thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and
against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and
didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also,
saith the Lord."
Yes, the Lord has sent a message to Josiah through the prophet he consulted
with to find out if there was any hope remaining for Judah... Ladies,
Josiah was a man whose prayers were answered! Because of his tender heart,
he HEARD and received the Words of the Lord when they were read to him.
Because of his tender heart, he humbled himself before a Holy God in reaction
to the message of the Bible and it's authority over his life. Because
of his tender heart, he repented and grieved over the evil his people
were guilty of performing, and wept over their sin to the Lord, asking
for His direction as their king and delay of God's judgment upon them....
And God heard him! What was Josiah's answer to be, how did God answer
his prayer?
Vs. 28 says, "Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt
be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the
evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the
same..."
Josiah was to be spared God's judgment, and receive the promise of God's
protection - as will you and I - if with tender hearts we hear and heed
God's Word! Although there seemed to be no hope for the people, Josiah
still remained steadfast in his stand for righteousness and holy living.
Beginning at the top with leadership, Josiah wisely called together all
the elders of Judah and Jerusalem and as verses 31-32 go on to tell us:
"And the king stood in his place, 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 with all his soul, to perform
the words of the covenant which are written in this book. And he caused
all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the
inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God
of their fathers."
Ladies, this is shouting material, amen?! What a powerful influence this
young man was, king or not! If I were there, I would have stood with Josiah!
How about you?? Are you ready to make such a covenant with the Lord today,
to keep His Word and follow after it with all your heart? "I have decided
to follow Jesus - no turning back, no turning back...." the old hymn says.
Have you turned away from the Lord, dear lady? Do you find yourself easily
distracted off the right path, unable to become faithful to the Lord in
your walk with Him? What you need to do is make a covenant with the Lord
today and add steadfastness to your character for a change! Such a character
trait is not reserved for a particular age group - all of us are capable
of it, and should seek after it, young and old alike! Aren't you tired
of making God promises of reform and never keeping them?? What about your
children? How are they doing in their steadfastness toward the Lord? Are
you letting them get by with drifting from the Lord? The Lord deserves
more than just the honor of our lips, every inch of our hearts needs to
honor Him, so that no matter what, we'll remain unmovable!
Matthew 15:8, "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and
honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me."
1 Corinthians 15:58, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast,
unmoveable..."
In closing, we find that Josiah's influence had a sobering effect upon
the people, who, when he took over his reign as king, were an absolute
mess! So too, the people you have influence over, never usually rise above
you in depth of character, but will watch you and pattern themselves after
you and your walk with the Lord - going only as far as you go to serve
God, going only as far as you go in standing up for righteousness, becoming
only as steadfast as you have become in walking with the Lord. May we
all seek to be Josiah's today and be responsible for the cleansing and
purging of sin in this world, beginning with our own hearts. May we be
useful in causing others to become and remain steadfast in serving the
Lord by our examples....
Verse 33, "And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries
that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were present
in Israel to serve, even to serve the Lord their God. And all his days
they departed not from following the Lord, the God of their fathers."
The sad realization here in this verse above is that only as long as Josiah
remained king, the people never did wrong. BUT, when he died, they went
back to their wicked ways.... Our King is not dead however! We serve the
King of Kings, Jesus Christ Himself, and He needs to take His rightful
place in our hearts, lives, homes, and churches once again. I thank God
for Josiah's, but is there any reason such examples need become extinct??
Is not the God of Josiah our God too??
Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."
Malachi 3:6, "For I am the LORD, I change not...."
Only a God that never changes could help us remain steadfast and unmovable
in our Christian life, amen? I hope you've purposed in your heart today
not to forsake the Lord, but to go forth serving Him all the days of your
life as Josiah did - with all your heart and soul!
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 1999 Pamela A. Iannello
