My time in Bellflower, CA thus far has been absolutely amazing.Yes I miss home and family, my girlfriend and my church family and so many others, so I will be back for sure. But I've learned so much about God and about myself. One thing that I wanted to write about is sin. I don't know how this is going to go and I am not a very good editor, so I apologize ahead of time for my lack of flow and the possibility of any spelling/grammar (and grandper) mistakes.
One thing that I love about preaching is sermon preparation; specifically the research aspect of it. I love researching the Bible. The dangerous part here is having too much research being part of my sermons. But anyways, here at Bell One (First CRC in Bellflower), VBS starts up tomorrow and runs through Sunday morning. Please pray for this; it is from 6:30-8:00 every night (9:30-11 MI time). Except on Sunday morning, where I will be preaching on the text assigned for that day. And the theme is "Kingdom Rock" and where the kids (and volunteers) will be learning about how different things in our life help us "Stand strong upon the Rock (God)"; such as prayer, family, etc. On Sunday, the title is "The Bible Helps Us Stand Strong" and the Scripture is the story of King Josiah from 2 Kings 22:1-23:31. The parallel story is also from 2 Chronicles 34-36:1 (before you read any farther, you should definitely go read these passages). Did you read the passages yet?
I have always found an interest in King Josiah and have done many chapel talks about him and a youth group lesson on him as well because he is absolutely amazing.
This man was an amazing man of God, so here I go, digging into his story.
The nation of Israel split into two nations--Judah (Southern Kingdom) and Israel (Northern Kingdom). The Northern Kingdom went into exile much earlier than the Southern Kingdom on behalf of the Assyrians due to the unfaithfulness of the Kings. Therefore, the Southern Kingdom was left due to the mercy and grace of God and the faithfulness of a few kings. Eventually they would be brought into exile as well via the Babylonians due to the unfaithful kings. Josiah becomes king of the Southern Kingdom at the young age of 8 years old. Yes, 8 years old.
But before that, his great-grandfather--King Hezekiah--(2 Kings 18-20) becomes king at 25 years of age and reigns for 29 years; and "he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.." (18:3). His son, Josiah's grandfather was Manasseh who was 12 years old when he became king and reigned for 55 years! (2 Kings 21:1-18). "He did evil in the eyes of the Lord..." (1:2) and he even caused Judah to commit sin (vs 16). His son, Amon, Josiah's father, was 22 when he became king and reigned just 2 years (2 Kings 21:19-26). "He did evil in the eyes of the Lord....He forsook the LORD, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the LORD" (vs 20, 22). Amon's officials conspired against him and assassinated the king due to the sin he was committing. Therefore, the people made Josiah the king (vs 24, 26). Josiah's reign is recorded in 2 Kings 22:1-23:31 and 2 Chronicles 34-36:1 as noted earlier in this blog entry. The prophets that we have record of at his time are Zephaniah and Habakkuk. And the beginnings of Jeremiah's prophetic ministry also. (Reading these books and chapters 1-6 of Jeremiah give great historical context and theological context to the situation and narrative).
Josiah began reigning as king at a young age of 8 years! He reigned in Jerusalem for 31 years and "he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left" (vs 2). The Chronicles narrative gives us more detail about ages of Josiah when things were happening, but for the sake of non-confusion; I will be sticking with the Kings narrative and possibly referencing Chronicles.
We can notice from this narrative 2 things: First, we notice all the things that Josiah did; and second, we can notice the motivation for these things. And if you haven't read the Scriptures that were suggested to read, I would now advise you to read at least the account in 2 Kings 22:1-23:31.
First, the things that Josiah did answers the question: what did Josiah do? Here we go!
It all began in the 18th year of his reign and if you do the math, this makes him 26 years old (one year older than me). He began by simply rebuilding the temple. He sent his secretary, Shaphan, to the temple to talk with Hilkiah, the high priest, to make sure that everything was going smoothly (2 Kings 22:3-7) in the rebuilding of the temple. And this is the part that gets interesting. Josiah's first thing was to simply rebuild the temple, nothing more, nothing less. And sure enough, look what was found--the Book of the Law (vs 8-10). Each king of Judah and Israel had accessibility to the Book of the Law, but it most likely became lost during the evil King Manasseh's reign or somewhere down the line, but what was lost, is now found! And notice here, the reaction to the lost item. Hilkiah, the high priest simply said that he found it and then gave it to Shaphan. He didn't read it, he gave it up. But Shaphan took it and read it. Now these reactions to the finding of this book aren't stated, but we can tell from the grammar and language used because notice that Hilkiah simply says he found it, Shaphan reads it and then brings it to King Josiah saying, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book" (vs 10). Did you hear or read or see what Shaphan calls it?!?! He called it "a book". Not "the Book of the Law," but "a book".....It appears that Hilkiah and Shaphan weren't moved or their heart wasn't softened by the reading of this.
But then Shaphan read from "the Book of the Law" in the presence of King Josiah. And now, notice Josiah's reaction in vs 11. "When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes." Now whether the "Book of the Law" means the first five books of the Bible or just Deuteronomy; whatever it is--Josiah was grieved by the words in it. These words penetrated his heart and caused deep grief inside him so much that he "tore his robes."
For the sake of time, we are going to summarize verses 12-20. In summary, Josiah sends Hilkiah, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan and Asaiah to go to the prophetess Huldah to inquire of the LORD. They receive bad news that destruction will becoming to Jerusalem because they have forsaken God and worshiped other gods and idols. But because Josiah's heart was responsive, because he humbled himself, and because he tore his robes and wept the LORD heard him. Therefore Josiah was promised that his eyes will not see the disaster that will come upon Jerusalem and Judah. But the disaster still would come.
So, the first thing Josiah does or Josiah's initial concern was to rebuild the temple and bam! they found the Book of the Law. He weeps and grieves. Story over right? Not even close. Now two things Josiah has done--one intentional (rebuild the temple), the other non-intentional (found the Book of the Law).
Josiah then begins to "purge" Judah and Jerusalem and purifies the land (2 Chronicles account). (I know the order is different in the Chronicles account, but it is not being contradictory--just believe me (: ).
But before he purges and purifies the land, he calls together everyone in order to renew the covenant. "Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant" (23:3). And then he begins to go to work.
Beginning in the Temple of the Lord here is a list of what he did:
1. He removed all the articles made for Baal, Asherah, and the starry hosts; he burned them in the Kidron Valley (right outside of Jerusalem--Google it) and then to the ashes to Bethel (23:4)
2. He did away with the pagan priests (who by the way, were appointed by former Kings of Judah) who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations and to the starry hosts (23:5)
3. He took the Asherah pole to the Kidron Valley and burned it; then he grounded it to powder and spread the powder al over the graves of the common people (23:6)
4. He tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes (King Rehoboam started these--don't Google it) where women weaved to Asherah (23:7)
5. He removed the horses from the entrance of the temple which were dedicated to the sun (a common Assyrian practice) (23:11)
6. He burned the chariots which were dedicated to the sun (23:11)
7. He pulled down the altars erected by former Kings of Judah which were on the roof--most likely so that they could sacrifice to the stars, sun, and moon to be 'closer' to them. (23:12)
8. He pulled down the altars in two of the temple courts which King Manasseh (Josiah's grandpa) had built (23:12). And for numbers 7 and 8; He removed them, smashed them to pieces and threw the rubble in the Kidron Valley (23:12)
After the Temple of the Lord; He desecrated the high places where priests burned incense and broke down the shrines at the city gates in the towns from Geba to Beersheba (23:8). (Might need a Bible map for these--go sell your dryer and buy an ESV Study Bible--I promise its totally worth it.)
Then he went to the Valley of Ben Hinnom, specifically Topheth, where he desecrated it so no one could sacrifice their son or daughter to Molech, the god of the Ammonites. (23:10). Yes it is true, back then some would sacrifice their first born child to the gods. Terrible, I know; I stood on the remains of the temple in Tel Dan in Israel, listening to archaeologists tell me that they found bones of people--specifically young children. Unbelievable.
Josiah continues on to the east of Jerusalem on the south of the Hill of Corruption--most likely the Mount of Olives--and he desecrated the high places which Solomon had built for Ashtoreth, the god of the Sidonians; Chemosh, the god of the Moabites and Molech (23:13). There he smashed the sacred stones (most likely graves they worshiped) and cut down the Asherah poles and covered the sites with human bones (23:14).
He then heads to Bethel where he does a number of things:
1. He demolishes the altar and the high places which Jeroboam built (23:15)
2. He burned the high place and ground it to powder (23:15)
3. He burned the Asherah pole (23:15)
4. He took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar to defile it (23:16)
And then he heads to Samaria and did here just as he had done in Bethel: he removed and defiled all the shrines and high places which the Kings of Israel built (23:19). And he slaughtered all the priests of those high places on the altars and then burned human bones on them to defile them (23:20).
And all throughout Judah and Samaria, he got rid of mediums, spiritists, household gods, idols and all other detestable things (23:24).
Wow! What a purge!
The sin in the land was corrupting people's behavior. This worship was allowed by the two former kings--Amon and Manasseh--but not Josiah. He wasn't going to have any of this in his land, but it causes me to ask a question: why did he do this? Why did he feel this way? What was his motivation for doing this? This is the second thing we can notice and takeaway from Josiah--his motivation for this purging/cleansing/purifying of the land.
A quick answer is that Josiah did this because he wanted to glorify God. As true as this is, it goes deeper than this--why did he want to glorify God? How was he able to do this purging?
First, Josiah had advisers. These were his secretary, Shaphan; the high priest Hilkiah and his mother Jedidah (and I assume others as well). Young King Josiah needed guidance in his young start as king over the land of Judah. He had experience 2 years of his father's evil ways and 6 years of his grandfather's evil ways; but most likely, he didn't remember any of that. Therefore, those around him did and helped him realize that he should do something different than those who had gone before him.
Second, Josiah had consulted godly people. He sought out the guidance from the Lord via the prophetess Huldah. He did this because he possibly knew that what was written in the Book of the Law was bad, but he probably didn't realize how bad it was; therefore he needed someone to explain it. This is where Huldah comes in.
Third, the most important motivation for all this purging and purifying was due to the finding of the Book of the Law. He knew there were bad times ahead for Judah and he knew they needed to change. Therefore as 22:19 says he humbled himself (he asked for help), his heart was responsive (he listened to the Book of the Law) and he tore his robes and wept.
The basis and motivation for the purging or as others call it--the reforms--that Josiah made was because the things that the people were doing, was completely going against what God had said in the Book of the Law. They weren't following what was written down as the Law which was the requirements of the covenant between God and His people.
Now I want you to realize some more context a moment. (I'm sorry this is getting long, I am getting excited though!) Judah was the last nation of Israel left--they were the only people left whom God promised to channel His blessings through (Genesis 12--going back to Abraham). And because of their unfaithfulness to the covenant, God had enough. He was going to destroy them! But weren't these His people? Weren't these His chosen people?! This honestly should scare us....seriously. God's people were about to be destroyed due to their sin.
And Josiah attempts to get them back on track by purging the land because of the Book of the Law which was found. The Book of the Law motivated Josiah to kill sin.
What a remarkable man of God Josiah was; and he died in Megiddo (I've stood here) at the age of 39 (23:29-30). He was so remarkable, that he surpassed the man after God's own heart (David) in being faithful to God--vs 25 "Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did--with all his heart, and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with the Law of Moses."
So one lesson that I like to pull from Josiah is the importance of God's Word. In America, we have so many Bible study tools, Bible translations, Bible commentaries, etc. available to us right in our homes. But do we use them as we should?
The apostle Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training for righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
You see, Scripture is inspired by God who used the different skills, abilities and gifts of many men to write down what we call the Bible. These are useful to us says Paul. They are useful for four things.
1. The Scriptures are useful for teaching. If you read the Bible cover to cover; you will learn so much history. But it's more than history--it is about God working through history. And when you learn about God working through history, you find that God is revealing Himself in many different ways all throughout history. Therefore you learn about God, the character of God and how He works and does what He does.
2. The Scriptures are useful for rebuking. It is useful for reproof. For us to know that God isn't always pleased with what we do; we have His Words to tell us this. Therefore, reading God's Word provides us with a guide on how to live.
3. The Scriptures are useful for correcting. When we mess up, God's Word is a guide to holy living--it corrects us in a way that is beneficial, not in a harmful manner. Therefore, again, reading God's Word provides us with a guide on how to live.
4. The Scriptures are useful for training in righteousness. Training in righteousness is of great value. God expects us to be holy and to pursue holiness and righteousness in all that we do. We are to glorify God in all that we do. Reading God's Word will train us to be righteous.
And the Scriptures are useful for these four things because we need to be equipped for every good work which, by the way, He already has planned out for us to do. The Scriptures help us kill sin and pursue righteousness.
So going along with the VBS theme: the Bible helps us stand strong in times of sin engulfing and encroaching in on us. The Bible helps us stand strong to kill sin and pursue God.
Josiah used the Scriptures to seek God and kill sin.
We can use the Scriptures in the same way--to seek God and kill sin.
Josiah used Scripture in a very radical; actually, a very counter-cultural manner.
How will you use the Scriptures?
Will you be like a Hilkiah who found the Book of the Law, but didn't bother to read it?
Or will you be like Shaphan, who received it and read it?
Or will you be like King Josiah, who received it, he heard it and was grieved because of his and his people's sin?
God's Word helps us recognize our sin; when we recognize our sin, it is then that we can kill it.
I want to leave you with one of my favorite quotes. It is by the puritan, John Owen:
"Be killing sin or sin will be killing you."
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