Jul
24
Cleaning House
Filed Under Devotional
Boy, if we ever needed a bold, new approach in this country, now is the time. We are caught up in such a whirling cesspool of politics, I frankly don’t see how we right the ship. We are so far away from God, by our own choosing, He will have to find us because we cannot find Him on our current path. This isn’t the first time the people of God have lost their way and needed someone to rediscover the truth.
There was, in history, a time when God’s people had abandoned Him in favor of many pagan gods and it took a child to rediscover the truth. Made king at the tender age of eight, Josiah was wiser than the older generation just eight years later when he was only sixteen:
“For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, the carved images and the molten images.” 2 Chronicles 34:3
He knew there was something terribly wrong with the kingdom and he cleaned house. While doing so and rebuilding the temple, a discovery was made.
“When they were bringing out the money which had been brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of the LORD given by Moses. Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king saying, ‘Hilkiah the priest gave me a book.’ And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king. When the king heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes.” 2 Corinthians 34:14-19
Josiah was convicted by what he heard and he took bolder action.
“Go, inquire of the LORD for me and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book which has been found; for great is the wrath of the LORD which is poured out on us because our fathers have not observed the word of the LORD, to do according to all that is written in this book.” 2 Chronicles 34:21
The story ends on a happy note. The kingdom repented and, at least for the next thirty plus years, the people and God were right with one another.
“Then 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 written in this book.” 2 Chronicles 34:31
Nothing like a good house-cleaning to get back to basics.