Please follow me in a careful study on how a boy
king turned his nation and people to God. From 2 Chronicles 34.
"Josiah was eight years old when he
began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. And he did
that which was right in the sight of the Lord and walked int he ways of David
his father and declined neither to the right hand nor to the left. For int he
eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the
God of David his father and in t he twelfth year he began to purge Judah and
Jerusalem from the high places and the groves and the carved images and the
molten images." V1-3
He ascended the throne at the age of eight and by
verse two, we are told that he did that which was right in the sight of the
Lord by walking in the ways of David his father. In other words, he was
committed and walked in the ways of God of David. It was good but there was a
clause, and you will understand it better after reading this translation of
that verse 2.
"He followed the example of his
ancestor David and always obeyed the Lord." CEV
The clause was that, all he knew about God was
what David knew, whatever David never discovered in God, he was ignorant of. So
David's height or depth in God was his limit, which leads me to a very serious
issue we are confronted with in our day. while Josiah stands for the present
generation or children, David stands for the fathers and and past generation.
Now by God's programme, every generation actually has a dual responsibility.
They are firstly, to build on the foundation of the past generation and then
lay a foundation for the next generation. if this is true, then there was a
disorder or misnomer in the case of Josiah. what was to be a foundation (and
foundations are to be built upon) became his peak.
The revelations, encounters, experiences,
testimonies, miracles and messages that ought to be our foundation which ought
to be built upon, seems to have become our peak. As a result, there is a slow
pace we can't explain, puzzles we can’t dissolve and limitations that are
glaring. There is no corresponding revelation to deal with or counter the
progressive opposition and wickedness of our day.
However, by verse 3, there was a turning point
which I believe we have come to also. Josiah now became dissatisfied with just
knowing the God of David; he decided to seek “the God” so that the God of David
can also become his God. The fathers introduced us to their God but for us to
know this God personally which has always been the hallmark of David’s exploits
for God, he took kingdoms and nations for God all through scriptures. The peak
of anyone or generation has always been when the God at work is your God. E.g.
the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Elijah. And you will note that in the
same verse few years after he began to seek the God of David personally, he had
developed capacity to begin to build upon the foundations of David (fathers) by
purging, another translation says “get rid of” the idols, religion and satanic
influences and structures in opposition to light. This simply tells me that if
we develop the capacity and receive direction on how in our day and time, we
need to get back to seeking God intimately, individually and collectively. That
remains our strong point.
Of course, for Josiah, the journey of seeking the
Lord continued and this began to result in all the processes that was played
from verse four until verse fourteen where the priest found a book of the law
given by Moses.
“And when
they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah
the priest found a book of the law given by Moses. Then Shaphan the scribe told
the king, saying Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it
before the king. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the
law that he rent. And the king commanded Hikiah and Ahikam the son of Shaphan
the scribe and Asiah a servant of the king saying, go, enquire of the Lord for
me and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah concerning the words of
the book that is found for great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out
us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord to do after all that
is written in the book.” Vs 14-21
From these verses, some vital lessons and key
points come to light.
1.
As long as your heart is panting after God, you will
definitely find Him
2.
A king in those days can be likened to a pastor, so how
was he leading God’s people as a man of God without the book or an experience,
encounter, knowledge of the book? If the king, pastor, man of God had not set
his eyes on the book (which for us is the bible) or read or studied it, what about
the congregation. So it is possible for a man and people of God to be far from
it or completely ignorant of the God they profess. I believe the answer is
obvious. “…but the people that do know their God…” Dan.11:32. So they are a
people who have God but do not know their God. And God can only be found in the
book (BIBLE). One sure way to check is to take a close look at the structures
we run or operate and our messages. Do they emphasize, point or help people to
seek God, to read or study the Bible?
3.
When the book was read, the king rent his clothes not
because he saw how much they had limited God, the fathers were right but there
was more to be discovered, new heights to attain, grounds to take, fresh
revelations to be discovered. What was been celebrated and considered as the
peak was actually a foundation just beginning. Notice the last statement of
verse one “…our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord to do after all that
is written in this book.” They did some based on what was revealed to them.
4.
They had to inquire of the Lord through the priest.
However, by our privileged position as New Testament believers, we are both
kings and priests unto God in Christ (Rev.1:6). So we can seek and inquire, see
and interpret, receive and deliver and administer. That’s also the reason our
generation will have no excuse before God.
“And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to
inquire of the LORD, so shall ye say unto him, thus saith the LORD God of
Israel concerning the words which thou hast heard, because thine heart was
tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardst his words
against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humblest thyself
before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me, I have even heard thee
also, saith the LORD. Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt
be gathered to thy grave I peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil
that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants of the same. So
they brought the king word again. Then the king sent and gathered all the
elders of Judah and Jerusalem.” Vs 26-29.
God’s verdict on Josiah the king was, ‘for your
attitude towards the truth, I will spare you but not the people.’ This was
actually the high point. The kingdom mentality he carried, the kingdom heart he
had wouldn’t allow him settle for that. He refused to be blessed and not be a
blessing. He was not only gunning for his salvation or self preservation but
also for the salvation of the nation and people, which is the mindset, heart of
all those that will get the job of fulfilling the mandate of the Father in
these last days.
See the final outcome.
“And the king went into the house of the LORD,
and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priest, and
the Levites and all the people, great and small and he read in their ears all
the words of the book of the covenant that was found in t he house of the LORD.
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. And Josiah took
away all t he abomination 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.” Vs 30-33.
“…The kingdom of this world are become the
kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign for ever and ever.”
Rev.11:15
Summary – If we would “take the nations”:
1.
We must not be bastards nor be without a history or be
ignorant of our history.
2.
We must recognize and celebrate our history and fathers
while acknowledging they are simply foundations to be built upon.
3.
We must be genuine and addicted seekers of God, knowing
there is more of God to be discovered.
4.
WE must have the right attitude towards the outcome of
our seeking, the revelations, processes etc.
5.
We must have a KINGDOM heart and mentality.
We must not be content being;
-
Blessed but to be a blessing
-
Saved but be saviours.
