We had a Bible
Study this morning on II Kings 22. King Josiah was set on
the throne and began to rule the kingdom of Judah. It seems
that someone found the Book of the law by accident and
brought it to his attention. His response was one of
repentance-- a broken and tender heart. God saw his heart
and responded with a promise of peace to him but a promise
of judgment to the people of Judah. What follows is a time
of removal of sin in Judah and especially in the Temple of
God.
First of
all, it's amazing at what was going on in the temple of the
Living God. Idols had to be removed from the
temple, sodomites were removed from living next to the
temple, and all of the ungodly things were burned, ground up
to powder and utterly destroyed. All of chapter 23 is a
deep cleansing of the land and removal of all sin.
Do we see
the true response of revival taking place in a leader's
heart with the far-reaching results in the land and
especially in the worship of God and His Temple? Here is a
clear picture of revival and the right response of God's
people.
But please
don't miss this point. There was still judgment from God
for their sins. It says in II Kings 23:25, " and like unto
him there was no king before him, that turned to the Lord
with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his
might... " but vs. 26 follows with, "notwithstanding the
Lord turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath,
where his anger was kindled against Judah".
You see,
there in not a promise from God of no consequences, even
when we turn back from our sins. There is certainly the
promise of forgiveness of sins and blessings from the Lord,
but again, all of this is completely up to God.
Let's get
it right. If we return to the Lord, it is understanding
that we are just sinners, and we give ourselves totally to
Him, to do with us what He wills. We do not return for
a good, easy life. We're not looking for a fire escape that
allows us to get out of trouble or even ease our pain. I
come to Christ and yield my life, give myself totally to Him
to do with me as He wills. I deserve nothing except for
total judgment. I plead for mercy upon the merits of the
work of Christ on the cross.
As a
pastor, I see this situation over and over again. People
get right with God, but their marriage still fails. People
come to Christ, but their health is already ruined and
failing. Others come, but their children are too far in the
world and they can't seem to win them back. Doesn't it seem
that if we say we're sorry to God that He should fix all our
problems and make our wrongs right? He does forgive from
this point forward, and He can "restore the years" as He
promised. But sometimes the "notwithstanding" is still
present-- the idea that we may still have to suffer the
consequences of our past sins and the problems of life in a
sinful world. The beauty is that we can still serve the
Lord with thanksgiving for His mercy and grace and praise
Him for His goodness whatever the consequences may be.
Pastor Pat Hall
