Manasseh may have repented, but his son Arnon didn’t. He ruled in the same way his unconverted father had, until he was assassinated and his eight-year-old son, Josiah, became king. At sixteen, Josiah began a personal search for the God of David, and within a few years, he began destroying the false gods and shrines introduced by his father and grandfather. He smashed the altars and ground the idols into dust. Then he began restoring the temple of the true God.

Josiah pledged his allegiance...

    In the process, the high priest discovered an old scroll containing the laws of God. When Josiah read the scroll to see what the God of Moses required of his people, Josiah was devastated. Now he knew why his kingdom had not been blessed by God, and he knew what they must do, even if it was too late to avoid God’s judgment.

    Josiah pledged his allegiance to the God of his forefathers and asked the people of Jerusalem to do the same. Then he urged them to eliminate anything connected with idol worship, and he centralized the worship of God in Jerusalem. They celebrated the Passover as a national rededication to the faithful and merciful God. For the first time, revival was based on written authority — on the newly discovered Word of God.

    While Josiah was king, Jeremiah was called to be God’s prophet. His message was not one of reform and revival; it was one of impending devastation. The people of God could be fully restored and reconciled, but first they would be torn down and destroyed.

Reflection: How fortunate for the Israelites that they found the scrolls of God’s law before the fall of Jerusalem and their exile to a strange country. With these written teachings fathers and mothers would be able to teach their children the commands of their holy God.

    It’s hard to imagine trying to know God without having access to his teachings, his Word. Although knowing God’s teachings doesn’t guarantee personal knowledge of the Teacher, if we desire to know the Teacher, we will seek to know his teachings. Throughout God’s encounters with his people, we see this dual theme: We are to love God (to know him) and to obey him (to know his Word and follow it). Either alone is insufficient.

 

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Title: "Revival in the Land"
Author: Ron Rose
Publication Date: July 9, 2002