Pursuing GOD: Accurate Hearts, Quick Response
There was no king like King Josiah--either before him or after him. One of Israel's greatest revivals happened in his reign. Photo above by Jonatan Pie on Unsplash.
From the time of Judges, the Passover rites had been terribly neglected. Even great men like Gideon, David, and Samuel the prophet failed to restore the Passover. Idolatry aggravated and accumulated in various forms and fashions until God sent Josiah. It was time for judgment. See that? Josiah was God's blessing to His people, and it was also the time for judging them. Judgment is a blessing.
God's judgment is God's blessing
The book of the Law was discovered in King Josiah's time (after being lost for generations). When it was read before him by Shaphan the royal secretary, Josiah's heart broke. At once, he took the Law seriously, losing no time. He commanded his royal officials: "Find out what we must do in response" (2 Kings 22). Josiah knew that revelation serves as a warning or hint for preparation and either of them requires quick response.
Be accurate in spirit in the last days. Click here.
In Response
God always looks for accurate hearts that respond. Mastering the bible is useless if your attitude is not like Josiah's--always desiring to accurately know what God requires in response to his Word. God was ready to punish all Israel, but spared Josiah. Why?
"Because you took me seriously and the doom of judgment I spoke against this place and people. Also, you responded with humble repentance. You even tore your robe in disgust and wept before me, (so) I'm taking you quite seriously."
God was delighted by King Josiah's accurate heart. That's a vital principle in being God's flesh. In short, it was because Josiah took God seriously. He knew what God's heart was after--taking Him seriously, responsiveness, humility, repentance and utter disgust with sin.
Few churches today take God seriously. They have God's Word (or, they use the bible to grow their empires) but never take God seriously. They go on and on with their own human ways and thinking--their human theology.
A Radical Attention for God
When we take God seriously, it means we respond with our whole lives. It should be a radical response---turning worlds upside down. Here, Josiah turned Jerusalem upside down, not leaving any stone unturned. He broke everything made by human ways. He "desacralized" what religious "bible-centered" men (but who actually despised God's Word) built and treated as sacred (chapter 23).
Few churches today take God seriously. They have God's Word (or, they use the bible to grow their empires) but never take God seriously. They go on and on with their own human ways and thinking--their human theology.
A Radical Attention for God
When we take God seriously, it means we respond with our whole lives. It should be a radical response---turning worlds upside down. Here, Josiah turned Jerusalem upside down, not leaving any stone unturned. He broke everything made by human ways. He "desacralized" what religious "bible-centered" men (but who actually despised God's Word) built and treated as sacred (chapter 23).
Everything, and I mean everything, was demolished to dusts, flat on the ground! This gave way for the Passover celebration. You cannot celebrate it (or communion) without accurate hearts involved in the process. The Passover (or communion for Christians) is useless if there's still a bit of human effort and human ways involved. Everything must be demolished! It should be God's ways alone.
King Josiah even demolished what his ancestor King Solomon had "accomplished" (23.12-15) in his time. That was an extremely radical step for King Josiah. All throughout, he "desecrated" and "defiled" what his forefathers had achieved. Why the terms "desecrated" and "defiled"? It was because King Josiah was destroying what had become an institution, a well accepted and sacred practice or tradition, something their forefathers had managed to introduce as "bible-based" but which actually contradicted God's Word and ways.
King Josiah even demolished what his ancestor King Solomon had "accomplished" (23.12-15) in his time. That was an extremely radical step for King Josiah. All throughout, he "desecrated" and "defiled" what his forefathers had achieved. Why the terms "desecrated" and "defiled"? It was because King Josiah was destroying what had become an institution, a well accepted and sacred practice or tradition, something their forefathers had managed to introduce as "bible-based" but which actually contradicted God's Word and ways.
He went against popular tradition. Can anything be more radical and revolutionary? That's what it means to have accurate hearts.
It was similar to how the disciples in Acts blamed everything on the Jews, declaring that they "killed" or "murdered" the Anointed One. Stephen defiantly declared that they were "as stiff-necked as your forefathers were!" Imagine calling their forefathers--in effect, their bible-based religion or "denomination" founders--stiff-necked!
No Not One!
And to top it all, Josiah declared that their forefathers "have not obeyed a thing written in this book (the Law), followed none of the commands given them (22.11-13). Not even one! Do you see this? It was a terrible sweeping indictment. Was he being judgmental, too condemning? Was he a fault finder? Self-righteous? No, he was just having an accurate heart--being God's flesh. God always issues his judgments and condemnations through a human servant He anoints for service.
Judgmental, yes. A mere fault finder, no. "Judgmental" means being excessively critical, and that's exactly what Josiah was. The occasion called for it. When God is angry because of disobedience in his own people, you cannot afford to be sparingly critical or pretend like everything's okay just to avoid being labeled judgmental. And he counted himself culpable of the sins of his forefathers (22.19), so he repented. He included himself. He didn't have a holier-than-thou attitude.
You see, we must know how to judge when we have received the spoken, active Word of God! We should have the accurate judgment to see what is wrong and what is right---and declare wrong wrong, regardless of who gets affected---even our great faith forefathers---or church founders and leaders. God must be obeyed! Moreover, the way God's judgment should be released to the people concerned should be closely consulted with God. You cannot just release His judgments anyway you please.
It was similar to how the disciples in Acts blamed everything on the Jews, declaring that they "killed" or "murdered" the Anointed One. Stephen defiantly declared that they were "as stiff-necked as your forefathers were!" Imagine calling their forefathers--in effect, their bible-based religion or "denomination" founders--stiff-necked!
No Not One!
And to top it all, Josiah declared that their forefathers "have not obeyed a thing written in this book (the Law), followed none of the commands given them (22.11-13). Not even one! Do you see this? It was a terrible sweeping indictment. Was he being judgmental, too condemning? Was he a fault finder? Self-righteous? No, he was just having an accurate heart--being God's flesh. God always issues his judgments and condemnations through a human servant He anoints for service.
Judgmental, yes. A mere fault finder, no. "Judgmental" means being excessively critical, and that's exactly what Josiah was. The occasion called for it. When God is angry because of disobedience in his own people, you cannot afford to be sparingly critical or pretend like everything's okay just to avoid being labeled judgmental. And he counted himself culpable of the sins of his forefathers (22.19), so he repented. He included himself. He didn't have a holier-than-thou attitude.
You see, we must know how to judge when we have received the spoken, active Word of God! We should have the accurate judgment to see what is wrong and what is right---and declare wrong wrong, regardless of who gets affected---even our great faith forefathers---or church founders and leaders. God must be obeyed! Moreover, the way God's judgment should be released to the people concerned should be closely consulted with God. You cannot just release His judgments anyway you please.
Church denomination fathers after The Book of Acts erred when they started toying with the idea of putting up church denominations. It goes against Jesus' prayer in John 17.23 for a complete unity among believers. And I played along with it at first years back, being involved in denominational ministries that were self-serving to the denomination alone, not Jesus' whole body.
The will of God in the End Times. Click here.
Many denominations dare not see their church fathers, like how Josiah saw his, and continue in their fathers' sins. To God, obedience should be total. Everything should be done in God's ways and Word alone. Anything done in human ways or using man's ideas, no matter how effective, is idolatry. And we have to repent, because God is "on my way to utterly destroy, in judgment, this place and its people...because they've left me and went with other gods, making me very, very angry..." (22.14-17).
Thoroughly Angry?
But it didn't seem that way---God being "thoroughly angry." All along they thought God was pleased with their beautiful worship programs! They couldn't see in the spirit. So, as long as their flesh was satisfied and comfortable (and no physical punishment was apparent from God), they concluded that God was pleased with the way things were.
Blind people are flesh or material-oriented. As long as they see that nothing bad is happening to them, they feel okay. They think God has nothing against them. Only when God harms them in the flesh will they realize that something is wrong. Never be flesh-oriented. Be led by the Spirit! Have accurate hearts. Don't wait till you get punished or hurt physically before you realize your error.
If you cannot be moved in spirit but only recognize spiritual error when your flesh is in pain (like, when you get sick, you lose your job, you lose money, you lost a loved one, you have dwindling church membership or reduced church income, etc.), then you are, of all people, blind in spirit.
Israel's condition was okay in the time time of King Josiah as far as material things were concerned, yet he saw in the spirit and realized the depth of Jerusalem's spiritual rottenness. He saw it before something bad in the flesh happened to him. God wants to be taken seriously--he deserves it.
The will of God in the End Times. Click here.
Many denominations dare not see their church fathers, like how Josiah saw his, and continue in their fathers' sins. To God, obedience should be total. Everything should be done in God's ways and Word alone. Anything done in human ways or using man's ideas, no matter how effective, is idolatry. And we have to repent, because God is "on my way to utterly destroy, in judgment, this place and its people...because they've left me and went with other gods, making me very, very angry..." (22.14-17).
Thoroughly Angry?
But it didn't seem that way---God being "thoroughly angry." All along they thought God was pleased with their beautiful worship programs! They couldn't see in the spirit. So, as long as their flesh was satisfied and comfortable (and no physical punishment was apparent from God), they concluded that God was pleased with the way things were.
Blind people are flesh or material-oriented. As long as they see that nothing bad is happening to them, they feel okay. They think God has nothing against them. Only when God harms them in the flesh will they realize that something is wrong. Never be flesh-oriented. Be led by the Spirit! Have accurate hearts. Don't wait till you get punished or hurt physically before you realize your error.
If you cannot be moved in spirit but only recognize spiritual error when your flesh is in pain (like, when you get sick, you lose your job, you lose money, you lost a loved one, you have dwindling church membership or reduced church income, etc.), then you are, of all people, blind in spirit.
Israel's condition was okay in the time time of King Josiah as far as material things were concerned, yet he saw in the spirit and realized the depth of Jerusalem's spiritual rottenness. He saw it before something bad in the flesh happened to him. God wants to be taken seriously--he deserves it.
And taking him seriously means we become radical believers, extremely obedient and with accurate hearts. We should be willing to demolish anything not from God, even things built by our church forefathers which are not according to the Word and ways of God.