Month: April 2024

2 Chronicles 34:31 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 his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book..

After Josiah rediscovered the Book of Deuteronomy in the temple, he made a covenant before the Lord, to keep and do man’s part of the covenant, which follows after God has kept His covenant promises to us. Josiah made a covenant with the Lord and led the people to do so as well. More accurately, he renewed the covenant, or recommitted himself to the Lord. God never actually has to renew, for once He makes a promise it is guaranteed to be kept. But we must renew our covenant promise, for we are not faithful.

Therefore, we receive the blessings, grace, and promises of God by faith. We renew our receiving part of the covenant relationship when we hear the Gospel of forgiveness, remember our Baptism, and commune in the covenant renewal ceremony of the Lord’s Supper. Blessed things happen to us when we regularly make a covenant with God through Jesus Christ, who kept the covenant for us,

No matter how many times we fail, we arise out of the covenant-making process and begin to walk after the Lord, keep the Commandments, and perform the words of the covenant. This kind of living comes right out of our faith in God’s covenant faithfulness to us.

2 Chronicles 34:27 Because thine heart was tender, and didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardst his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbled thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me, I have even heard thee also, saith the Lord.

Josiah was a godly man and a great king. It is not that he was so good, but it was that his heart was tender, he was humble, and he repented. Humility and penitence made him good, for God heard his prayers. It is like the tax-collector who went to his house justified rather than the other. God responds to those who are weak and needy, and in their humility they recognize their need for God and His mercy.

When we are humble and powerless we turn to the Lord for help and He is always there. It is when we are proud, and doing okay, and thinking we can handle life on our own that we get into trouble. It is when we are humble, helpless and trusting that we live well and succeed. Daily repentance keeps us both humble and successful.

2 Chronicles 34:19, 21 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes….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 upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do after all that is written in this book.

During the repairs of the temple under Josiah’s reign a book of the Law of Moses was found. It was probably a scroll of Deuteronomy, or a part of it. The priest and the prophet brought it to Josiah and read it to him. Upon hearing it, Josiah rent his clothes, for he was convicted of their failure to keep the word. He knew that for their sin the wrath of God has come upon them.

The rending of clothes is an outward symbol of an inward reality, the sorrow, grief, and guilt of the heart, Rending means, “I repent.” The sorrow is caused by sin. The sin is revealed by the Word of God, which the Spirit uses to convict and bring about repentance. Repentance makes a soft heart which is able to receive the imprint of God. The penitent sinner is forgiven, changed and renewed. By the power of the Gospel.

Every day we respond to the Word of God by rending our hearts, not our garments. Daily repentance is the mark of the Christian life, for the Word of God convicts and forgives on a daily basis.

2 Chronicles 34:2-3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left. For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.

Josiah, one of the two best kings, did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. His actions were described as walking in the ways of David. David was the model for measuring the life and reign of the kings. David had a heart for the Lord. This is what counted, what really mattered. Josiah knew who God is, and what He is like, a God of mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. This kind of faith (a heart for God) produces a walk (life and behavior) that follows the example of David.

This kind of godly faith and life led to a purge of anything that is not of God. High places, groves, carved and molten images were torn down and cast out. A heart for God moves one to look for thoughts, habits, words, and deeds in the heart, mind, attitude, and inclination that are not of God and displease Him. Finding and rooting out anything that takes the place of God in the heart is not easy, but the faithful believer persists in daily soul searching and repentance. Purging is a necessary part of daily life that involves confession and forgiveness.

2 Chronicles 33:22-23 But he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as did Manasseh his father: for Amon sacrificed unto all the carved images which Manasseh his father had made, and served them; And humbled not himself before the Lord, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself, but Amon trespassed more and more.

Amon followed in the evil ways of his father Manasseh, sacrificed to the carved images, and served them. However, he did not follow his father in his conversion and humble himself before the Lord, in fact, he trespassed even more.

Amon could have followed his father’s example in humbling himself, repenting, and turning back to God. But no, he chose instead not to humble himself, but to continue to do evil. God gives sinners examples, chances, and opportunities to be humble, repent, and believe. Just as God gave a second chance to Manasseh, so also God was giving Amon a second chance to humble himself, but he chose to continue in sin, rebellion, and unbelief.

So also, the Lord God will give us a thousand second chances to humble, repent, and return. In fact, daily repentance, receiving of forgiveness, and renewal of faith keeps us up-to-date with God, and, in one sense, we are always humble before a gracious God, daily repenting, and constantly forgiven. We are willing to be humbled, that we may receive the greater gifts.

2 Chronicles 33::17 Nevertheless the people did sacrifice still in the high places, yet unto the Lord God only.

After Manasseh’s conversion, he restored true temple worship and sacrifice. However, many of the people still sacrificed in the high places. This was still the wrong response, even though it was to the Lord only. It was not worship in God’s way nor according to His Word.

The worship of the one true God was mixed with pagan religious practices and influenced by demons. The people didn’t realize they were adopting practices opposed to God and these places were against God’s law. Blending religious ideas leads to confusion about who God really is. We always must remain careful that subtle ungodly influences do not distort our worship practices.

It is possible to let worldly religious ideas get mixed into our worship of Jesus and faith in the pure Gospel. One example is the idea that my good works influence God to love me and treat me kindly. Works-righteousness is commonly used by the world to dilute faith in Christ alone. Worldly thoughts unconsciously influence our faith life.

2 Chronicles 33:12-13 And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God.

The most evil king Manasseh was taken into captivity by the Assyrians. In such an affliction, he sought the Lord by turning to Him, he humbled himself greatly in penitence before God, and he prayed to the Lord. God heard his humble cry of repentance and faith, and he brought him again back to Jerusalem into his kingdom.

As a result of his conversion, he restored proper worship of the Lord in the temple, and he took away the foreign gods and the idol and the altars he had previously set up. He repaired the altar and sacrificed the offerings. After his conversion through repentance and faith he knew that the Lord He is God. He believed. His holy faith relationship with God was restored.

Sometimes it takes the affliction of the world (under God) and the despair of a prodigal to bring us to our senses, repent, and return to God in faith. When we are in affliction we may either turn away in anger or turn back to God in love. Even a wicked man like Manasseh can be converted and turned around. Surely the Lord will restore us to Himself again and again in daily repentance and renewal when we humble ourself before His awesome love.

2 Chronicles 33:2, 9 But did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel….So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than heathen, whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel.

Manasseh was one of the most wicked of all the kings of Judah. And his evil response to God’s goodness and salvation was compounded by the additional fact that made others to err and sin. It is one thing to sin and do evil, but quite another to lead other people into sin. “It would be better for a millstone to be tied around his neck and be drowned than to cause one of these little ones to sin.” By action and example and misused leadership Manasseh led the people of Judah into great sin, unbelief, and idolatry.

The sin was “like the abominations of the heathen,” which means he followed the ways of the world around him. Then Chronicles gives a long list of the abominations and atrocities of Manasseh, which he committed and tempted the people into. By the way, one does wonder how such an evil person could be raised by such a godly father as Hezekiah. But it happens.

His example can be a warning to us to be aware of the temptation to be “like unto the abominations of the heathen,” the world around us and in us. We may not be as blatant and obvious in our sin and idolatry, but the subtle attractions of the world can pull us into unbelief, despair, and other great shame and vice. We need to be aware of the ever present dangers of being like the world, and the even greater danger of pulling others to be “like the heathen.” The world has the sentence of death upon it, and so we love not the world.”

2 Chronicles 32:25-26 But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up; therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem. Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

God was blessing the reign of Hezekiah, and the kingdom of Judah was prospering in peace. When things were comfortable and at ease he neglected to thank God and properly worship Him for all the blessings and benefits the Lord had given. His heart was lifted up in pride as he forgot God and took credit for all the good things they were enjoying. Therefore, the wrath of God was coming on them.

Fortunately for him, he recognized what was going on in him, and he turned in repentance and humbled himself. We are not told exactly what he did, but we know that he got right with God in humble dependence and faith. Thus the wrath of God did not come upon the kingdom during his lifetime, although it did come years later because of the prideful unbelief of the people.

We can see ourselves in Hezekiah. Pride is the normal and natural response of the sinner. Humbling is the work of the Word and the Spirit bringing us to repentance and faith in Christ, and thus into the eternal kingdom. God brings down the proud and lifts up the humble. Faith sees the true, eternal, spiritual riches, while pride focuses on the deceitful, temporal, earthly good things. Therefore, we humble ourselves and are willing to be humbled every day.

There is some debate over whether it is more spiritually dangerous to be rich or to be poor, but in any case humility is the best response. We are content, humble and trusting, in either condition. “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” With Paul, we learn how to be rich or poor.