A DYNAMIC YOUNG LEADER

Reading II Chronicles 34 is a delightful change from its surrounding chapters because it finally presents a king of Judah who was thoroughly faithful to God! His name was Josiah and he became king when he was twelve years old.  Although it doesn’t say so, he was surely mentored by the priests.

When he had been king for eight years – he was still only a teenager – he began to seek the God of David his ancestor. [v.1]

Four years later, the twelfth year of his reign, he set out to cleanse the neighborhood of sex-and-religion shrines, and get rid of the sacred Asherah groves and the god and goddess figurines, whether carved or cast, from Judah. He wrecked the Baal shrines, tore down the altars connected with them, and scattered the debris and ashes over the graves of those who had worshiped at them. He burned the bones of the priests on the same altars they had used when alive. He scrubbed the place clean, Judah and Jerusalem, clean inside and out. [vs4-5]

Then he turned his attention toward the Temple and had it cleaned out of all its profane false gods and offensive items! His cleansing of the nation extended not only throughut Jerusalem but to the other cities of Judah!

Throughout Israel he demolished the altars and Asherah groves, pulverized the god and goddess figures, chopped up the neighborhood shrines into firewood. [v.7]

It was at this point that the men working on The Temple found the Book of God’s Revelation! It was brought to Josiah and as his servant began reading it to him – he ripped his robes in dismay. [v.19]

He immediately sought prayer from his associates who consulted the prophetess, Huldah,, to see what the king should do. 

It’s always interesting to me that God was willing to use female prophets in the Old Testament, yet some question the use of female pastors today.

Her immediate response was to remind them of how angry God was with the people of Israel and Judah because of their horribly offensive turning to other gods!  She reminds Josiah’s messengers that God had already pronounced judgment against His people for their chronic sinfulness.

Then she proceeded with a message specifically for Josiah:

 “And also tell the king of Judah, since he sent you to ask God for direction, God’s comment on what he read in the book: ‘Because you took seriously the doom of judgment I spoke against this place and people, and because you responded in humble repentance, tearing your robe in dismay and weeping before me, I’m taking you seriously. God’s word. I’ll take care of you; you’ll have a quiet death and be buried in peace. You won’t be around to see the doom that I’m going to bring upon this place and people.’” [vs.26-28]

The chapter ends with the following:

Josiah did a thorough job of cleaning up the pollution that had spread throughout Israelite territory and got everyone started fresh again, serving and worshiping their God. All through Josiah’s life the people kept to the straight and narrow, obediently following God, the God of their ancestors. [v.33]

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I keep reporting a truth that Christian teachers need to incorporate into the closing of their lessons!

We must always end our lessons asking our students what we can learn from what we’ve studied today!  This is essential! What’s the value of knowing all of the details of the Bible unless we unpack its meaning for us TODAY?

I’ve had many good teachers in the churches that I’ve served, but few who understood this principle!

 

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM II Chronicles 34?  Some suggestions:

·         Young people need mentoring if we hope for them to turn out healthy, balanced and with good perspective!

·         Maintaining a strong, consistent, meaningful relationship with God assures us of His presence and blessing on our lives!

·         Surrounding ourselves with wise, godly, faithful advisors assures us of a worthy legacy!

·         Godly advisors [even female] can be God’s way of directing our path and assuring us of His continuing presence!

·         Our spiritual impact is larger than we realize! God used Josiah’s innocence to direct the soul of the whole nation of Judah!

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Kind and gracious God,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit:

Thank You for Your faithfulness in watching over us!

 

For those of us who had godly direction in our younger years – WE ARE SO GRATEFUL!

 

For those who did not have that direction – but still found Your Way,

WE ARE SO GRATEFUL THAT YOU ARE THE HOUND OF HEAVEN

AND SOUGHT THEM OUT TO ENJOY ALL OF YOUR BENEFITS!

 

Give us the wisdom to seek out models – like that of Josiah –

to order up our lives in ways that will be pleasing to You!

 

Magnify our witness on Your behalf so that others may be directed – by our example –

to Your great and marvelous grace! We SO want to be a fruitful branch!

 

Above all:

Help us to live honorably before You 24/7/365!

We don’t want a record spotted by inconsistency and periods of back-sliding!

 

Give us the wisdom to seek You daily – even hourly!

To let our light shine persistently!

 

Day by day, dear Lord,
of thee three things I pray;
to see thee more clearly,
to love thee more dearly,
to follow thee more nearly,
day by day.

 

AMEN!

WHEN FEAR STRIKES - PRAY FIRST

Jehoshaphat was king of Judah from approximately 873 to 848 B.C.  His father, Asa, had been a good king who made some bad decisions toward the end of his life.

All-in-all, Jehoshaphat was a good king. According to II Chronicles 17:3-5 ™,

God was on Jehoshaphat’s side because he stuck to the ways of his father Asa’s early years. He didn’t fool around with the popular Baal religion—he was a seeker and follower of the God of his father and was obedient to him; he wasn’t like Israel. And God secured the kingdom under his rule, gave him a firm grip on it. And everyone in Judah showed their appreciation by bringing gifts. Jehoshaphat ended up very rich and much honored. He was single-minded in following God; 

Unfortunately, like his father, Jehoshaphat made some poor choices along the way and disappointed God.  For a season, he aligned himself with the evil king of Israel, Ahab.  God sent a prophet to reprimand Jehoshaphat and from that point on, he determined to remain faithful to God!

TO BE FAIR – Isn’t this true for all of us?

Some time later the Moabites and Ammonites, accompanied by Meunites, joined forces to make war on Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat received this intelligence report: “A huge force is on its way from beyond the Dead Sea to fight you. There’s no time to waste—they’re already [near].”

Shaken, Jehoshaphat prayed. He went to God for help and ordered a nationwide fast. The country of Judah united in seeking God’s help—they came from all the cities of Judah to pray to God.

Then Jehoshaphat took a position before the assembled people of Judah and Jerusalem at The Temple of God in front of the new courtyard and said, “O God, God of our ancestors, are you not God in heaven above and ruler of all kingdoms below? You hold all power and might in your fist—no one stands a chance against you! And didn’t you make the natives of this land leave as you brought your people Israel in, turning it over permanently to your people Israel, the descendants of Abraham your friend? They have lived here and built a holy house of worship to honor you, saying, ‘When the worst happens—whether war or flood or disease or famine—and we take our place before this Temple (we know you are personally present in this place!) and pray out our pain and trouble, we know that you will listen and give victory.’  [II Chronicles 20:1-9  ™]

Let’s observe Jehoshaphat’s response to this impending threat:

1.   He prayed!

2.   He called his people to prayer and fasting!

3.   He went to the Temple and led the nation in public prayer! 

NOTICE:

He didn’t panic!

He didn’t call for his military leaders!

He didn’t begin to fortify the city!

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I need this reminder as much as anyone else!

When bad news arrives, we must train ourselves to turn to God FIRST!

HE IS OUR SOVEREIGN GOD!

ü He is all powerful!

ü He is everywhere present!

ü He is all-knowing!

Who better to guide and advise us in the midst of trials and difficult times? 

But how quickly we worry and fret as though we did not serve the Lord and Master of the universe! 

We need more than a string tied around our finger! 

We need to be diligent in training ourselves daily – even hourly – to turn to the Lord and trust Him to see us through whatever the world [or our spiritual enemy] throws at us! 

When Jehoshaphat prayed before his people, he included this reminder: 

‘When the worst happens – whether war or flood or disease or famine – and we take our place before this Temple (we know You are personally present in this place!) and pray out our pain and trouble, we know that You will listen and give victory.’  [20:9 ™] 

Jehoshaphat applied two principles: 

     I.        PRAY!

   II.        AGREEMENT PRAYER! 

We need to train ourselves to do the same! 

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Now I know that some of you want to know how this situation turned out. 😊

First, in response to all of the prayer, God sent a prophet to speak to Jehoshaphat:

He said, “Attention everyone—all of you from out of town, all you from Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat—God’s word: Don’t be afraid; don’t pay any mind to this vandal horde. This is God’s war, not yours. Tomorrow you’ll go after them; …You won’t have to lift a hand in this battle; just stand firm, Judah and Jerusalem, and watch God’s saving work for you take shape. Don’t be afraid, don’t waver. March out boldly tomorrow—God is with you.”  [20:15-17 ™]

 Second,

Then Jehoshaphat knelt down, bowing with his face to the ground. All Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping God. The Levites (both Kohathites and Korahites) stood to their feet to praise God, the God of Israel; they praised at the top of their lungs!  [20:18 ™]

THIS IS IMPORTANT! They rejoiced and thanked God BEFORE they saw the arrival of God’s promised deliverance!

Third,

The next morning, Jehoshaphat prayed over his people and deliberated with them about how to go into battle.  Corporately, they decided to put a choir out in front of their forces to sing and give praise to God as they marched into battle!

Think about it! Would you have volunteered to be on the worship team for this special event? 

As this praise gathering marched ahead of the troops shouting and praising God,

 God set ambushes against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir as they were attacking Judah, and they all ended up dead.  [20:22 ™]

GOD IS GOOD FOR HIS WORD! HE DELIVERS!

HE DELIVERED JEHOSHAPHAT AND HIS PEOPLE!

AND HE’LL DELIVER YOU – IF YOU PRIORITIZE PRAYER AND YOUR TRUST IN HIM! 

GOD IS MERCIFUL!

Zephaniah is one of the least-read books of the Bible.  Most would have to turn to the table of contents to even find it. 

Remarkably, Zephaniah was the great, great grandson of one of Judah’s good kings – Hezekiah. 

It’s also noteworthy to observe that Zephaniah served God during the reign of Josiah, King of Judah!

Josiah became king as a child and was raised by the priests.  He became a godly leader who brought MAJOR reforms to his people.

God used Zephaniah to prophesy about these reforms.  He allowed Zephaniah to see ahead of time the tremendous purging that God intended to accomplish. 

Some of what God intends are:

o   Get rid of the sex-and-religion Baal shrines and their priests

o   Destroy those who worship the star gods and goddesses

o   Eliminate those who worship GOD and also other gods.

o   Deal with those who have completely abandoned GOD altogether! 

God refers to this coming purge as His Great Judgment Day!  GOD is going to clean house!  Divine punishment is coming for all those who disregard the holiness of GOD! 

Those who have displeased GOD will have no recourse or rescue!  Money, position, or power will not save them!  There will be lots of pain!  “Even strong men” will be “screaming for help.”  [1:14 TM]

[GOD speaking] “I’ll make things so bad they won’t even know what hit them.”  [1:17  TM]

WHY?

Because “They’ve sinned against GOD!”   [1:17 TM]

Zephaniah’s first chapter ends with these words: 

“This is the Day of GOD’s Judgment – my wrath!  I care about sin with fiery passion!”  [1:18 TM]

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I applaud you if you’ve stayed with me this far! 

When I read this, I found myself focusing on those last words:  [GOD speaking]  “I care about sin with fiery passion!

From a divine perspective, God cannot tolerate the presence of sin! 

Now, why do we so quickly begin to think of the terrible sins prevalent in our world?  Yet, we ignore the terrible sins we commit regularly! 

God cannot abide MY SIN!  My sin must be dealt with!  It calls for my punishment!  I am held accountable for my sin;   this includes my sin in thought, word, and deed!  Yet repeatedly, I am given a reprieve!  By confessing my sin, I am able to claim the forgiveness offered to me through Christ – the One who paid the penalty for my sin on His Cross! 

It's not fair!  But it is just!  It is a completed work!  I live eternally grateful to Jesus for this amazing benefit! 

But what about all the sin we see in our world every day!  This sin is repugnant to GOD!  He can’t abide the presence of this sin either!  This sin must be punished.  This sin will be punished – unless it is confessed and forgiven by Christ! 

OUR RESPONSE:

The Natural Person’s Response:

These are horrible people who are committing all these sins!  They deserve to be punished!  Get them, God!  Condemn them!  They have no claim to all Your goodness and the joys that come from serving You!

The Spiritual Person’s Response:

Have mercy, Gracious God!  Extend time so that these precious souls will have time and opportunity to seek You and find You!  Guide them into Your fold so that they may enjoy the benefits of Your Eternal Kingdom!

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THE FACTS:

Ultimately, many will be condemned.

Why?

Because GOD cares about sin with fiery passion and He cannot abide the presence of sin! 

But, in the meantime, He extends His mercy!  He prolongs his Judgment!  He reaches out to the lost! 

And as His people, we too should be reaching out to those who don't know Him! 

Here we are, then, speaking for Christ, as though God himself were making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ's behalf: let God change you from enemies into his friends!   [II Corinthians 5:20   Good News Translation]