King Josiah – The Renewal

2 Kings 23: 2He went up to the temple of the Lord with the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets – all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord.

2 Kings 22 records of Josiah’s discovery of God’s word. He had not been brought up with the Law of God. He was totally ignorant of the rule of law because his predecessors have not set a good example. However, when he heard the scriptures being read by the high priest, he tore his clothes and repented before God. He sought to find out more about God. Because of his desire to know more about the true God, God Almighty spared him from the curse. He was promised a peaceful life and that during his reign he will not witness any evil.

Josiah, in honor of the living God, cleansed the temple of all idols, and ensured every altar and every high place all across the kingdom were burned down. He invited the citizens of his kingdom to the temple and in their hearing, read the Word of God. He made a covenant before the Lord that day in the hearing of all the people – to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant. 2 Kings 23: 3

Not only the king repented but the entire nation of Judah repented before the Lord. The king and his people pledged to follow the Lord. A revival of an entire nation happened that day. Not only he destroyed all the idols and high places in Judea but he also went into Samaria and destroyed the high places there. He spared no high priest who offered or sacrificed to the idols and killed them. Until he finished cleansing the land of all the idols and idol worship, he didn’t return to Jerusalem. Such was his zeal for the Lord.

Soon after his return to Jerusalem, he commanded his people to celebrate the Passover. He understood the significance of the Passover – the shedding of an innocent lamb for the redemption of sins. The Bible records that such a Passover was not celebrated since the days of Samuel and never was celebrated since then. Even during the reign of the kings of both Israel and Judah, such a grand Passover was not celebrated. During the Passover, King Josiah, priests, the Levites and other officials gave animals as freewill offering. They did everything according to the ordinance written in the Word. The blood was sprinkled by the high priests on the people and the entire nation was sanctified that day. They renewed their covenant before the Lord that day.

2 Kings 23: 25Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did – with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.

Can you imagine such a revival in these last days? Imagine an entire nation repenting of their sins and the sins of their forefathers, renewing the relationship with God and ensuring that there is no evil in the land! Is it even possible to be sanctified at such a large scale today? If a little ember can set a forest ablaze, can’t a single flickering soul set ablaze a revival fire in the hearts of people in this land and in the world? Yes, there are pastors, leaders who are striving to bring the Good News of the Gospel and they are sounding the alarm of the impending Rapture and Tribulation. God, in His mercy, is giving us opportunities for us to return to Him and renew our relationship with Him once again. Alas, the hearts of people have turned stone cold!

We, who are believers, must continue to fan into flames the holy fire that has set our hearts ablaze so others around us can catch it. Let us not hide this little light under a bushel but set it high on a pedestal so everyone can see. The time is now. Let us be the torchbearers for the Lord in these last days. One renewed soul on fire can bring a whole nation to its knees before the Lord.