ONE STEP FORWARD AND THEN TWO STEPS BACKWARDS

PROCLAMATION

“The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of The Lord, to follow The Lord and keep His commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in The Book …”  2 Kings 23:3 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

Josiah son of Amon became king of Judah after the assassination of his father. (2 Kings 21:23-24)  As king, Josiah did that which was right in the eyes of The Lord. (2 Kings 22:2)  It was during reign while the temple was being repaired that The Book of The Law was found. (2 Kings 22:8)  After The Book was read to him, he called together all of the elders, priests, and prophets of Judah and he read The Book to them. (2 Kings 23:1-2)  Then he renewed his covenant with The Lord vowing to keep all of His commands, statutes, and decrees with all of his heart and soul. (2 Kings 23:3)  He then went on a campaign to remove and destroy all of the articles of idol worship to Baal, Asherah, and all the starry hosts in and around Jerusalem.  He also did away with the idolatrous priests, the shrine prostitutes, and the high places of idol worship and incense burning. (2 Kings 23:4-15)  He slaughtered all of the idolatrous priests and ordered the people to celebrate the Passover as it was written in The Book. (2 Kings 23:20-23)  Josiah went into battle with Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt, without consulting The Lord God, and he was killed and his son Jehoahaz became king of Judah. (2 Kings 23:29-30)  Jehoahaz did evil in the eyes of The Lord.  Pharaoh Necho put him in chains, took him to Egypt, and made Eliakim son Josiah the king.  Necho changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim.  As king of Judah Jehoiakim did evil in the eyes of The Lord. (2 Kings 23:33-37)  One good king followed by two bad kings.

APPLICATION

It seems that the kings and the people of Judah would take one step forward and then follow it with two steps backwards with respect to pleasing The Lord God.  They would do that which was right in the eyes of The Lord God, then they would return to their sinful ways and do that which was evil in God’s eyes.  Before we judge the Israelites, we need to recognize that we are guilty of doing the very same thing.  We hear The Word of God, get convicted, and promise to do better.  Before too long we are back to our old sinful ways.  We need to obey God’s Word and turn from our wicked ways. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

THE BOOK OF THE LAW IS THE HOLY WORD OF GOD

PROCLAMATION

“Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, ‘I have found The Book of The Law in the temple of The Lord.’  He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. … Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, ‘Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.’  And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.  When the king heard the words of The Book of The Law, he tore his robes.”  2 Kings 22:8-11 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

After the assassination of King Amon, his son Josiah became king of Judah and he did that which was right in the eyes of The Lord. (2 Kings 21:23 to 22:2)  He ordered the priest to use the money which had been entrusted to them to pay the workers who were to repair the temple. (2 Kings 22:3-7)  As work was being done on the temple, Hilkiah the high priest found The Book of The Law, the original Pentateuch, the first five Books of The Bible written by Moses. (2 Kings 22:8)  Hilkiah gave it to Shaphan the secretary who read it in the presence of the king.  Knowing the significance of The Book of The Law, Josiah the king of Judah sought the opinion of the prophet Huldah to learn the meaning of The Book for him and for the people of Judah. (2 Kings 22:12-14) 

APPLICATION

There is power in The Holy Word of God.  Reading The Word of God can change those who read it.  Reading it out loud can change those who hear it.  The Word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword and it can pierce the soul and the spirit of man. (Hebrews 4:12)  We all need to read and study God’s Holy Word so that we know the truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)  We also need to become doers of The Word and not just hearers only. (James 1:22)

DON'T RETURN TO PAST EVIL WAYS

PROCLAMATION

“But the people did not listen.  Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil than the nations The Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.”  2 Kings 21:9 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

After the death of Hezekiah, his son Manasseh succeeded him as king of Judah. (2 Kings 20:21)  Manasseh did evil in the eyes of The Lord.  He rebuilt the high places for idol worship and incense burning that his father Hezekiah had torn down.  He also erected alters to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done.  He sacrificed his own son in the fire, sought omens, and consulted with mediums and spiritists. (2 Kings 21:2-6)    

APPLICATION

It is difficult to take someone’s belief in The Lord God seriously when they keep returning to their same old sinful ways.  While no believer is perfect, we are all still sinners. (Romans 3:23)  However, once we are saved, there is a change within us.  We become a new creature and some of the old sinful behaviors should be put behind us. (2 Corinthians 5:17)  If you are exactly the same after accepting Christ as your Savior as you were beforehand, then you should question your salvation.  Not only should you see a change in your behavior, but those around you should also see a difference in you.  The change that they see in you may help them to believe in God.  So, don’t return to your past sinful behavior, your Christian walk may be the only “Bible” that some people see or read.

A LONGER LIFE FOR DOING WHAT IS RIGHT

PROCLAMATION

“Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of My people, ‘This is what The Lord, The God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. … I will add fifteen years to your life.  And I will deliver you …”  2 Kings 20:5-6 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

Hezekiah got sick and became ill to the point of death.  The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what The Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”  After hearing this, Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed, and wept. (2 Kings 20:2-3)  Isaiah left the presence of the king but before he could get completely out of the palace, The Lord spoke to him and told him to go back to King Hezekiah and tell him that He would heal him and extend his life for fifteen more years.

APPLICATION

Hezekiah walked faithfully before The Lord with wholehearted devotion and did that which was right in the eyes of The Lord and He extended his life.  The Bible says that the days of our lives will be threescore and ten, seventy years old, but that could be lengthen or shortened. (Psalm 90:10)  The Bible also says that we can lengthen our days on earth by honoring our father and mother. (Exodus 20:12)  By honoring them we need to give them affection, reverence, esteem, obedience, and to give them assistance with the things that they need.  Hezekiah showed us that a good Christian walk can also extend our lives on earth.  We do not know the hour or the day when we will transition from labor to reward, but we now know that it is possible to get an extended stay here before we go home to heaven.

THOSE WHO DO WHAT IS RIGHT WILL STILL BE ATTACKED

PROCLAMATION

“In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. (2 Kings 18:13)

EXPLANATION

Hezekiah son of Ahaz became the king of Judah and he did that which was right in the eyes of The Lord just as David had done.  Unlike the other kings before him, Hezekiah tore down the idols and the high places for idol worship and incense burning. (2 Kings 18:1-4)  Hezekiah trusted in The Lord.  There was no one like him and The Lord was with him. (2 Kings 18:5-8)  In the fourth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Shalmaneser king of Assyria attacked and seized Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom. (2 Kings 18:9)  In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked and captured all of the fortified cities of Judah. (2 Kings 18:13)  Initially Hezekiah offered to pay the king of Assyria to withdraw from Judah (2 Kings 18:14)  Then he went to the temple to consult with the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. (2 Kings 19:1-2)  Isaiah told him that The Lord said not to be afraid and that He will make the king of Assyria want to return to his own country. (2 Kings 19:5-7)  Then Hezekiah prayed (2 Kings 19:14-19) and Isaiah told him that The Lord heard his prayer. (2 Kings 19:20)  That night the angel of The Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand members of the Assyrian army and the king of Assyria withdrew from Judah, returned to Nineveh, and he stayed there. (2 Kings 19:35-36)

APPLICATION

Just because you are a believer, a child of The King, and a servant of The Lord, does not mean that the devil will not attack you.  In fact, believers should expect to be attacked.  The devil does not want us to do that which is good and right in the eyes of The Lord.  The people of the world will hate us because we are believers.  Jesus, The Christ, said that we would be hated by all men because of Him (Matthew 10:22) and that they hated Him before they hated us. (John 15:24)  So, when we are attacked, we should count it all as joy (James 1:2) and know that The Lord God is with us; He will never leave us, (Hebrews 13:5) and He will fight our battles. (2 Chronicles 32:8)

DO NOT WORSHIP OTHER GODS

PROCLAMATION

“When The Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, He commanded them: ‘Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them.’”  2 Kings 17:35 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

When Ahaz son of Jotham was king of Judah and Hoshea son of Elah was king of Israel, and Judah had joined Israel in doing evil in the eyes of The Lord, He allowed Shalmaneser king of Assyria to attack and enslave the people of Israel and Judah. (2 Kings 17:5-6)  This happened because the Israelites had sinned against The Lord God. (2 Kings 17:7-17)  He had warned them through the prophets not to do this, and to turn from their evil ways but they would not listen. (2 Kings 17:12-14)  This was why The Lord rejected all of the people of Israel. (2 Kings 17:20)  He allowed them to be captured and taken away from their homes.  Then He let the king of Assyria bring in other people to live in the cities to replace the Israelites. (2 Kings 17:23-24)  The Lord God had commanded them not to worship, bow down to, serve, or offer sacrifices to any other god but they were stubborn and would not listen to Him.  They persisted in their sinful practices. (2 Kings 17:38-40)

APPLICATION

It is sad to admit that after all of the things that The Lord has brought us through, and the things that He has blessed us with, we still do not thank Him, praise Him, or obey Him as we should.  We only worship Him for a couple of hours, one day of the week.  The rest of the time we go on about our sinful, world-like, activities.  We put so many things ahead of Him.  While we do not call these things our gods, we “worship” them and give them the majority of our time, talent, and treasure.  If we count up the time that we spend giving The Lord God prayer, praise, and worship, and studying His Holy Word, we would be embarrassed by how little time we give Him.  Let us plan to give The Lord more of our time and let us stop worshiping the “gods” that we have placed before Him.  It is not possible to truly serve two masters. (Matthew 6:24)

DO NOT IMITATE OR FOLLOW THE WRONG PEOPLE

PROCLAMATION

“In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.  Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years.  Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of The Lord his God.”  2 Kings 16:1-2 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

While the kings of Israel in the northern section were doing evil in the eyes of The Lord, the kings of Judah in the southern section were doing that which was right in the eyes of The Lord until Ahaz became king.  Ahaz king of Judah followed the ways of the kings of Israel.  He even sacrificed his son in the fire and engaged in the detestable practices of the nations which The Lord had driven out from among the Israelites. (2 Kings 16:3) 

APPLICATION

There is a price to pay for doing that which is evil in the eyes of The Lord.  Just because our leaders are doing wrong does not mean that we have to follow in their footsteps.  We do not need to imitate or follow someone who is doing wrong.  We need to do that which is right in the eyes of The Lord.  Jesus, The Christ, told his disciples to: “Follow me.” (Matthew 4:19 and Matthew 16:24)  Today as believers we are His disciples and we should be following His example.  We should not be imitating or following the sinful people of the world.