Thursday, July 3

THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2014

2 Kings 22:3–23:30

Acts 21:37–22:16

Psalm 1:1–6

Proverbs 18:11,12

 

 

“Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.  He 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.  The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant ion the presence of the Lord – to follow the Lord and keep his commands, regulations, and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book.  Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant….

 

“Furthermore, Josiah got rid of the mediums and spiritists, the household gods, the idols, and all the other detestable things seen in Judah and Jerusalem.  This he did to fulfill the requirements of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the temple of the Lord.  Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did – with all this heart and with all this soul and with all his strength, in according with all the Law of Moses.” (2 Kings 23:1–3,24,25)

 

“Before his downfall, a man’s heart is proud,

                but humility comes before honor.” (Proverbs 18:12)

 

 

King Josiah wisely and intentionally rid the land of Judah of those idols and individuals that had drawn the people’s hearts away from following God.  God had clearly communicated His sovereign choice to support His people as long as they remained faithful to Him, but, in worshipping other gods and pursuing practices detestable to the One Living God, the people had clearly broken their end of the covenant.  The exile of Israel and later Judah clearly indicates the people’s violation and their reaping of what they had sown.

 

Yet, for this period of King Josiah’s reign, we see the effects of studying God’s Word and taking the appropriate action.  The king does not waver in unbelief, but rather he exercises his faith through carrying out what God desired.  The leadership of Israel and Judah had previously failed the people, abandoning God’s wisdom after becoming enticed with foreign gods and women.  Even King Solomon had fallen short of his father David’s example of looking only to God Himself.

 

King Josiah acted out of humility, which teaches us our correct standing before God and others.  Humility explains that we are created in God’s image and would do well to look to His wisdom above our own.  False humility argues that we are worthless pieces of dust, but true humility recognizes the value of each person, bearing the image of the eternal God, but also the tendency to fall short and pursue our own selfish ends.  For Josiah, we definitely find that the rightful commendation that he receives stemmed from his treatment of humility and pride:  “…  humility comes before honor.” (Proverbs 18:12)

 

For us on this Independence Day, we may rejoice in the freedom granted to us by the hard labor and sacrifice of generations that have come before us.  The First Amendment grants five freedoms (exercise of religion and no established religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition of grievances):  “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”  Let’s consider what the “free exercise [of religion]” means for us today.

 

We have the great privilege of exercising our faith on a daily basis.  We may celebrate what God has done in our lives, praise Him, pray to Him, seek Him out through His Word, and love Him without fear.

 

In Romans 6:15–18, Paul argues that, in light of our freedom, we ought to become “slaves to righteousness”:  “What then?  Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?  By no means!   Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey — whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?  But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.  You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.”

 

We may believe that true freedom comes from being free to pursue our own best interests.  Yet, we understand from this passage and others that this selfishness ultimately leads to becoming bound to sin.  Freedom descends into slavery.

 

Real freedom comes through loving and serving God and His people, the purposes for which we were created.  Paul continues in this passage to explain that slavery to sin leads to death, while committing ourselves to righteousness (God’s purposes for us) through faith yields the gift of eternal life.

 

May we cherish the opportunity we have to choose true, lasting freedom through Jesus Christ, Who has bought this liberty with His blood.

 

 

Lord Jesus, we rejoice in Your sure salvation today.  Thank You for the many convincing proofs that You did indeed rise from the grave and that we may trust You for eternal life and the day-to-day struggle of exercising our faith.  Thank You for the freedom that we have in the United States to serve and love You and Your people and to gather together with our spiritual family to study Your Word.  Help us to cherish true freedom and to understand the depths of its implications for our lives.  Point out to us where we may destroy idols and distractions in our lives, so that we may drink deeply from Your real freedom.  In Your Name, amen.

 

________________________________________
1) Blog:                  http://bit.ly/rV1Cw1

2) Facebook:        http://on.fb.me/tc6jkS