In 2 Kings 22, we learned about the reform of King Josiah. The priest while carrying out his commission
to repair the temple found the book of the Law. When the discovered book was
read to Josiah, verse 11 said, “…he tore his clothes to show he was sad and upset.”
Then in verses 12-13, he convened a commission to investigate this. He told
them to “Go and ask the Lord what we should do. Ask for me,
for the people, and for all of Judah. Ask about the words of this book that was
found. The Lord is angry because our ancestors did not listen to the
words of this book. They f did not obey all the commands that were written for
us.”
Second Kings 22:14 tells us
that the council went and consulted with the prophetess Huldah. Her evaluation
and word from the Lord to King Josiah were recorded in 2 Kings 22:15-16. She
declared, “The Lord says this: I am bringing trouble on this
place and on the people who live here…. The people of Judah have left me and
have burned incense to other gods. They made me very angry. They made many
idols. That is why I will show my anger against this place. My anger will be
like a fire that cannot be stopped!” For detail read 2 Kings 22 and 23.
Why was Jeremiah not consulted?
It was probably because he was not as readily available as prophetess Huldah
who was the wife of the wardrobe keeper of the priests. However, we must note
that Jeremiah was used by the Lord to enforce the importance of paying
attention to the Law to the people of Jerusalem. He was personally instructed
in Jeremiah 11:1 to “Hear the words of this covenant, and speak
to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”
In the message to the people,
Jeremiah emphasized the things God had said to the people of Israel when He
delivered them from the fiery furnace of Egypt. The message emphasized by
Jeremiah was captured here in verses 3-5. He said, “Thus says the Lord, the God of
Israel, ‘Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this covenant which I
commanded your forefathers in the day that I brought them out of the land
of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Listen to My voice and do
according to all which I command you; so you shall be My people, and I
will be your God,’ in order to confirm
the oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing
with milk and honey, as it is this day.’” Jeremiah responded
to what Word of the LORD with an affirmative “Amen.” In so
doing, he showed that he concurred with the terms of the covenant and was
prepared to preach it.
The implicit lesson is this: God’s promises are conditional. His blessings will assuredly come to pass for those who will stay faithful to His instruction. Consequences will follow those who will not obey or keep His instruction. We must make obedience one of the hallmarks of our walk with God. We obey not to make God loves us more, but we obey to show that we love and delight in Him. George Muller said: “Every instance of obedience, from the right motive strengthens us spiritually. In contrast, every act of disobedience will weaken us.” We love Him because He first loved us.
No comments:
Post a Comment