Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Radical Reformation

For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, the carved images and the molten images. They tore down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars that were high above them he chopped down; also the Asherim, the carved images and the molten images he broke in pieces and ground to powder and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. Then he burned the bones of the priests on their altars and purged Judah and Jerusalem. (2 Chronicles 34:4-5)

So much for resting in peace!  Even the bones of the wicked priests were burned.  This young king was seriously practicing radical reformation.  Like radical surgery in our day, there is no place for leaving something deadly in place.  Spiritual reformation has been practiced through the ages but not always so fiercely. Imagine this response to idolatry in our day. Uncivilized, we would say.  But nothing has changed with God. And the destruction of sin rolls on. The good King Josiah was zealous about removing the evil influence and restoring the righteousness of godly worship in the kingdom. And this was before he read the law in the house of the Lord! God sees the destruction of the wicked as an already accomplished feat. This practical action of destroying the wicked in the physical realm is something God has decreed in the spiritual domain. The judgment of idolatry is severe. The judgment of idolatry is unwavering and nonnegotiable. It is complete destruction. Sin and sinners are judged forever at the cross. There are no living survivors.  It is written.  Lord, make it so!



1 comment:

riley said...

WOW! Good job