2 Chronicles 35

“So all the service of the Lord was prepared the same day, to keep the Passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord, according to the command of King Josiah. And the children of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. There had been no Passover kept in Israel like that since the days of Samuel the prophet; and none of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as Josiah kept, with the priests and the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept.”  2 Chronicles 35:16-19 (NKJV)

Do you remember the Jesus Movement of the late 1960s, what it was like sitting in a tent in Costa Mesa, California, while Chuck Smith preached and Love Song sang “Little Country Church” for the first time? Chances are, you don’t. Most folks were late responders to that movement, so they cannot recall how it felt when revival broke out. Fifty-seven years had passed since Hezekiah died, and in those years, Judah was ruled by the evil kings Manasseh and Amon. Sure, Manasseh repented and found forgiveness, but it was all too little, too late. The kingdom had gone to the dogs.

Then came the boy-king, Josiah, bent on reform. (2 Chronicles 34:1-3)  His efforts to clean out the temple led to the discovery of the Book of the Law. When the Law was read to Josiah, he believed it and sought the Lord’s forgiveness for Judah’s idolatry. More than lip service, Josiah was willing to put his faith into action. (2 Chronicles 34:29-33)  And he reaped the harvest of revival!  

People respond differently to the Word of God. Some hear the gospel, humble themselves in repentance, and commit to following Messiah Jesus. Others get angry and seek to distance themselves from Him, often becoming violent toward God’s messenger. Jehoiakim, Josiah’s son, was that kind of man. He received the same Word as his father, yet he sought to kill the messenger, Jeremiah, to the prophet. Which begs the question: How do YOU respond to the revelation of God’s Word?

“So the king sent Jehudi to bring the scroll, and he took it from Elishama the scribe’s chamber. And Jehudi read it in the hearing of the king and in the hearing of all the princes who stood beside the king. Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, with a fire burning on the hearth before him. And it happened, when Jehudi had read three or four columns, that the king cut it with the scribe’s knife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. Yet they were not afraid, nor did they tear their garments, the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words. Nevertheless Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah implored the king not to burn the scroll; but he would not listen to them. And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them.” Jeremiah 36:21-26 (NKJV)