"...for those only seek God acceptably and successfully that are inward with Him, intent upon Him, and entire for Him, in their seeking Him."
"The greatest honour we are capable of in this world is to be taken into covenant with God, and to live in His service."
"We should give ourselves to God; we cannot bestow ourselves better. When we give ourselves to the Lord, we then give Him all we have to be called for and disposed of according to His will."
- all of the above quotes are from Matthew Henry
"Every major or minor revival of true faith has involved a rediscovery of the teaching of the Word of God." - Believer's Bible Commentary
In 2 Chronicles 29:10, we read King Hezekiah's words saying - "Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that His fierce wrath may turn away from us."
In 2 Chronicles 15:12, we read of King Asa and all the people - "And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul."
In 2 Chronicles 23:16, we read of Jehoiada, the priest - "And Jehoida made a covenant between him, and between all the people, and between the king, that they should be the LORD's people."
In 2 Chronicles 34:31, we read about King Josiah - "And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep His commandments, and His testimonies, and His statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book."
In each case, we see that the people of Judah - under the leadership of their king or priest - entered into a "covenant" with God.
In 2 Chronicles 29:10, we see the reason for the enacting of a "covenant" among the people - "that His (God's) fierce wrath may turn away from us."
In 2 Chronicles 34:18-19, and 30, we find what actually provoked the making of a "covenant" before the LORD - "Then Shaphan the scribe told the king (Josiah), saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law that he rent his clothes.... And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD."
It was the reading of the "book of the covenant" and seeing how far they had forsaken God's ways for other ways that moved them to repentance, reformation, and refocus.
Whether we see -
...Hezekiah seeking to turn God's fierce wrath away from him and the people
...Asa calling the people to seek the LORD God with all their hearts and all their souls
...Jehoiada reminding the people that they had been separated from the nations to be God's people
...or Josiah calling the nation to walk after the LORD, while performing all the words of the covenant which were written in the book of the covenant
- they all had one central purpose for making a "covenant" and that was to bind two parties - God and His people - together once again.
When they read the words found in the "book of the covenant" and saw how far they had drifted from God's original purpose for their nation, they devised drastic measures towards a National Reformation.
Hezekiah's reformation began with the spiritual leaders. He called for their sanctification and also for the "cleansing of the house of the LORD." (2 Chronicles 29:15) His focus was on restoring the worship of the one, true God. In doing so, he placed him and his people under the authority of God once again. After the leadership got right with God, it didn't take long for the people to become "fired-up" for Him. In 2 Chronicles 32, it is recorded that they went throughout the cities of Judah and destroyed all the images, groves, high places, and altars. What a National Reformation this was!
Asa's reformation stressed "seeking the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul." In fact, this "covenant" was so binding that "whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel" would be put to death (2 Chronicles 15). He (Asa) showed no tolerance for idolatry in any way, shape, or form - not only removing all idols from the land of Judah but also from the cities of Ephraim which he had taken in battle. He also restored the "altar" and the blood sacrifices. This reformation "sparked" as the result of a word of prophecy from Azariah saying - "If ye seek Him (God), He will be found of you; but if ye forsake Him, He will forsake you." (verse 2)
The first thing Jehoiada did in his reformation was remove (by death) the source of God's judgment on the people - evil Athaliah. In her place, he set up the king's son Joash as the new king. At this point, reformation was swift. Jehoiada's main objective was that the people of Judah would once again be the LORD's people. In order to demonstrate their new commitment, the people destroyed the temple of Baal - including all of its altars and images - and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal. Being a priest himself, Jehoiada saw the need for order to be established in the temple services. As he assigned the Levites, priests, and gatekeepers to their duties, the holiness of the temple once again became important in the eyes of the people.
Even though Josiah had an early reformation in that he purged the land of the high places, altars, groves, and images, the actual national reformation did not happen until the "book of the law" was found in the "house of the LORD" and then read before him as king. In hearing the "words of the law," he realized that "great wrath" was upon them because their fathers had not "kept the word of the LORD." This action provoked him to call the people to "make a covenant before the LORD" - committing themselves to walk after Him in obedience.
How does all this apply to us today?
When reading the Bible, it is very clear to see that we - as individual nations - have forsaken the LORD God. Sin, perversion, idolatry, outright rebellion, and unbelief abound on every side. People have turned from God's ways to their own or other ways. "...Evil men and seducers are waxing worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived" (2 Timothy 3:13).
Sad but true, the very sins of the nations are found even in the midst of some churches.
A National Reformation is a must!
There is no question about it - as it was in the days of these chosen Bible Reformers, God's "great wrath" is also upon us.
As in Hezekiah's day, there needs to be a call to sanctification or separation from the world and all its uncleanness among many of the spiritual leaders of today. The "house of the LORD" needs a cleansing and true, Biblical worship - where Jesus alone is exalted and praised - needs to be restored. Many need to once again come under the authority of God and His Word. All idols in and out of the church need to come down!
As in Asa's day, there needs to be a fresh commitment to "seek God with all of our hearts and souls" - refusing to look to the "arm of the flesh" or any other source for help in time of need. Many in the church need to lay aside all idols of the world - such as money and pleasure - and once again make Jesus their "first love." Seeking God daily in prayer and the study of His Word needs to become a delight rather than a chore or duty.The "altar" once again needs to be established in the homes where all gather together to "seek" the face of the LORD.
As in Jehoiada's day, there needs to arise a new commitment to become the people of God - conformed to the image of His Son Jesus - being dead to Self...totally sold-out to Him...eager to see Him glorified and His will done in all the earth...and ready and willing to obey Him at all costs.
As in Josiah's day, there needs to be a return to the preaching of the "whole counsel of God" - allowing for the "fear of the LORD" to once again become the main deterrent to sin. The unadulterated Word of God needs to be preached and taught - in no way altering it to fit the sinful lifestyles of the people - nor sugar-coating or soft-soaping it to please or entertain the people living in compromise and sin. It must always be applied to the lives of its hearers in order for them to know how to walk it out in their daily lives.
In each of the above cases, we saw that the people of Judah - under the leadership of their king or priest - entered into a "covenant" with God.
Deuteronomy 29:12-13 explains this "covenant" for us - "That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into His oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day: That He may establish thee today for a people unto Himself, and that He may be unto thee a God..."
Deuteronomy 29:18-19 gives the reason why we so desperately need reformation in our day and time - "Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations...And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart..."
A National Reformation is a must!
Who will start a Reformation?
Seeing God's wrath on the land and the idolatry and hardened hearts of the people, as an individual, you can start a Reformation in your own life and then carry it on to your family, friends, co-workers, church, ministry, etc.
Like never before, "seek the LORD with all your heart and soul" - making sacrifices throughout your day in order to spend quality time in the Word of God and prayer. Wholeheartedly determine that you will be counted as one of God's godly and separated ones - with no tolerance for any idolatry in your heart whatsoever. As you are exposed to the Word of God - in preaching, teaching, or reading - apply it to your life - making a concerted effort to be a "doer" rather than just an "hearer" of it.
A National Reformation is a must!
Just as He did with Hezekiah, Asa, Jehoiada, and Josiah, God can use you to start a Reformation - to bring a nation of people back to Himself.
It all begins with a "covenant." Make a "covenant" with the LORD today.
Remember - the central purpose of making a "covenant" is to bring two parties - God and His people - together once again.
Collectively, let's work to bring down all idolatry in our lands so that Jesus alone is exalted and praised!
May God Bless His Word,
Connie
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. (Isaiah 54:17)
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