1. Revival begins with seeking the Lord, and personal reformation.
2Ch 34:3a For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father:
We pray for revival, but we rarely take time to truly seek the Lord, and reform our own hearts. Yet, this is where it all began – A young man with a heart for God.
And not just any old “God”. It appears from these passages that true understanding of Jehovah was virtually extinct! This is why the writer of II Chronicles points out that Josiah “began to seek after the God of David, his father”.
2. Take action – radical action!
2Ch 34:3b And in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.
2Ch 34:7 And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.
As king, Josiah had the unique opportunity to destroy all the pagan alters/groves in Israel. I might not be king but I do have areas under my influence – we all do. Family, work, friendships, etc.
Do not suffer or tolerate wickedness if you have the power to stop it. Fear not! Tear down those idols and alters.
3. Repair the house of God
2Ch 34:8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.
Only after the first 2 steps are completed does Josiah move to point 3. It is here where he gathers faithful men together to repair the house of God, which had fallen into gross neglect.
There is so much I could say about this point. We see that this job is way bigger than one man, and requires many people from all walks of life and skills to get it done. We see that the workers were faithful in that precious work – which probably took a few years or more.
We see a return to the Word, and its ordinances and doctrines. We see a healthy fear of the Lord, and also his great mercy and kindness.
4. God worked revival and reformation in the hearts of His people.
Josiah was humble and obedient to the Lord. As a result, God worked a miracle in the hearts of the people of Israel. In one generation they went from “worse than the heathen” (2Chron 33:9) to “departing not from following the Lord, the God of their fathers” (2Chron 34:33).
Only God could do that!
They covenanted before the Lord to follow Him alone – and they kept it. They had the holiest, most joyful passover celebration that Israel had known since the days of Samuel!
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