INTERESTING FACTS : CHARLES CARROLL, SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; SELECTED AS DELEGATE TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION; FRAMER OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS; U. S. SENATOR -

 

"ON THE MERCY OF MY REDEEMER I RELY FOR SALVATION AND ON HIS MERITS, NOT ON THE WORKS I HAVE DONE IN OBEDIENCE TO HIS PRECEPTS."

 

"GRATEFUL TO ALMIGHTY GOD FOR THE BLESSINGS WHICH, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD, HE HAD CONFERRED ON MY BELOVED COUNTRY IN HER EMANCIPATION AND ON MYSELF IN PERMITTING ME, UNDER CIRCUMSTANCES OF MERCY, TO LIVE TO THE AGE OF 89 YEARS, AND TO SURVIVE THE FIFTIETH YEAR OF INDEPENDENCE, ADOPTED BY CONGRESS ON THE 4TH OF JULY 1776, WHICH I ORIGINALLY SUBSCRIBED ON THE 2D DAY OF AUGUST OF THE SAME YEAR AND OF WHICH I AM NOW THE LAST SURVIVING SIGNER."

 

DAILY READING : 2 KINGS 20 - 22

 

TEXT : 2Ki 22:1  Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath. 2Ki 22:2  And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left. 2Ki 22:8  And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. 2Ki 22:9  And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD. 2Ki 22:10  And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. 2Ki 22:11  And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.

 

THEME : REPENTANCE

 

From godly to ungodly, to godly to ungodly, the winding path of good king to evil king continues in Judah. Hezekiah, Manasseh, Josiah, and Jehoahaz - they all form a mosaic displaying a picture of the unpredictability, variability, and uncertainty of what each man will choose for themselves. As previously stated, each individual in life must choose for themselves to follow the Lord or not. This we clearly see in the lives of Judah's kings. Though Manasseh had Hezekiah for a father, he was exceptionally wicked and perverse. On the other hand, Hezekiah is shown mercy from the Lord because he walks with God according to the Lord's Word. Likewise, though Jehoahaz's father was Josiah, he chooses a life of sinful rebellion against God.

 

It is a grave error for the parent to believe that he or she is directly responsible for the behavior of their children once they are able to choose. In our society, much indoctrination based on the fiction of the perfectibility of Man through education and example has been spread and taken as granted, as true. Many a grieving parent - both fathers and mothers, torment themselves  ad infinitum, wondering what they did wrong that their son or daughter turned out to be so impious, iniquitous, or bad. The Bible, as well as history, tells us another story.

 

Namely, that no matter how godly a parent may be, not matter how much training they gave their son or daughter, the will of God is to permit everyone to choose for themselves whom they will serve, how they will act, what they will think, and which path of life they will walk on - one to Heaven, the other to Hell. It pleased God to make life this way. We should also turn this around and say parents ought not to think too highly of themselves for their godly children, for the same rule applies. People choose for themselves. Further, we take the glory from God to whom it belongs if a parent believes they made their son or daughter the godly individual they are. Thus, we ought not to think it strange, nor lay too much blame or praise on the parent. All of humanity is in the Hands of God. They decide, God judges and responds accordingly. No doubt, influence is powerful for the human being. Yet, God's grace as well as His wrath is more powerful.

 

After Hezekiah dies, his son Manasseh takes the throne. He is exceptionally wicked. Thus, the Bible records -  "Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hephzibah.  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.    But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel."[2 Ki 21:1 - 2; 9]

 

Here we see Manasseh leading the children of Judah to sin worse than those [nations] who knew not the Lord. The New Testament has a counterpart in this respect as recorded in 1Corinthians_5:1 that says - "It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife." Again, it stuns the intellect to read that those who [profess] to know God can actually sin worse than those in the world! We would not write a story this way. Our heroes would always do right, and their children would be the godliest of the godly. However, this is not the case. Historically, those who asserted a claim to know God and His commands, have committed worse crimes and sin then those who have no religious affiliation or relation with the One True God. In the history of the Europe, the Borgia family is considered to be the world's first crime family. Yet, two members of the Borgia family held the highest office in the Church! Realizing the crimes committed by the families of La Cosa Nostra, this is quite an astonishing revelation.

 

"The Borgias became prominent in ecclesiastical and political affairs in the 1400s and 1500s. They produced two popes during this period, Alfons de Borja who ruled as Pope Calixtus III during 1455-1458, and Rodrigo Lanzol Borgia, as Pope Alexander VI, during 1492-1503. Today they are remembered for their corrupt rule during the reign of Alexander VI. They have been accused of many different crimes, including adultery, simony, theft, rape, bribery, incest, and murder (especially murder by arsenic poisoning). Because of their search for power, they made enemies of other powerful families such as the Medici and the Sforza, as well as the influential Dominican friar Savonarola."[1]

 

Thus, we observe, there is nothing new under the sun. The Church today is rife with compromise, corruption, ungodliness, and, in short, "wickedness in high places." [Eph 6:12] However, we must emulate Josiah, son of Manasseh. His heart turned to the Lord in the midst of a group of incredibly ungodly and hypocritical professors of religion. Further, he served the Lord with bold deeds much to the displeasure of the people he ruled over. What is more astonishing, is the fact that judgment was coming on Judah despite the fact Judah [now] had a godly king. The sins of Manasseh had taken the people too far to be redeemed without [severe] judgment. This is a critical lesson for us. It is quixotic [2]in the most literal employment of that word, to believe that electing good men equals the blessing of God. We see this is Josiah, for though he is exceptionally godly, judgment on the people of God could not be eased.

 

2Ki 22:16  Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read: 2Ki 22:17  Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched. 2Ki 22:18  But to the king of Judah which sent you to enquire of the LORD, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard; 2Ki 22:19  Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the LORD. 2Ki 22:20  Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.

 

Thus, as Josiah is performing great acts of reform, there is [another] young man - about the same age as Josiah, with a message for the people. His name was Jeremiah. Jeremiah would prophecy during the reign of Josiah as well as Jehoahaz telling the people they would be taken captive by Babylon.

 

"Jeremiah was called by the Lord to the office of a prophet while still a youth (Jer_1:6) about 20 years of age, in the 13th year of King Josiah (Jer_1:2; Jer_25:3), in the year 627 bc, and was active in this capacity from this time on to the destruction of Jerusalem, 586 bc, under kings Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. Even after the fall of the capital city he prophesied in Egypt at least for several years, so that his work extended over a period of about 50 years in all. At first he probably lived in Anathoth, and put in his appearance publicly in Jerusalem only on the occasion of the great festivals; later he lived in Jerusalem, and was there during the terrible times of the siege and the destruction of the city.

 

Although King Josiah was God-fearing and willing to serve Yahweh, and soon inaugurated his reformation according to the law of Yahweh (in the 18th year of his reign), yet Jeremiah, at the time when he was called to the prophetic office, was not left in doubt of the fact that the catastrophe of the judgment of God over the city would soon come (Jer_1:11); and when, after a few years, the Book of the Law was found in the temple (2 Ki 22 and 23), Jeremiah preached "the words of this covenant" to the people in the town and throughout the land (Jer_11:1-8; Jer_17:19-27), and exhorted to obedience to the Divine command; but in doing this then and afterward he became the object of much hostility, especially in his native city, Anathoth. Even his own brethren or near relatives entered into a conspiracy against him by declaring that he was a dangerous fanatic (Jer_12:6). However, the condition of Jeremiah under this pious king was the most happy in his career, and he lamented the latter's untimely death in sad lyrics, which the author of Chronicles was able to use (2Ch_35:25), but which have not come down to our times." [International Standard Bible Encyclopedia]

 

Therefore, we see, at times, the sins of the people have gone too far for God to stay His Hand of judgment. Yet, we can make a decision for our self to be saved from judgment to come, as Josiah did.

 

TRUTH FOR TODAY : SAVE YOURSELF FROM THIS PERVERSE GENERATION!

 

From the life of Josiah, we learn that we can make a decision for our self to follow the Lord. Regardless of what others do, we decide for our self whether we will serve Christ or not. "And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation." [Act_2:40]

 

"Save yourselves from this untoward generation - Separate yourselves from them: be ye saved, σωθητε: the power is present with you; make a proper use of it, and ye shall be delivered from their obstinate unbelief, and the punishment that awaits it in the destruction of them and their city by the Romans." [Adam Clarke]

 

"Save yourselves - This expression here denotes, preserve yourselves from the influence, opinions, and fate of this generation. It implies that they were to use diligence and effort to deliver themselves. God deals with people as free agents. He calls upon them to put forth their own power and effort to be saved. Unless they put forth their own strength, they will never be saved. When they are saved, they will ascribe to God the praise for having inclined them to seek him, and for the grace whereby they are saved."[ Albert Barnes]

 

"saying, save yourselves from this untoward generation: meaning, the chief priests, Scribes, and Pharisees, and elders of the people, chiefly, who were a perverse generation of men; and upon whom, for their impenitence and unbelief, for their rejection of the Messiah, and their evil treatment of him, wrath and ruin would come upon them, to the uttermost, very quickly; wherefore the apostle exhorts to separate from them, and not partake of their sins, lest they should also of their plagues; but come out from among them, and so, in a temporal sense, save themselves from the destruction that would quickly come on their nation, city, and temple; and so the Arabic version renders it, "escape from this rough generation". [John Gill]

 

"Save yourselves from this untoward generation — as if Peter already foresaw the hopeless impenitence of the nation at large, and would have his hearers hasten in for themselves and secure their own salvation." [Jamieson, Fausett, and Brown]

 

"He is truly joined to the Church who separates himself from the wicked." [Geneva Bible Notes]

 

We can be saved from [this] perverse generation by accepting Christ as Lord and Savior and applying, observing, and doing what He commands - even if others do not, or if judgment falls. The importance of the individual's commitment to Christ cannot be overstated. Though we are a part of the Body of Christ, everyone who is in the Body decided for themselves to be with Christ. Like Josiah and also Jeremiah, we should be prudent to save our self, even when we cannot save others.