Devastation & Deliverance

9.21.25 [2 Kings 23:21-30] River of Life (21st Sunday after Pentecost)

To the God of all grace, who called us to his eternal glory in Christ, be the power and glory, forever and ever. Amen. 

As a young person, he saw his country descending into depravity, chaos, and self-destruction. He watched as the most detestable deeds of debauchery and idolatry, violent murders and child-sacrifices, adultery and apostasy went from being tolerated under the cover of darkness to being accepted by polite society to finally being celebrated in the center of the capital city. The generations that came right before him had set aside the Word of God and, in a very real sense, left it to gather dust. For fifty-nine years, innocent blood was shed, idols were worshiped, and people who had been given the holy, precious Word of God ignored it and did more evil than pagan nations.

The people of God had turned their backs on him, but God remained merciful and gave them a boy king. Josiah was made king of Judah at eight years old. At sixteen, Josiah set himself apart as someone who was zealous for the Lord. At twenty, he began to wage war against all the idolatry that had infiltrated Judah and Jerusalem. He tore down the altars to Baal and Asherah poles. He crushed idols to powder and purged Judah and Jerusalem of the idolatrous high places. He hunted down the false priests and put them to death and then burned their bones on their false altars. 

After spiritually cleaning house, twenty-six-year-old Josiah turned his attention to the Lord’s house. The Temple had fallen into disrepair, so Josiah began an expensive restoration project. During these repairs, the priest discovered 2 Chron. 34:14 the Book of the Law of the Lord—likely a copy of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. They mentioned this discovery to King Josiah, who wanted to hear what the Law said. When he heard the righteous demands of the Law, he was cut to the heart. He tore his robes and said: 2 Chron. 34:21 Great is the Lord’s anger that is poured out on us because those who have gone before us have not kept the Word of the Lord. Then he sent his attendants to go find out what this would mean for him and his people. 

The Lord told Josiah that he was going to bring disaster upon Judah and Jerusalem because they had forsaken him and his Word but that this wouldn’t take place during Josiah’s lifetime because the King had responded with a broken and contrite heart. 

This time of spiritual self-reflection and this brush with the mercy of God moved Josiah to renew Israel’s covenant with the Lord and celebrate the Passover once again. Josiah led a celebration of the Passover that surpassed all the kings and the judges in Israel’s long history.  Josiah’s devotion to the Lord was unlike all his predecessors. Better than David, Solomon, and Hezekiah. He served the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his strength. Josiah was a great king. But he was still imperfect—a sinner who struggled with his own pride. And tragically, just before he turned forty, he was killed in battle by archers. Despite warnings from Pharaoh Necho that Josiah was opposing God and that God would destroy him if he engaged in battle, Josiah disguised himself and went to fight against him and he was killed. 

You can imagine the dismay and disappointment of Judah. A great leader who led a tremendous spiritual revival was killed in the prime of his life. Judah mourned his loss for generations. 

And on a day like this, we have a better understanding of their pain. 19.8 miles from here, there will be a national mourning unlike any I have seen in my lifetime. As tens of thousands of people gather for the memorial service for Charlie Kirk, there will be a flurry of fervent emotions. People are sad, angry, confused, and dismayed in the wake of his murder. They are not sure what to make of it or what it will make of us and our nation. Influential Christian leaders have called him a modern-day martyr. They have said that his assassination reveals that we are facing a deep, spiritual crisis, not just a political one.  

Anyone who has spent any amount of time listening to Kirk’s own words recognizes that his faith and his political values were interlaced. Charlie Kirk loved his Lord, his family, and his country and freely confessed that Jesus was his Savior and embraced a mission to save a country he saw descending rapidly into depravity, chaos, and destruction. It might be too reductive to say Charlie was killed for proclaiming his faith, but it would be foolish to claim it wasn’t a leading factor. As Charlie Kirk implored people to prove him wrong, he took countless opportunities to point people to Jesus as Savior and God’s Word as the only reliable source of Truth & Wisdom. 

And when someone like that dies as tragically, publicly, and violently as Charlie did, it makes everyone pause and think. It makes those who hated him reflect on why. It makes those who loved him contemplate their commitment to the causes he championed. And it makes those who share his faith cry out to God for mercy and love.  

That’s what Josiah did when he was smacked in the face by the Lord’s righteous standards. He tore his clothes. He repented. He led his people in worship. He turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul and mind and strength. 

And that about-face makes the first word of v. 26 so troubling. 2 Kg. 23:26 Nevertheless, the Lord did not turn away from the heat of his fierce anger, which burned against Judah because of all their sins. Does this confuse you? Does it trouble you? Doesn’t this contradict what God promises that Ps. 51:17 he will not despise a broken and contrite heart? 

It doesn’t contradict God’s Word. It gives us a glimpse into his holiness—his commitment to righteousness—and it reveals what repentance does and what it cannot do. Repentance is not some kind of spiritual bargaining chip. Repentance is not a lever that we pull when the Lord has caught us red-handed. Repentance is a returning to the Lord and seeking his mercy and trusting his love. 

And we should seek his mercy, because we cannot atone for our sins. Even if we tear our clothes or break down into tears or promise that we are going to do right from now on or make our country righteous again, we cannot atone for our sins. Only God can do that. And he has. And that is why we can trust his love. 

The Lord did not turn away from the heat of his fierce anger because he had made a promise to Israel. In Moses’ final address to Israel, he set before them Dt. 30:15 life and prosperity, death and destruction. He warned them that if their hearts turned away and they were disobedient and idolatrous, they would certainly be destroyed. The Lord followed through on his threat because Lk. 1:37 no word of God will ever fail. But this is not God’s final word. 

God had also promised that he would send a King who was David’s Lord, a leader whose heart, mind, soul, and strength were even more devoted to righteousness than Josiah. A Son who only and always do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. A man who knew and embodied the Law of Moses. A Lamb who came to fulfill the Passover’s promises and atoned for all our sins. God had promised to send his one and only Son, Jesus, who went into battle for us and died and still won us the victory over sin, death, and the devil. And God kept that promise, not because mankind was faithful or obedient, not because sinners repented or because we turned to the Lord with all our hearts, souls, and strengths. God did all this because he is faithful to faithless people. God saves because he is merciful & loving. 

And on a day like this, he gives us tangible assurance of his mercy and love. He invites us into his presence. He prepares a table before us. He feeds us with celestial food of bread and wine for the forgiveness of our sins. He creates in us new hearts. He refreshes our souls. He renews our strengths and our minds. The same God who has worked in us a spirit of humble repentance is now working in us to love him with new hearts, refreshed souls, renewed strength, and redeemed minds. And we have these gifts from God, we need these gifts from God, especially during days like this. 

Many in our community are hurting and dismayed. Some are scared. Others are angry. And they will come to you with important questions. What do you think about what’s happened? Where do you think we’re headed? Are you scared? Is there any hope for the future? 

You can answer all these questions with the utmost confidence because God has provided all the answers we need in his Word. 

As Christians, we must acknowledge it is a grievous evil when anyone is murdered—especially those from among the family of believers. As Christians, we are aware that God’s children are hated because of Jesus. As Christians, we are comforted to know that the One who stands firm in the faith will be saved. As Christians, we know what is happening in a world that loves wickedness and has exchanged the truth of God’s Word for the lies of the Devil. But we do not need to be scared. There is hope because Jesus has triumphed. And that is enough. 

What we do not have to do is to decide if Charlie Kirk is a genuine martyr for his faith. We do not have to waste time trying to unravel his politics from his faith. He didn’t. We do not have to justify everything he said or vindicate everything he did. We do not have to fight for his legacy. Charlie Kirk was a sinner—as he freely admitted. But most importantly, Charlie Kirk was a beloved child of God—as he courageously and frequently acknowledged. That profession. more than anything, was his life’s mission. And God showed Charlie his mercy and his wisdom and his love throughout his life, even in his death, and, now, for his eternity. 

So when your friends and your family, your neighbors and complete strangers come to you with their concerns and their questions, be alert and of sober mind. Resist the attacks of Satan to speak short-sightedly and stand firm in the faith, knowing that you do not stand alone. And the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will make you strong and firm, steadfast and faithful. Amen.