God's Receives the People's Repentence
TGP A Nation Divided • Sermon • Submitted
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· 12 viewsGod desires that people repent of their sin and turn to Him in worship and obedience
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Video: Sorry
Do you know this guy? Maybe you are this guy. I think we should accept his apology, he seems genuine to me.
It used to be that parents taught their children to say “I am sorry” after every sibling squabble. I know my parents did, and I remember saying it, through gritted teeth, I said it. Can anyone else relate to this? Sometimes it seems that the word “sorry” gets thrown around so lightly that it has lost a lot of it’s significance, even when it really is genuine.
That really is the question isn’t it. How can you tell if someone’s apology is genuine or not. We hear a lot of celebrities and public figures offer apologies in front of cameras. At first it seems like they are genuine as their tone and body language communicate a sincere regret but after we hear everything they have to say we realize...they never actually took responsibility for any wrongdoing. They were even so vague and evasive in their language that we don’t even know what it is that they are talking about. We don’t know if they kicked a puppy or blew up a city? And sometimes they work the dialogue in such a creative way that by the end they actually end up congratulating themselves for the commitment and bravery that it took to come forward and apologize to their family, friends and fans for…whatever it was, because they didn’t say.
They were even so vague and evasive in their language that we don’t even know what it is that they are talking about. Because whatever they said could have applied to a myriad of wrong doings. Sometimes they work the dialogue in such a creative way that by the end they actually end up congratulating themselves for the commitment and bravery that it took to come forward and apologize to their family, friends and fans for…whatever it was, because they didn’t say.
I wanted the lecture from my parent to end
This is often called the “Non-apology” and it has given birth to this humorous cultural phrase that you might have heard. Have you ever heard someone say the phrase: “Sorry, not sorry”. It is a great phrase, because at least it is honest. It is like the person is saying that I want the credit of the socially required declaration of “sorry” but in truth, given the same circumstances i would do the exact same thing again, so I am really not sorry. Sorry, not sorry. I love the honesty in that.
Because too often there is not a lot of honesty coming out in our apologies anymore. We aren’t even being honest with ourselves, but if we were then we would say something closer to “I am sorry...sorry I got caught” or “I am sorry now, because I have to suffer through these consequences of that decision” but the reality is, given the same circumstances I know that I would make the same decision. Sorry, not sorry.
if I see that door cracked open again... I’ll be heading right on back through.
Tension
Now don’t misunderstand me, saying “I am sorry” is not necessarily a wrong thing, but the Bible really doesn’t use the word “sorry” in this sense. There is another word that is found in Scripture that people often confuse with saying “I’m sorry”. It is the word “REPENT”. Before I began this morning if I had pulled many of you aside and just point blank asked what “Repent” means I imagine that many or most of us would say that it has something to do with saying “I am sorry”. But that is not what “Repent” means.
And it is really important that we would know what the word “repent” means because Jesus said it…a lot! In fact, the Gospel writer Mark tells us that it was a part of the very first things Jesus declared in his public ministry here on earth.
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Mark 1:That was His main message throughout his ministry while on earth:
Did you hear that? Jesus’ message was that this “Repent” thing was so important that it has some kind of relationship with believing the Gospel, and if you have been here at Friendship Church much at all you know how important the Gospel is to us. But Jesus wasn’t the only one to call on people to repent. He was the most important one, but not the only one.
This was a common and constant cry of the prophets of God. The John in this verse was John the Baptist who was a prophet in the New Testament who was known for his calling people to repentance, but it was also something the Old Testament prophets that we have been studying did.
. And you know how important the Gospel isThat gives it top shelf billing in my bookhat was His main message throughout his ministry while on earth:
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.
Matthew “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. He couldn’t very well say trust in what I did on the cross for you, because He had not done that yet -so he said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”.
the prophets of the Old Testament also cried out for the people to Repent, the same prophets that we have been .
18 I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.
So Jesus said it quite a lot, but it was not a new message from Him, because the other people that were known for it was the Prophets. It was a significant part of the message of the New Testament Prophet John the Baptist, just as it was a common declaration for the Prophets of the Old Testament that we have been studying over the past many weeks.
God’s people were being willfully unfaithful to God. They were worshipping other things as God. They were worshipping in other ways that violated the commands that God had given them. They were finding their “hope and happiness, significance and security in created things rather than their creator”. This is our our working definition of Idolatry, and the prophets of God were calling on God’s people to “Repent” over their Idolatry.
, we can find idolatry in any aspect of our lives and it is most often found in “good things” that we have turned into the things that we live for, instead of living our lives subject to our LORD and King. At it’s core, the ancient idolatry of God’s people is no different than the idolatry that we engage in so we both need to hear the same message: REPENT!
And to each generation the same message goes out - REPENT!
to the same degree as any one of God’s people in the Old Testament. And since that is true of us, we too need to hea and obey this command to Repent.
they wer. Because if all we can see in the word “Idolatry” is lit candles around little statutes then we won’t see any application in this for us. But when we understand that Idolatry is anytime we trust in some other thing, even a good thing, for our “hope, happiness, significance or security” then we are practicing idolatry just like the these ancient people groups were. So if that is the case, then we need to hear and heed the command to Repent just as they did.
So if Repentance is not “saying I am sorry” then what is it? The words we translate from the old Testatment and the new as “Repent” repentance was a military
Now for much of the time period of the Prophets this command to “Repent” largely seemed to fall on deaf ears as the people did not Repent, and neither did the Kings who led them, but there was fell on death
So if Repentance is not just saying “I am sorry” then what is it? Certainly there is a sense of regret tied to the idea of repentance, but the word does not word does not stop at the feeling. The literal translation is to “change ones mind” on something. This is not like changing ones mind in the western sense of intellectual accepting some new idea, but in the more middle eastern sense of this changing our thoughts, attitudes and actions over something.
Many people have likened the idea to the military phrase of doing as “about face”. To turn around and head in a new direction. That is a helpful way of looking at it, and we do need to look at it…because the Bible calls all people to repent.
REPENT.
17 “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.
17 “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,
Peter, his audience and you and I are living in this in between time that is pointed to here. The time between when Jesus rose to heaven and is returning. In that time - we are called to repent, and to share a message of repentance.
It wasn’t just about a new turn in your thinking, but a new tabout confessing your feelings about being feeling sorry because something happened and you “may or may not” have been responsible. Repentance is about recognizing that you are not heading in the right direction, so you stop doing what you were doing and you start to do something entirely new. To Repent!
The idea here is that we are not just talking about feeling or thinking differently about something in your heart or your head but that this new way of understanding things has brought a significant change to your hands. When you “Repent” you have turned every aspect of your life in a new direction.
A great of example of someone who repented o get a good look at this, we are going to look at the story on one of the few Kings of Israel during the period of the Prophets that did not do evil in the sight of the LORD. Not only did he chose to Repent and turn around and do things differently than the Kings before him, he strategically and intentionally led the entire nation in repentance. We will take a look at his story primarily from , pg 385 in the Bibles in the chairs. I’ll pray and we will get after this idea of repentance and how we can apply it to our lives today.
This morning we are going to look at aspects of Repentance from the example of one of the few good Kings of Judah during the period of the Prophets. Not only did he chose to Repent, he led God’s people into a repentance that spread beyond the borders of his own Kingdom. So open your Bibles with me to , pg 385 in the Bibles in the chairs. I’ll pray and we will get after this idea of repentance and how we can apply it to our lives today.
38 if they repent with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity to which they were carried captive, and pray toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name,
36 “If they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to a land far or near, 37 yet if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,’ 38 if they repent with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity to which they were carried captive, and pray toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, 39 then hear from heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their pleas, and maintain their cause and forgive your people who have sinned against you.
Turning from your sin is not just saying I am sorry, but an admission of wrong doing.
“I’m Sorry” is admitting to wrong doing and the hurt that that wrong doing caused
Feeling regret or sorrow over an unfortunate situation and your role in it.
Feeling regret, compunction, syphathy, pity etc.
Taking resonsibility
Act of “Humility” in order to truly apologize - sign of weakness
“anti-atonement” stance
I am really sorry, You deserve better...
Sounds like an apology, may even include language like regret or but often they are too evasive, vague and ultimately too self-congragelatory to be a true apology.
Tension
Truth
So remember at this time in the history of God’s people the Kingdom of Israel was divided in two, the Northern Kingdom had a string of evil kings one after another until finally the Assyrian Empire came in and wiped them out for their Idolatry. Which you would think would give the Southern Kingdom motivation to do something different, but they too had a string of Kings who were evil in the same exact way…however, every once in a while they had a King who actually did right in the sight of the Lord instead of evil. This is how the Bible describes King Josiah:
king we morning we are going to read about one of those Kings whose name was Josiah. Josiah led the entire Kingdom in Repentance, and we will be able to learn much from him this morning. Our first theme for the week is that.
1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.
1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father; and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
Josiah had a heart like King David, not perfect but Repentant.
You might wonder how Josiah become king at such a young age? It was a violent time in ancient history and Josiah’s biological father, himself an evil King, was conspired against and assassinated. In response, some other people killed those who conspired against Josiah’s father and then placed him on the throne. It’s hard to imagine a boy my sons age being in charge, but that is how the loyalty of royalty works. While he probably worked through advisors in his younger years, there came a point when Josiah recognized that something was very wrong, and he led God’s people into repentance. This is what it looked like:
never the less, at some point he made decisions to lead the people of God back in Repentance.
3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, and the carved and the metal images. 4 And they chopped down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and he cut down the incense altars that stood above them. And he broke in pieces the Asherim and the carved and the metal images, and he made dust of them and scattered it over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.
3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, and the carved and the metal images. 4 And they chopped down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and he cut down the incense altars that stood above them. And he broke in pieces the Asherim and the carved and the metal images, and he made dust of them and scattered it over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.
2 Chron 34:
2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father; and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, and the carved and the metal images. 4 And they chopped down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and he cut down the incense altars that stood above them. And he broke in pieces the Asherim and the carved and the metal images, and he made dust of them and scattered it over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 34:2-
Repentance is about much more than just feeling remorse over something:
Repentance involves removing and destroying idols ()
Repentance involves removing and destroying idols ()
As Josiah sought the Lord he become more and more aware of how far God’s people were from being the people that God had designed them to be. He was given eyes to see that extreme measures were needed to get God’s people back on track. It would not mean anything if he just got the people to say “I’m sorry”. Mere words are not strong enough to make the kind of difference that was needed here. Definitive action was needed.
He had to take action that would clearly communicate to everyone in the Kingdom that we are turning our backs on the way we used to do things and going in an entirely new direction. He made sure that they left the old way of life in ways that they could not go back even if they wanted to. Because he knew that people’s hearts and lives were wrapped around these things so tightly that if there was even a flicker of light left in them - they would follow it.
So he destroyed all the instruments of pagan worship in the land, even the pagan priests who led the people in idol worship. And then he even found something fitting to do with the ashes of that which he destroyed. He made it clear that these idols were nothing, that they could not retaliate against the one true God and we are not serve them anymore.
And even these measures were not enough for Josiah, He went much further...
And even these measures were not enough for Josiah, He went much further...
And the unique thing about Josiah is that he was not content with just ridding Jerusalem and Judah of this Idolatry, he took this purging on the road all the way into the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The place that was now subject to the Assyrian Empire
6 And in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, in their ruins all around, 7 he broke down the altars and beat the Asherim and the images into powder and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
So the names of these regions may mean little to you laid out like this, so let me show you on the map where we are talking about here. Remember, Josiah is King only of the Southern Kingdom over only Judah (red), but he went up through Ephriam, Manassah, Naphtali and even down to Simon. He covered all the covenant land that God gave His people in order to destroy all of the idols. Included in these regions are the cities of Bethel and Dan where the Northern Kingdom of Israel used to worship instead of going to Jerusalem as God commanded them to. Now they would have to return to Jerusalem. Josiah was willing to do whatever it took to Repent, turn around and rid his world of Idolatry.
n’t going to allow this idolatry to be found in any part of the covenant of the people of Israel. One of the significant things about these places is that they contain the cities of Bethel and Dan. You might remember that these two cities were designated by the first King of the divided northern kingdom of Israel to be used for worship instead of Jerusalem. They were conveniently located closer t
These cities were geographically more friendly so that God’s people no longer had to travel all the way to Jerusalem to worship as God had commanded. They could worship golden calves were the cities that the first king of the Northern Kingdom, Jeroboam set up golden calves to be worshiped so that the people would no longer travel down to Jerusalem. Josiah went all the way there
Josiah was willing to do whatever it took to Repent, turn around and rid his world of Idolatry.
Understand that removing and especially destroying idols is serious business. It will probably hurt, and it will definitely cost you something. Josiah went beyond the borders of his reign and risked all kinds of battles to get the job done. If you get serious about removing and destroying idols in your life it will not be something that you can contain within the boarders of your private thought life. It will spill out into your relationships with others.
These places are outside of the boundaries of Josiah’s reign, but he was so passionate in his repentance that he was going to break down every place where God’s people had commited idolatry against him. So he went up into the competing cities of worship that Jeroboam had established for the Northern Kingdom of Israel in Bethel and Dan and he tore it all up too.
His message had to be abundantly clear, because God’s people had placed their hope, happiness, significance and security in these idols and if even a trace of them remained, their hearts would cry out for them. Destroying idols in our lives is always a threatening business. It is the kind of thing that leaves people in a panic, asking, “What do we do now”. If you take away those things that we were living for, how are going to move forward?
be scary, because it is going to hurt!
6 And in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, in their ruins all around, 7 he broke down the altars and beat the Asherim and the images into powder and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
2 Chron 34:
Remember, Idols are things that we trust in for our hope, happiness, significance and security. Removing these kinds of things will change how you live your life. Not to mention that they are often not evil things in and of themselves. People might not understand why we are now all of a sudden choosing to no longer participate in something that isn’t really wrong. It is just that we have placed it in a wrong place in our lives. So we may have to remove that idol from our life, or at least how we respond to it.
1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father; and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, and the carved and the metal images. 4 And they chopped down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and he cut down the incense altars that stood above them. And he broke in pieces the Asherim and the carved and the metal images, and he made dust of them and scattered it over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. 6 And in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far as Naphtali, in their ruins all around, 7 he broke down the altars and beat the Asherim and the images into powder and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
To make changes like this, to Repent like this, can leave us feeling vulnerable and even threatened. We will start asking ourselves questions like, “Ok, then what do I do now?”. If I am not to be living for those things, what am I supposed to live for?
Not to mention, that it is very threatening to people to even consider removing something from hen you take away things that people have been trusting in for the hope, happiness, significance and security iyou are swimming in dangerous n these idols and if even a trace of them remained, their hearts would cry out for them. Destroying idols in our lives is always a threatening business. It is the kind of thing that leaves people in a panic, asking, “What do we do now”. If you take away those things that we were living for, how are going to move forward?
on’t have those things to lean on, to live for, then how do I move forward from here?
Repentance is not just about turning away from something evil, it is also about turning toward something, something much better.
7 And he broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah.
2 Kings 23:
Our second theme for the week is that...
Repentance involves restoring and resuming worship ()
Repentance involves restoring and resuming worship ()
Repentance involved removing and destroying idols ()
Repentance involved removing and destroying idols ()
Repentance involves restoring and resuming worship ()
Repentance involves restoring and resuming worship ()
8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had cleansed 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. 9 They came to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had collected from Manasseh and Ephraim and from all the remnant of Israel and from all Judah and Benjamin and from the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 And they gave it to the workmen who were working in the house of the Lord. And the workmen who were working in the house of the Lord gave it for repairing and restoring the house. 11 They gave it to the carpenters and the builders to buy quarried stone, and timber for binders and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had let go to ruin.
2 Chron 34:8-
Do you remember when we looked at the building of the Temple and how God had given Solomon precise instructions for how to construct this building. Their were so many symbolic elements to every pillar, every wall, every piece of furniture but most memorable is how everything in the place was to be intricately crafted and then over-layed with pure gold. The idea was that the value of the building iteself was to reflect the great value of what was to happen in this place.
But at this point Solomon’s Temple had fallen into disrepair, as God’s people had not treated it as God intended. One king even had people rip the gold off of parts of the Temple in order to pay off an invading Kingdom. Can you imagine what things looked like after the gold was all ripped off? But it wasn’t just the aesthetic disrepair, the people of God had drifted so far from the things of God that they were doing all kinds of unholy and ungodly things in this place. So the disrepair of the building itself actually matched the ugly things that were happening there.
Let me see if I can paint a picture for us:
But it was really more than just an aesthetic disaster.
Early in their rebellion, the people of God maintained the religious practices that they learned from their parents and grandparents. They showed up each Sabath with the Sacrifices as God required, but during the week they began to follow their pagan neighbors into other “experiences”. They began to explore what it would look like to place their hope, happiness, security and significance in something other than the God of their forefathers. And so privately they were doing all these things that dishonored the LORD, but publically they made sure that they showed up to Church each week. I know, right? Sometimes it is so hard to relate to these ancient Bible stories isn’t it…hmmm.
In the beginning, they were still doing their regular religious traditions and bringing in the required sacrifices on each Sabath and Holy Day, but during the week they started following their pagan neighbors into other “experiences”. They began to explore what it would look like to find your hope, happiness, security and significance in something other than your relationship with the LORD. And so privately they were doing all these things that dishonored the LORD, but publically they made sure that they showed up to Church each week.
I know, right? Sometimes it is so hard to relate to these ancient Bible stories isn’t it…hmmm.
But understand that this was just how their rebellion started. God’s people now have lived through several generations of idolatry. When you give yourself over to idolatry long enough, eventually it becomes so much of who you are that you have to bring it into every aspect of your life. So that here in Josiah’s day, God’s people were no longer just following their neighbors into pagan practices during the week, but they brought the idols themselves and the pagan practices into the house of the LORD. While all the specifics are not mentioned here in the 2 Chronicles account, the many things that Josiah had to remove from the House of the LORD is described in disgusting detail in .
The point is that it had been so long since God’s people had rightly worshipped Him, that it was going take some significant restoration to resume worship him rightly again. They were just that far away from the standards that God had set in that time for proper worship. But now that they have removed all the typical ways that they practiced their worship, how would they know what the LORD expected of them? The same way that you and I can know what God expects of us:
This is recorded in
those same pagan practices into the house of the LORD. They had defiled the house of the LORD by bringing in both the idols and the practice of worshiping those idols
what God had designed them for. Worshiping Him
4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 And he deposed the priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon and the constellations and all the host of the heavens. 6 And he brought out the Asherah from the house of the Lord, outside Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron and beat it to dust and cast the dust of it upon the graves of the common people. 7 And he broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah.
what they wanted all week long, but then showed up on the Sabbath day to do what they were taught to do. But over time, the practices that were done in private began to expressed in public and they began to dominate the scheudles of God’s people so that the
It had become such a defiled place that it needed to be cleaned up both physically and spiritually.
both physically and spiritually so far from a right relationship with God that they needed to make some serious changes to return to the purpose that God had created them for. To Worship the creator again, instead of aspects of His creation.
13 And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
14 therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”
Our third and final them for our week is that:
This brings us to the third and final them for our week:
Repentance involves recovering and obeying God’s Word ()
Repentance involves recovering and obeying God’s Word ()
14 While they were bringing out the money that had been brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord given through Moses. 15 Then Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. 16 Shaphan brought the book to the king, and further reported to the king, “All that was committed to your servants they are doing. 17 They have emptied out the money that was found in the house of the Lord and have given it into the hand of the overseers and the workmen.” 18 Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it before the king.
2 Chron 34:14-
They had been practicing so many pagan rituals for so long that no one had even bothered to read the book of the law to find out if what they were doing lined up with what God commanded them to do. And in the secretaries report to the king, he doesn’t even open up with this part. It was like he was saying, yeah you know that construction project you wanted done on the Temple, that is underway just as you commanded and the bills are being paid and lets see…what else…oh yeah and the high priest gave me a book for you. But listen to the power behind the words of the LORD...
19 And when the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes. 20 And the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, 21 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.”
2 Chron 34:
14 While they were bringing out the money that had been brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord given through Moses. 15 Then Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. 16 Shaphan brought the book to the king, and further reported to the king, “All that was committed to your servants they are doing. 17 They have emptied out the money that was found in the house of the Lord and have given it into the hand of the overseers and the workmen.” 18 Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it before the king. 19 And when the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes. 20 And the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, 21 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.”
For many generations they had followed what they learned from the generations before them. They were not following the Word of the LORD they were following in the traditions that they had learned.
12 And the men did the work faithfully. Over them were set Jahath and Obadiah the Levites, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to have oversight. The Levites, all who were skillful with instruments of music, 13 were over the burden-bearers and directed all who did work in every kind of service, and some of the Levites were scribes and officials and gatekeepers. 14 While they were bringing out the money that had been brought into the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord given through Moses. 15 Then Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. 16 Shaphan brought the book to the king, and further reported to the king, “All that was committed to your servants they are doing. 17 They have emptied out the money that was found in the house of the Lord and have given it into the hand of the overseers and the workmen.” 18 Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it before the king. 19 And when the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes. 20 And the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, 21 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.”
How could the book of the law get lost in the first place? Well it wasn’t like if fell behind the cushions in the couch. Scrolls like this were incredibly valuable and would have all been collecting dust in a safe place in the Temple. You see it was that really lost track of the book iteself, they just lost track of it’s importance. Just like we might know where our Bible is kept, but we don’t open it up and look to it like we should.
11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes. 12 And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, 13 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”
14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
This is the very Word of God, breathed out by God and gifted to us, how can we not care what it says? Possibly because we have placed our hope, happiness, significance and security in something else. If so then we too need to Repent!
2 Kings
2 Chron
Repentance involves removing and destroying the idols... that distract us from the purposes our God created us for
that distract us from the purposes our God created us for
Repentance involves restoring and resuming worship of the one true God…which is our true purpose in this life
Repentance involves recovering and obeying God’s Word…Our God has not left us alone to try and figure out how to do these things, He has written us a love letter that shows us who He is, who He has always been, and how we are to respond to his Majesty.
Gospel Application
You see there are many things that we can relate with in the lives of ancient Israel, but we do live in a very different time then Josiah did. I am not just talking about cell phones, automobiles and the internet, I am talking about living in a different time in reference to Jesus.
You see in the days of the Prophets everything point forward to one who would come. Today, you and I live after that one has come. Josiah was one of the few good Kings of Israel and God chose to use him in a very special way to demonstrate what repentance looks like on a very large scale, but we have something even better than a good king. We have the perfect King in Jesus.
He not only called us into Repentance, He has cleared the way for us to be able to respond in ways that those who lived before Him were not given. When Jesus rose from the dead he broke the chains of sin and death so that we no longer have to live in or for these things. We can live free from the downward spiral of idolatry. Living in the peace, love and contentment that only a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ can bring.
Landing
During the first few days of Christian Church, Peter preached this message to a large crowd:
17 “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.
Peter, his audience at this moment and you and I are all living in this in between time that he is talking about here. The time between when Jesus ascended into heaven and will one day return for those who walk with Him. In that time - we are called to repent, change our minds about any sin or idolatry and be “refreshed” as we walk in the presence of the LORD. Is that how you would describe your life right now? If not, then maybe it is time for you prayerfully consider what might be getting in your way.
Let’s pray.
Missional Application: “Because we have been forgiven in Christ and have been credited with His righteousness, we seek to turn from all sin and cast aside all else that hinders our worship of the one true King”
9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. 10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,
Landing
Turning from your sin is not just saying I am sorry, but an admission of wrong doing.
17 “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.
“I’m Sorry” is admitting to wrong doing and the hurt that that wrong doing caused
Peter, his audience and you and I are living in this in between time that is pointed to here. The time between when Jesus rose to heaven and is returning. In that time - we are called to repent, and to share a message of repentance.
Feeling regret or sorrow over an unfortunate situation and your role in it.
Feeling regret, compunction, syphathy, pity etc.
Taking resonsibility
Act of “Humility” in order to truly apologize - sign of weakness
“anti-atonement” stance
I am really sorry, You deserve better...
Sounds like an apology, may even include language like regret or but often they are too evasive, vague and ultimately too self-congragelatory to be a true apology.