King Josiah and God’s ways in Recovery - by Keith Petersen

This little paper is to help us as Christians to be confirmed and encouraged in the fact that our God is a recovering God—by which it is meant that He never allows failures among His people to exist unchecked beyond an appointed time.  God rules over His universe and He alone is in final control.

Especially due to the considerable breakdown and divisions in Christendom in the 21st century—and, even more so, perhaps, regarding those frequently alluded to as “Brethren”—it should, then, be of interest to the concerned Christian that the Bible shows throughout that God implements recovery at certain intervals according to His own councils and purposes.  This began, in principle, in the Garden of Eden after the Fall at which time God provided the substitutionary death of an animal(s) for Adam and Eve, and made the provision of the animal skins fashioned into clothing.  Recovery is a continuing theme throughout the Bible, and is seen as a final, concluded reality at the close of the Revelation (chapter 21:1—which agrees with 2 Peter 3:13—"But, according to his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness”) whereby all that is negative will have been excluded in the Lake of Fire (sobering judgment) and all that remains will be in perfect, righteous harmony with God Himself.

In considering recovery as being a foundational principle in respect to God’s ways with His people, it should be of the greatest interest to see the substantial recovery that took place under the reign of Josiah, King of Judah, as it is set out both in 2 Kings 22/23 and 2 Chronicles 34 and 35. 

It is of note that the precursor to this recovery was depicted in 2 Kings 21—which is to say, the reign of King Manasseh for 55 years.  Manasseh’s reign incorporated gross evil.  He filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, he caused his son to pass through the fire, he built his own altars in the house of the Lord, and it says, “he wrought evil beyond measure in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger” (2 Kings 2:26).

We should be readily able to make substantial comparisons—in principle—between the characteristics of Manasseh’s reign and conditions that have in later years become extant among certain brethren, as referenced above.  With these, a multitude of edicts have been rendered so as to force allegiance to specific altars of the current king’s choice, many young have been subjected to conditions of religious fire, and a great number of the “innocent” have been bloodied, speaking allegorically, in their circumstances.

The encouragement in all this is that God’s hand is never short (see Isaiah 50:2 and Numbers 11:23)—and, thus, in 2 Kings 22 we see that, under King Josiah, the Lord began to move in a most decided way to reverse not only the declension that had taken place under King Manasseh (and, for a brief period, his son Amon); but, also, features of departure that went all the way back to Jeroboam son of Nebat (see 1 Kings 12:26-33).

We have a full description both in 2 Kings 22 and 23 as to these movements to break the influence of Satan; and, also, in 2 Chronicles 34 and 35.  Between the two Books we have a comprehensive listing of what was accomplished to overthrow the evil.  It does us well to at least briefly consider in a bit of detail this recovery under Josiah—keeping in mind that, to use a common expression, as the dominos began to tumble God’s recovery was unstoppable.

We need to recognize that this entire recovery is seen commencing as a result of what is set out in 2 Chronicles 34:3 when Josiah "began to seek after the God of David his father.”  This relates back to the 1st commandment in Scripture, which is to love the Lord with all our heart, strength and understanding.  The 2nd commandment, the Lord could say, is “like it”, and is to love the neighbor as oneself—and, the Lord says in conclusion, “On these two commandments the whole law and the prophets hang”—i.e., this is the core of the relationship between man and God, and man and man.  In the history of King Josiah we see that he became focused on the Lord and what was due in righteousness to Him (“if therefore thine eye be single”—Matthew 6:22), and the Holy Spirit records that this became the initial, deciding factor in the recovery at that time.  It is a fact that we must have the Lord fully and squarely before us if we are to be of any substantial use in the Divine realm into which we have been brought through the Cross of Christ.  It can only be so if we are unrestrained in our heart’s affections towards the Lord.  It is of great interest that the first decline—and, rebuke—from the Lord in His address to the seven assemblies in the beginning of the Revelation (chapter 2:4) is shown in this word:  “I have against thee, that thou hast left thy first love.”

This should be sobering language to our minds and hearts.  Everything else regarding this Assembly was praiseworthy; but, the Lord not only noted the reduction in full affection; but, said further, “Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent.”  We see that it is regarded by Himself as sinful, and needing repentance!  Here, following, is a principle as to which we should all be able to agree:  If every Christian were in proper and full response to the character of the 1st commandment—there would be no departure from the Lord’s rights and authority, no abuse of “the brother”, no diverting from a path of Christian righteousness, etc.  In short, we would be fulfilling in our practical path here all that God has in mind as set out in the Scripture in respect to our place as His Sons.  Allow me to make this statement:  I see from Scripture that our failures invariably trace back to some lack of fidelity to Christ.  This will have a reflexive result of grieving the Holy Spirit (see Ephesians 4:30) and, in its worst form—as is especially apparent with the historic succession of so-called “man of God” among the brethren referenced above—the quenching of the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19).  This latter is a truly appalling result—such (even if saved for eternity) cannot be effectively reached by the guiding principles of Scripture (“the truth as it is in Jesus”) since the Spirit of truth (John 16:13) who is to be our guide into all the truth has been quenched.

Here, then, is the Holy Spirit’s rendering of this recovery, not necessarily in order, and is a compilation of verses from both 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles—whereby we can see that, even in spite of a great declension in Judah, an encouraging and greater recovery was effectuated.  Josiah “began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the Asherahs, and the graven images, and the molten images.  And they broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence; and the sun-pillars that were on high above them he cut down; and the Asherahs and the graven images and the molten images he broke in pieces, and made dust [of them] and strewed it upon the graves of those that had sacrificed to them; and he burned the bones of the priests upon their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem.  And [so did he] in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, even to Naphtali, in their ruins round about; and he broke down the altars, and beat the Asherahs and the graven images into powder, and cut down all the sun-pillars throughout the land of Israel, and returned to Jerusalem.”

“And the king commanded Hilkijah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring forth out of the temple of Jehovah all the vessels that had been made for Baal [read: `all the crazy edicts inculcated by Satan through the authority of self-appointed leaders’] …. And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the sons of Hinnom, that no man might cause his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech [more nonsensical, evil rules and edicts] …. Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, the high place that Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin[1], had made, both that altar and the high place he broke down; and burned the high place, stamped it small to powder, and burned the Asherah …. he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the chronicler, to repair the house of Jehovah his God.”  The detail of what King Josiah accomplished in a thorough abolishing of what was wrong is more extensive than covered above; suffice it say, that it was a complete abolition of what was wrong and, then, following, “And the king stood on the dais, and made a covenant before Jehovah, to walk after Jehovah, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all [his] heart, and with all [his] soul, to establish the words of this covenant that are written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant”—which is to say, that Judah, in a full and heartfelt way, committed to cleaving to the Lord and honoring His rights and authority.

We see throughout Scripture that God always moves in the way of recovery by affecting hearts to be in full and proper response to Himself.  Proverbs 4:23 tells us that out of the heart “are the issues of life”.  The state of our heart is always the secret at any time to a Christian’s relationship to the Lord.  The apostle Peter denied the Lord three times (we have to challenge ourselves as to denying His Lordship and authority—even momentarily and for something relatively small) and the Lord’s language to Him in recovery was in respect to the character of Peter’s heart in relation to Himself:  “lovest thou me more than these?”

It is vital to be reminded that the two great commandments are emphasized in Scripture in their order of importance for a reason.  There is, “This is [the] great and first commandment” (i.e., loving God) and then, “[the] second is like it” (i.e., loving the neighbor).  We cannot properly reverse them.  If we subjugate our responsibilities to God in view of trying to properly maintain our links in fellowship with other Christians it will diminish God’s authority and rights—we have the matter backwards and it will come to failure.  This is largely what happened with those to whom we refer as Brethren commencing in the mid-1950’s.  In the degree in which Divine truths were ceded was the degree in which Satan continued to gain an advantage.  Fast forward to today—it is no different.  Many brethren still remain in a sect, and Christendom in general is rife with error, confusion and division.  However, if we make God first—come what may—great things can happen as a result!  The Lord being “the way, the truth and the life” is a Scripture known to all.  However, this extends to well beyond, speaking reverently, just being saved—it involves all that we do, say and `are’ in our path here.  Peter left the boat on faith and walked, as an individual, himself, to the Lord.  Are we prepared, in principle, to do the same?

I trust that what has been set out above is of interest and comfort.  What does all this mean to us?  God is never defeated—we see throughout Scripture that, in the darkest of eras, God moves in His own way and according to His own timetable so as to be shown triumphant.  In this we need to be confident, and this should be to us all a great encouragement.  Let us pray to this end.  Amen.

[1] This original departure that was a persistent evil causing God’s people to go astray had been initiated decades before; but, the Lord had not forgotten it.