The King and His People

2 Kings 23:3 “Then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant.”

During the time of prophets and kings the people of Judah had a succession of evil and wicked rulers over their land. Manasseh, the oldest son of Hezekiah had turned the people away from worshipping the Lord and had reintroduced polytheistic worship, his son Amon had likewise continued the idol worship and the people grew restless and revolted. Manasseh had died at the age of 67 in 642 B.C. and his son Amon took the throne at the young age of 22 years old. After a short 2 year reign, Amon was assassinated and his son Josiah was instituted as king.

Josiah made it a point to repair the house of the Lord and reinstate true worship to God. During the process of collecting funds while working with the high priest, it was discovered that the law of the Lord had been found in the Temple. Josiah asked that the the book of the law be read to him, and in doing so an interesting thing happened:

2 Kings 22:11 “Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes.”

The law, when read to Josiah brought conviction of sin. Josiah realized by watching his father and grandfathers rebellion, they had brought his people into a position of judgement. The realization of God’s perfect righteousness amplified the sin of Judah. The breach of God’s righteousness by the transgression of His law invoked judgement by the nature of the offense. Judah had sinned against God and the law made that obvious.

If you come to a knowledge of sin, how would you react?

If you recognize you offended God then you are brought into a conundrum of whether to continue in sin and act as if it never happened, or repent of the sin and be made right before the Lord.

You see, once an offense has been made, it cannot be unmade. Sin has consequences, sometimes recognized by the consequences they bring and sometimes realized in a spiritual walk that has gone awry. Whether a person learns from their mistakes or continues in sin can be the factors that lead to much greater trouble or lead toward redemption.

Psalm 32:5 “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.”

If you followed Christ into battle, the last thing you’d want to do is rebel against his leadership. Think how devastating it would be for an army that came up against a great enemy and then rebelled against its king at the last minute? The army would easily be defeated, even the weakest enemy would find victory against a foe that wasn’t unified behind its leader.

Unity of the Spirit

The King of kings has not only gone out before His people, He has strengthened His people in unity. The Lord appeared to Adam and Eve when they sinned in the garden, He then formed a people through Abraham for His own name. Jesus came into the world in the form of a man then died and rose from the grave that sinners might be redeemed from death—one day He will lead the charge in victory against the enemies of the Lord and establish a new Heaven and Earth.

Revelation 19:11 “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.”

Today, the bond of the Spirit is the very presence of God in His people. If true believers claim allegiance to the King of kings, they have been made new by the freedom that comes through repentance, the Spirit is the guarantee for a future hope and salvation.

2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

For those set free from the scourge of sin they too can claim victory over the scourge of death. There is a battle being waged for the souls of mankind, the enemy knows that God’s people have been secured in Christ so his only recourse is to attack in ways that bring disunity. There are many ways the enemy attempts to discredit, weaken, or make God’s people ineffective.

How can the enemy subdue God’s people?

1. By creating strife. The enemy directs people away from God and sets their minds on their circumstances. Some people are so caught up trying to be happy, they become bitter and angry when life doesn’t go like they thought it should. It’s so easy to turn on others when the focus is on oneself. The inward focus becomes a bitter root that grows into hatred. Ephesians 4:3 “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
2. By reminding people of their past. The enemy seeks to make people think their value is diminished. If people consistently give themselves over to the devastation of their old nature, they will live in a constant state of hopelessness. When people are living in sin they are in a position of separation from God. The enemy has no hope for victory when people walk in the newness of hope in Christ. The victory Jesus won on the cross is the victory God’s people now share with Him. Psalm 29:11 “The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace.”
3. By making people think they can rest on their own measure of goodness. The attempt to live by one’s own strength is to limit the capacity to be effective ambassadors in this world. Proverbs 21:22 “A wise man scales the city of the mighty and pulls down the stronghold in which they trust.” Believers do not fight an enemy that is visible but one who dwells in the dark. The enemy can cause people to fight on the wrong front if they lose sight of where the real battle is happening.
4. The enemy attempts to make the obstacles in life seem bigger than they are. The difficulty of living from a worldly perspective is impossible to overcome by human strength. By maintaining a godly perspective and keeping the mind focused on the Lord people find true strength and power—no obstacle is too great for those who follow Jesus. 2 Samuel 22:30 “For in You I can charge an army; with my God I can scale a wall.”

Future Triumph

One particular beauty of God’s Word is knowing how the world will end. We can know what is going to happen to Satan and all those who follow his lead and we know the plans God has for those who remain faithful to the end.

Revelation 21:1-4 “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Josiah understood the necessity of honoring the Lord first in His life. Once the conviction of sin was understood, he literally cleansed his house. Each of the evil practices of his father were systematically removed and he began to honor those who lived for God. Josiah’s legacy was that of righteousness and honor and I’m sure one day he will be in heaven with the other saints of old.

2 Kings 23:25 “Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him.”

When we uncover sin we must follow the lead of Josiah, allowing our hearts to break for the ways we have dishonored the Lord. When the contrite in spirit truly repent, they turn from the past and embrace the hope found only in Christ. It takes a determined effort to remove the idols of life, to go against the tide and change past allegiances, or to walk in purity and sacrifice old beliefs on the altar of God’s holiness.

What you lose has no comparison to what you will gain. Make that determination today, knowing you are investing in a future that is filled with the hope in a King who will be victorious over a world destined for destruction.

That King is Jesus.