RESTORATION RULES
A
Study of Josiah’s Restoration Movement
(II
Kings 22:1-23-25; II Chronicles 34:1-35:19)
Scripture
Reading:
II Kings 23:1-3
THE
SETTING
Josiah became king over the Southern
Kingdom of Judah in 640/39 BC at the young age of eight. His grandfather,
Manasseh, and his father, Amon, had both been very wicked kings, leading the
people into idolatry (II Kgs. 21:1-26; II Chron. 33:1-25). Finally, the
servants of Amon rebelled and killed their master, putting his son, the young
boy Josiah, on the throne.
Undoubtedly strongly influenced by those
loyal to Jehovah, Josiah soon began a movement back to national faithfulness.
In his eighth year, 632/31, he began to purge Judah of idolatry. His reforming
efforts were given considerable encouragement when the prophet Jeremiah began
his lengthy prophetic work in the year 627/26. The defining moment of Josiah’s
Restoration Movement, however, was the finding of the lost Book of the Law in
622/21 during a project to repair the temple.
With the finding of the lost book, Josiah’s
godly heart is pierced as he learns the dire consequences awaiting Judah for
having gone after idols (Deut. 28:22-28). In this moment of Josiah’s deepest
conviction and determination we see find the essential elements of restoration.
These elements are to rule even today when godly men and women seek to right
the wrongs of religious misdeeds.
THE
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF RESTORATION
1. There
must first be present the authoritative source given by God—the Bible (II Kgs.
22:8; cf. II Tim. 3:16-17).
a. This
does not, however, mean that the mere presence of a Bible is sufficient.
b. The Bible
is lost today to many individuals and churches although copies of it are
present in abundance.
2. Along
with the Scriptures must go a willing heart (II Kgs. 22:11, 18-20; cf. Jn.
14:15, 21, 23).
a. The
mere sham of a skeletal, outward service cannot be accepted by God (Jer.
7:1-11).
b. The
heart must belong to God (Deut. 6:4-6; Mk. 12:28-30).
3. In
addition to the authoritative source and a willing heart, there must be action
(II Kgs. 23:1-3, 4-14, 15-20, 21-23, 24; cf. Jas. 2:14-26).
a. Emotions
come and go, talk is cheap—restoration cannot be felt and talked into a reality
(I Jn. 3:18).
b. Biblical,
heartfelt convictions must courageously be realized in proper actions (Matt.
26:31-35; Acts 4:18-20).
4. One
last and very important element for true restoration is what we might style the purity
of principle (II Kgs. 23:8-9; cf. II Chron. 33:14-17; II Kgs.
18:17-25).
a. Often
the high
places were not used to offer service to false gods, they frequently
were the locations of unauthorized, traditional, popular worship to Jehovah.
b. Josiah
not only dealt with the idol worship in the high places, he destroied all the
altars on the high places.
c. Restoration
cannot be genuine unless it seeks this kind of purity.
d. The
Jews of Jesus’ day were quite zealous to restore the biblical elements of their
worship, however, they did not have a zeal to break from their time-honored,
popular traditions (Rom. 10:1-3; Mk. 7:1-23).
e. We
must let the Spirit’s sword cut with its two edges, severing us both from
merely traditional, human restraints (Col. 2:20-23), and restraining ourselves
from going beyond God’s limitations (II Jn. 9).
CONCLUSION
Simply stated, the Restoration Principle
rules when: the Bible is taken to heart by men and women who are stirred to action
and thus accomplish an uncontaminated restoration of truth. Let us
all be sure that Restoration Rules!
Edwin
2/4/01
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