The Cost of Reform

Scripture:

2 Kings 23:1-3

Then the king directed that all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem should be gathered to him. The king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him went all the people of Judah, all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests, the prophets, and all the people, both small and great; he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord. The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord, keeping his commandments, his decrees, and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. All the people joined in the covenant.

Observation:

Josiah was stunned by what he learned from the book of the covenant. The people of God had wandered far from the original relationship they had with God. Josiah has the wherewithal to call the people to reform. This would not be easy and it would be a radical transformation of the people. The king knew it had to start with him and there in Jerusalem, he vowed to follow the Lord, keeping the commands, decrees and statues, not just because he knew that he should, but with all his heart and soul. This was a renewal of the original covenant and a reaffirmation of wholehearted devotion to God. As the king led the way, the priests, the leaders and all of the people followed. 

Application:

Moments arise when God’s people must take inventory of where they find themselves. In Josiah’s day the people had forgotten about the book of the covenant. Having been laid aside it was simply collecting dust, an unread document  which had become irrelevant to the everyday lives of the people. The secular influences of the day had replaced worship of God with rituals and sacrifices to numerous pagan gods. Those idols covered the hillsides of Jerusalem and the smoke offered to them filled the air. Meanwhile everything about worship of God was lost, not by intentional action, but by neglect. 

Our personal inventory just may reveal a state of neglect. Studies reveal that very few believers, let alone ministers, spend time in the word of God. In many homes the Bible is neglected, collecting dust, and is rarely read. The gods of this world have covered our hillsides. Not intentionally, but simply, gradually, crowding out the Lord. The god of sports has put up goalposts on our hills, and we burn the sacrifice of BBQ before many an event. Our money is spent on clothing to reflect our devotion. The reality is that none of this is evil, or necessarily bad, unless it has slowly replaced our worship of God. When a regular church attender only attends less than twice a month, it’s the gods of the hillside that have just slowly been added until they have become a distraction. We may think that we can keep up with our spiritual lives while attending to travel and entertainment,  but there will be a long-term price to pay. The young people of today who have given up on the church are called the “nones.” They are a generation of children raised by parents who did not believe that church or religion needed to be a priority. They learned that many other things were just as important and they were given an off-ramp to Christianity. 

If we hope to catch things in time, we need to be like Josiah. Maybe we need to gather together and have a family meeting. This will take leadership from the top, someone who is willing to say that we need to renew our covenant to God. We need to read the Bible together and learn again how to pray. God has to be a priority and so we will tear down the places we’ve allowed to become a site of worship. Instead, we will lead the next generation to worship with the bride of Christ, the church. 

But reform will cost something. It may cost you those season tickets, or the travel club, or the time-share. It may cost you personal involvement by giving of yourself to help others...not just by writing a check, but by getting personally involved. It may cost time to spend reading the Bible and praying. 

If we are to love our Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, then it will cost us something. It begins with a decision, but must then lead to reform. The results, however, will be eternal. Maybe it’s time to change our perspective for the long haul.

Prayer:

Lord, I needed to be challenged by your word today. I’m so grateful for those shave gone before me who have paid the price of reform. Please, help me to be faithful. Amen.