In the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign, he ordered for the repairs of the House of the Lord. During the clean up and repairs, the high priest Hilkiah found a scroll or the Book of the Law. As the Book of the Law was read to Josiah, he had realized why the wrath of the Lord had been on Judah and Israel. King Josiah had rented his clothes upon hearing the Word of the Lord. The wrath of the Lord was on God's people because their ancestors were not keeping the Word of the Lord as it was written in the book. God's people were basically forsaking HIM as they had sought and burned incense to other gods.
The high priest Hilkiah and other servants went to the prophetess Huldah. The Lord spoke through the prophetess.
2 Chronicles 34:24-28 (AMP) Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will bring evil upon this place and upon its inhabitants, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah. 25 Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands, therefore My wrath shall be poured out upon this place and shall not be quenched.26But say to King Josiah of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the words which you have heard:27Because your heart was tender and penitent and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and its inhabitants, and humbled yourself before Me and rent your clothes and wept before Me, I have heard you, says the Lord. 28 Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the evil that I will bring upon this place and its inhabitants. So they brought the king word again.
King Josiah made a covenant with the Lord to follow all His ways. He caused all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand and do according to the covenant of God. Josiah removed all the abominations of idols, wizards, and mediums from all the territories of Israel. Moreover, he held a great Passover celebration that was not seen in Jerusalem since the days of Samuel the prophet. He was a king who had turned back to God with all of his heart and soul.
When we look at the life of King Josiah, we can see as many individual Christians, ministries, or pastors, we can all start off well but how we finish is another matter. We may as individual Christians or churches clean up our houses, remove the idols of our lives, and begin to live a life that is worthy and obedient to the Lord. We may realize and receive the revelation that we may have been living in sin. Like Josiah, he repented and humbled himself returning to God will all of his heart and soul. God therefore showed him mercy and told him he would be gathered to his grave in peace.
Everything seem to be going fine until the king of Egypt, Neco, went out to fight Carchemish. Whether we are individual Christians, leaders in the five fold ministry or whether we are churches or pastors, we can all be serving the Lord with a diligent and obedient heart. However, we must serve with such diligence and obedience to the end.
2 Chronicles 35:20-21 After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt went out to fight against Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out against him.21 But [Neco] sent ambassadors to [Josiah], saying, What have I to do with you, you king of Judah? I come not against you this day, but against the house with which I am at war; and God has commanded me to make haste. Refrain from opposing God, Who is with me, lest He destroy you.
King Neco was attempting to warn King Josiah that his work or war was commanded by God and that Josiah was actually coming against God and His Will when he came against Neco. King Neco warned him to stand down otherwise he would be destroyed by coming against God.
In today's term, King Neco can represent another ministry, a pastor, or other individual Christians who have been called by God for His Work and Purpose. King Neco was Egyptian and not from Israel or Judah. He was an outsider to King Josiah. King Neco was different. He may have looked different, dressed differently, spoke differently, fought differently, possessed different weapons, had a different mission, perhaps had a victory dance that was different, celebrated differently, and was not in the traditional sense familiar to the people of Judah or Israel. Yet, King Neco was working for God and he had specifically warned Josiah that he was coming against God and not Neco.
Why did Josiah not heed and still oppose King Neco as he pleaded to Josiah not to come against him? Why do most Christians today come against other servants of God? It is usually out of their pride and jealousy. Did King Josiah desire the glory rather than letting Neco have the victory against the Carchemishians? Or was Josiah full of pride to think there was no other that could defeat him because no Egyptian could be serving God? Or perhaps in today's term, could it be because Josiah did not think no other ministry or denomination was valid other than his ministry.
Today, many Christians may come against other servants of God because they may dress differently, worship differently, sing differently, celebrate differently, dance differently, pray differently, or are perhaps louder and shout more than others. But if one comes against them out of pride or jealousy, no matter how well one may have started out giving all their heart and soul to God, at the end, they will end up opposing God. The Lord had initially promised Josiah that he would be gathered in his grave in peace. However, this was not the case as Josiah fought against another servant of the Lord and was killed.
2 Chronicle 35:22-24 Yet Josiah would not turn away from him, but disguised himself in order to fight with him. He did not heed the words of Neco from the mouth of God, but came to fight with him in the valley of Megiddo. 23And the archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, Take me away, for I am severely wounded. 24 So his servants took him out of the chariot and put him in his second chariot and brought him to Jerusalem. And he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
When we observe other ministries, anointing, Christians, or works of God, we must ask the Holy Spirit for discernment so that we may not be speaking against what we do not know and/or that we may not come against God's servants or His Works. Otherwise, we may be coming or speaking against God.
King Saul was God's first anointed king. He had become corrupted from his disobedience and was rejected by God. But his disobedience did not make him to be a false king or a false prophet. Regardless, David dare not touch the Lord's anointed.
Many Christians have no idea who may be a false prophet or a corrupted servant of God. But many of them do not have the authority to speak against God's anointed whether they become corrupted or not. However, many Christians are like Josiah, they may have turned their heart and soul back to God but out of jealousy, envy, or pride, they may end up coming against another of God's anointed servant or ministry by speaking evil against them. At the end, such people are coming against God HIMSELF which is very dangerous.
Joshua 24:20 (Amplified Bible) If you forsake the Lord and [a]serve strange gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.
Ezekiel 18:24 (AMP) But if the righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? None of his righteous deeds which he has done shall be remembered. In his trespass that he has trespassed and in his sin that he has sinned, in them shall he die.
It would be wise brethren to FEAR God more than serving one's pride, jealousy, or envy. Unless God tells us who is a false prophet or such, it would not be wise for us to go looking to define it from our own flesh. Ask for discernment for the coming difficult days.
Fire of God
Steve Yong Kim
April 9, 2012
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