As I am processing through my thoughts and emotions of last night's election, I am reminded of this quote from G.K. Chesterton.
What's wrong with the world? I am.
I've been praying a lot in recent weeks about the political situation in our country and how that has fleshed out in my own life. I have lamented the divisiveness of the conversations I have, sometimes within my own family. I am baffled at the way I so easily pick and choose which human lives I deem sacred and worthy of protection and which lives I disregard. I ineffectively try to understand how political philosophies so easily draw me into postures of us vs. them, my way or the highway, so freely pointing my fingers at others in accusation of wrongdoings against our citizens, our country, our world.
And I remember this quote from G.K. Chesterton. "What's wrong with the world? I am."
I have been meditating recently about the Way of Jesus and His kingdom. I'm reminded that His victory over sin came by submitting to the capital punishment executed by an oppressive regime. I remember the narratives of the Bible, how there are so very few good political leaders within its pages, and I was reminded of how important it was for God's people to trust God every step of the way, at every moment in history, even when the powers in authority were unfriendly, ungodly, or incompetent.
Throughout the Bible, God's people were regularly called to examine their own sin, to repent and turn away from their own twisted ways, to cleanse their land of idols and return to true worship of God alone. The story that drove this home most keenly in my heart in the past couple months was the story of King Josiah. This passage recently popped up in our daily Scripture readings:
The high priest Hilkiah reported to Shaphan the royal secretary, “I’ve just found the Book of God’s Revelation, instructing us in God’s ways. I found it in The Temple!” He gave it to Shaphan and Shaphan read it...
Then Shaphan the royal secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest gave me a book.” Shaphan proceeded to read it to the king. When the king heard what was written in the book, God’s Revelation, he ripped his robes in dismay. And then he called for Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the royal secretary, and Asaiah the king’s personal aide. He ordered them all: “Go and pray to God for me and for this people—for all Judah! Find out what we must do in response to what is written in this book that has just been found! God’s anger must be burning furiously against us—our ancestors haven’t obeyed a thing written in this book, followed none of the instructions directed to us...”
God’s comment on what he read in the book: ‘Because you took seriously the doom of judgment I spoke against this place and people, and because you responded in humble repentance, tearing your robe in dismay and weeping before me, I’m taking you seriously. God’s word: I’ll take care of you. You’ll have a quiet death and be buried in peace. You won’t be around to see the doom that I’m going to bring upon this place.’” The king acted immediately, assembling all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. Then the king proceeded to The Temple of God, bringing everyone in his train—priests and prophets and people ranging from the famous to the unknown. Then he read out publicly everything written in the Book of the Covenant that was found in The Temple of God. The king stood by the pillar and before God solemnly committed them all to the covenant: to follow God believingly and obediently; to follow his instructions, heart and soul, on what to believe and do; to put into practice the entire covenant, all that was written in the book. The people stood in affirmation; their commitment was unanimous.
2 Kings 22: 8, 10-13, 18b-20, 23:1-4 The Message
Josiah then went on to take corrective action to lead the nation into a season of repentance. Idols and the priests that served them were removed, a process described in detail in 2 Kings 23. Idolatry was actively occurring and eliminated in the following places:
in the temple itself (items of worship to many idols and temple prostitutes)
in the courtyard of The Temple
near the entrance to The Temple
the neighborhoods of Jerusalem
to the left of the city gate
east of Jerusalem on the south slope of Abomination Hill
in Bethel
on the hillside
in the towns of Judah
in the outlying towns of Judah
in the Valley of Ben Hinnom
from one end of the country to the other—all the way from Geba to Beersheba
in all the towns of Samaria
Here's the thing. The people had forgotten God. Over the generations each evil ruler had set up their own favorite idol and engaged in their favorite idolatrous acts. Over time idolatry took hold everywhere within their land and the people got used to it. It became normalized within their culture. It was happening even within the temple building, the courtyard, and its entrance. People had forgotten that God is jealous (Ex. 34:14) and doesn't like to share the hearts of the people with idols. God didn't want just a sliver of their loyalty, but all of it.
I imagine that Josiah was not very popular among some of his subjects. Some of his cleansing methods seem harsh to our modern understanding of God's love. Perhaps he felt that decisive action was needed in order to try to save his country from God's judgment. I can understand that, but I confess my heart is saddened when I read about the loss of human life he executed in his attempt to reach that goal.
After Josiah had cleansed the land of idolatry, he called the people to observe the Passover, something they had not done since the time of the Judges (2 Kings 23:21-23). The Passover, as we know, was an embodied prophecy depicting the coming of Jesus Christ, the Lamb that was slain for all of us, as Jesus explains in the Last Supper (Matt. 26:26).
What we can miss in the story of Josiah if we're not careful is that God just wants our love, our complete devotion, our complete attention. Idolatry undermines that. It distracts us from keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:2).
In my prayer times I have been taking the story of Josiah and laying it against my own life. What idols am I worshipping? How might I look at my face in the mirror with fresh eyes honestly (James 1:23-24) and willingly confess to the ways I have strayed from the Way of Jesus? How have I looked to the idols in my life for security, comfort, diversion and entertainment? Have I bowed to idols to better fit in with those around me, as Josiah's ancestors did, to try to fit in with the culture around me? Indeed, I have. Lord, have mercy!
I believe God is calling me to a season of repentance, of reestablishing a life of worship and loyalty to Jesus Christ alone. I believe I am being called to recommit myself to:
Live like Jesus:
God’s Spirit is on me; he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and battered free, to announce, “This is God’s time to shine!” Luke 4:18 Msg
To speak like Jesus:
This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. John 3:16-17 Msg
To shine like Jesus:
Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. Matt. 5:14-16 Msg
I invite you to join me in this recommitment to the Way of Jesus, just as Josiah called all of Israel to join him in the work of sanctification in his time. If you would like to respond to this invitation, share your decision with those around you. Confess to them the ways that you have allowed idolatry to creep in, and recommit yourself to live, speak and shine like Jesus.
Friends, I place you in the palm of our Heavenly Father's Hand. I ask Him to hold you close, keep you safe, encamp His angels around you to guard you in all your ways. I ask Him to pour out His love, His mercy, His favor on your life. I bless you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
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