My dad used to say that it takes drastic measures to make drastic changes. So it was for those in the readings for today. Manasseh, son of Hezekiah, became more evil than those before him. God moved him into a position from which he could see things more clearly. Repent or die. Although so evil and abusive, the pleas and repentance of Manasseh were heard by God and he was returned to Judah. A short book in the Apocrypha, the Prayer of Manasseh reflects a broken and contrite heart. I still wonder how Manasseh, son of Hezekiah, came to be evil in the first place.
Josiah was blessed with a good heart and good advisers at a early age. In his zeal to restore loyalty to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he reached north into Syrian territory to destroy the pagan shrines and brought back the tribute money from those peoples to refurnish the temple. He ground to dust the idols, burned the bones of pagan priests, and turned the Place of Burning, Topheth, into that infamous of all New Testament places Gehenna, valley of the sons of Hinnom, the ever burning, foul, city dump. Then of all things, they find the Torah in the Temple! As a teacher of mine in school said, “What a place to lose the Bible, in the church (building)!”
How do you deal with a raging inferno like Saul?! Jesus struck him down, dead in his tracks, made him to be led, not the leader of this band on their way to Damascus. He was blind three days. His story continues later.
How can you stop a world that is hell bound? What great, extreme drastic measures could it take to change an entire world?
Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” (Acts 8:32-33 ESV)
What will it take for you to break down the lurking shadows of evil in you? the places of unfaithfulness? What do you need today to make this a day of praise and victory for God Almighty in you?
Prayer: Holy, Righteous Father: Today help me to remove every idol from my life, to refurnish my heart, my mind, and my body so that I am holy to You, a place of constant praise and renewal by Your Spirit. Thank You, in Jesus name.