2 Kings 23:4 (NKJV): And the king (Josiah) commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the articles that were made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven (the gods of the Assyrians); and he burned them outside Jerusalem...
Anything on earth can be your 'idol'. An 'idol' doesn't necessarily have to be statues or carved images that one bows down to worship. An 'idol' can be something that you've been indulging in, or something that holds you back from walking in the perfect will of God (or receiving from the Lord).
So, what exactly is an 'idol'? An 'idol' is anything (or anyone) that takes the place of God in your life, and it can even be a certain emotional attachment with something (or somebody) that you are not supposed to be attached with. It can also be a certain past that you are not supposed to hang on to anymore. These, if not cleared, will hinder God's perfect will and God's grace from flowing freely in your life.
Just as in King Josiah's days, this is also a time of 'spring-cleaning' (even spiritual 'spring-cleaning') for many of God's people today!
I heard these words from the Lord recently:
"Clear the clutter! This is a time to clear whatever that has been holding you back! Even the past that has been holding you back!"
And then, I heard further:
"I am preparing My people for a time of renewal and refreshing. There will be a new outlook! There will be a new vigor! Many of My people have become entangled in this complicated world. Many of My people have become entangled in the many issues of life. This is a time to return to My rest. This is a time to clear what needs to clear, and I will help you if you would allow Me."
By the way, a 'clutter' is defined as 'disorderliness, mess; unnecessary (or unwanted) things lying about untidily'.
I am attracted to the words 'new outlook' here. You know what it means? Future prospects! In other words, as you clear the 'clutter' in any particular area of your life, you will begin to see 'future prospects' in that particular area of your life! Believe that the Lord will show you, and He will help you. His grace (ability, supply) is enough for you. This is a time to declare that your future is bright, and your prospect is bright!
I also heard these words for this time and season of the Lord:
"Allow Me to turn your 'disorderliness' into 'orderliness'. By your own strength, it may be impossible; but with Me, all things are possible. My grace is enough for you."
Let's look at the life of King Josiah now. 2 Kings 22:1-2 says, 'Josiah was eight years old when he became king,... And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the ways of his (fore)father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left'. And then, 2 Kings 22:3 says, 'Now it came to pass, in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the scribe... to the house of the Lord...' Josiah meant it for the purpose of repairing the house of God which has been neglected for years.
Interestingly, the name 'Josiah' in Hebrew is 'YoshiYah', which means 'founded of Yah, or founded Yah'. In other words, he found the Lord, even in the midst of widespread idolatry in the land of Judah during his earlier years, and even though his grandfather (Manasseh) and father (Amon) had long forsaken the Lord (and entangled themselves with the 'idols' of the world). As a matter of fact, you are never too young or too old to find the Lord, and see Him using you (the way He used Josiah) to bring renewal and refreshing in the land you live in. Amen!
May a heart like Josiah be raised up in God's people today.
2 Kings 22:8-11 then says, 'Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, "I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord." And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it... Now it happened, when the king (Josiah) heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes'.
With the Word of the Lord that he had heard, and with the conviction that the Lord had put in his heart, he began a great work of the Lord to clear the 'clutter' that had accumulated for generations before him.
And do you know what was the first and foremost thing written in the Bible that Josiah restored, renewed and refreshed? 2 Kings 23:21-23 says, 'Then the king (Josiah) commanded all the people, saying, "Keep the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in the Book of the Covenant." Such a Passover surely had never been held since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was held before the Lord in Jerusalem'.
'Passover' here speaks of 'the renewal and refreshing of the covenant (that the Lord had first made with His people)'. In cross-reference, let's look at Exodus 12:1-2 that says, 'Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, "This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you."' Therefore, 'Passover' also signifies 'returning to the very beginning, your first love (the Lord), and reminding yourself of how the Lord had first saved you'.
In Exodus 12:5-13, the Lord then said, 'Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year... Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses... They shall eat the flesh on that night, roasted in fire... It is the Lord's Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt... Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt'.
As a believer in the New Covenant, know that Jesus has become your Passover Lamb when He died for you and His blood was shed for you on the cross some 2,000 years ago. It's a covenant made with His own blood (see also Isaiah 53:4-7, Romans 5:8-9).
I was praying the other day when I saw a vision of many new bottles of olive oil (never being used before, tightly-capped, not opened yet). Then, I saw the cap (caps) being opened by a pair of shining hands, and fresh olive oil being poured upon God's people's heads. I asked the Lord what all these meant, and then I began to understand. This is a time to receive renewal and refreshing from the Lord, like the fresh olive oil being poured upon God's people's heads! This is also a time for you to renew and refresh your covenant with the Lord again!
People of God, are there areas in your life that have become stale, dull or wearied, and you know you need a renewing and refreshing touch of the Lord all over again?
Isaiah 40:31 says, '...those who wait ('qavah' in Hebrew, meaning 'hope, collect, gather') on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint'. The word 'renew' here is 'chalaph' in Hebrew, which means 'to spring up'. Just imagine a dying plant being watered (and nourished), and then it springs up again.
Therefore, return to His rest, receive from Him, and let Him water (and nourish) you all over again. You'll be sure to 'spring up' with a new outlook and a new vigor, as you look forward to many more good days ahead. Amen!
