Scripture: 2 Chronicles 34:20-21, John 6:60-61
2 Chronicles 34:19 When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes. 20 He gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king's attendant: 21 "Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD's anger that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book."
John 6:60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" 61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you?
Observation: Here is a study in contrasts:
First, Josiah is confronted with his first exposure to the Law being read to him after the High Priest found the scrolls in the Temple. He responds by tearing his robes and calls for sweeping changes in the nation. There is great sorrow for their violations of God's word.One person hears the word and it pierces his heart and brings repentance. Another person hears the word and takes offense and rejects both the word and the One who brought it.
Then we see some of Jesus followers who heard Him say that He was the bread from heaven and, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." Those who heard these words grumbled and complained and many turned away and did not follow Jesus any longer.
Application: Jesus gave us the application in verse 65: "no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." People make up their mind and if they close themselves off to God, there is no way they can receive, for it is God alone who enables a person to receive the word. If a person is open to God, then He enables them to hear, receive, and apply the word, even when it hurts. Were these words harsh? You bet they were! But Josiah took them to heart and turned his nation toward God -- unlike Jesus followers who didn't even stop to ask Jesus what He meant by what He said -- they rejected it in their ignorance.
Bottom line: You can bring God's word faithfully and still be rejected. A person has to be open to God and humble to receive or it won't get through to their heart. And we must be sure we keep our hearts open to God's word, harsh or gentle, and stay teachable and moldable through it all.
Prayer: Lord, we want to be like Josiah, who heard Your words and responded with instant repentance and obedience. Help us to be able to receive even the harshest of words when it will help us to become more like Jesus.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
1 comment:
So very true! People who reject the Word usually don't stop to ask questions to see if they understand it. A lack of humility causes them to assume that their understanding of what's being said is the correct one. They are more interested in being right than in gaining understanding.
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