July 3- Spiritual Illiteracy

July 3, 2011

Scripture Readings:
2 Kings 22:3-23:30; Acts 21:37-22:16;
Psalm 1:1-6; Proverbs 18:11-12

Once you learn to read, you will forever be free. 
~Frederick Douglass

2 Kings 22:3-23:30

A number of years ago there was a great outcry about illiteracy in America.  People were concerned that children were not properly learning to read.  Attention from the highest levels of government was aimed at instituting programs to insure that America's children would learn to read. There were debates about the best methods for teaching reading.  Some people thought that a phonics program was best, while others liked the look-see method. Why all the fuss?  Why is this important?  Because reading is the key to knowledge.  Without the ability to read a person limits their exposure to truth.  Remember that Jesus said, "The truth will set you free."  Reading promotes freedom.  Today, we see that the kingdom of Judah becomes slaves to paganism because they have become spiritually illiterate.

The Book of the Law of Moses was lost in obscurity in the Temple.  The people of Judah had not read the Law for decades and had become spiritually illiterate.  Paganism was a way of life, and the commands of God, including the calendar of holy days, had been long forgotten.

Good King Josiah decides to renovate the Temple.  He is a man who seeks God and wants to honor the Lord.  During the renovations the Book of the Law of the Lord is found by Shaphan, a court secretary.  When he reads the book he is astounded and takes it to Josiah.  When Josiah hears the book, he tears his clothes in despair.  "Dear God in Heaven, we have sinned," is probably what he thought to himself.  Josiah has his court officers go seek the Lord to find out the consequences of abandoning His laws for all of these years.  The courtiers go to a female prophetess named Huldah.  She tells them that the Lord is going to destroy Judah just as He destroyed Israel because they abandoned God and worshiped pagan gods.  The Lord tells Josiah that He has seen Josiah's repentance and humility and therefore, the destruction of Jerusalem will not occur until after Josiah's death.

After this confirmation, Josiah summons all of the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, in addition to every person from the greatest to the least to an assembly.  He is about to solve Judah's spiritual illiteracy problem.   The king personally reads the whole Book of the Covenant found in the Temple to the gathered assembly.  Remember that this group of people would have included tiny babies, little toddlers, awkward teenagers, and tired parents.  Everyone is going to hear Truth and they are going to stand in the assembly until the King Josiah has finished the whole Law.

At the pillar of the Temple, Josiah takes authority to renew the covenant with God, pledge to obey the Law, confirm the terms of their agreement with God, instruct the High Priest to remove items used for Baal worship, burn the items outside of the city, and carry the ashes away to Bethel.  Josiah is a man who acts on his convictions.  He is one to fight evil and ruffle some feathers for God.

Next, Josiah goes on a campaign to personally rid the country of idolatry.  He ends the pagan priesthood, removes the Asherah pole from the Temple, burns down the houses of temple prostitution, defiles pagan shrines by scattering human bones on them, gets rid of items and statues dedicated to the worship of the sun, tears down and smashes altars, including some built by King Solomon that were dedicated to Molech, Chemosh and Asherah.  He goes from town to town on this clean up campaign.  Can you imagine the sorrow of many of the women and men who were emotionally tied to these pagan gods and practices?  This would have been a gigantic adjustment for the people of Josiah's kingdom.  Josiah exterminates the mediums and psychics.  Never before had there been a king like Josiah.  His passion and obedience stand out in all of history.

Lessons:  It is possible to become spiritually illiterate.  Do you know people who have NO IDEA what the Bible says?  If you do, they are spiritually illiterate.  You may want to help them learn the truth.  Like Josiah, we are responsible for ending spiritual illiteracy.  It is good to work to eliminate evil influences in the society.

Do you promote Bible study to others?  Have you ever taught Sunday School or VBS? Do you work to reduce immorality in our society?  Do you stand silently by as abortion, sexual immorality, gambling, pornography and prostitution run rampant around you?

Acts 21:37-22:16

Today, as Paul is being carried away from the rioting crowd, the guard who is carrying him asks if he is the Egyptian who led a rebellion.  Paul says that he is not and asks if he can address the crowd.  The guards place Paul on the steps and Paul speaks to the crowd in Aramaic, which is the language of the Jews. The crowd becomes silent at hearing their home language.  You can hear a pin drop as he begins to speak.

He testifies that he is a Jew, trained under Gamaliel in Jerusalem, and was a zealous persecutor of people who followed The Way.  On his way to Damascus to imprison and kill more men and women, he was blinded by a light from Heaven and confronted by Jesus Christ.  After receiving his sight back from a godly man named Ananias, Paul received forgiveness from his sins through faith in Jesus Christ and was baptized.

Our reading ends today with this fabulous personal testimony of the greatest evangelist in history.

Lesson:  A plain spoken testimony is a powerful tool.

With whom have you shared your testimony?

Psalm 1

We are back to psalm one today.  Please consider memorizing this psalm.  It compares the righteous and the wicked.  I hope we will be like trees firmly planted by the river.  Think of the River of Life in the New Jerusalem.

Proverbs 18:11-12

Pride goes before a fall.  Very true.  Humility goes before honor.  The Lord promises this.

What did you learn today?

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal

Kathy Fullerton