Stress Test Devotional May 4
May 04, 2024
2 KINGS 23:4-5 | 4 The king commanded the high priest Hilkiah, the priests of the second-order, and the guardians of the threshold, to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 He deposed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who made offerings to Baal, to the sun, the moon, the constellations, and all the host of the heavens.
God’s revelation gains purpose in our lives through passionate public commitment and through our actions. Josiah immediately acted on what he learned about God’s will from the sacred book.
He took all the symbols of other gods out of the Temple, burned them to dust, and carried off the ashes, eradicating them completely in a physical sense. Then he defrocked and fired all the pagan priests, socially eviscerating the false cults.
Our actions shape our outlook, our character, and the public perception of our identity. Josiah was hereafter seen as an enemy of syncretism and Canaanite religion.
How do your actions reinforce your loyalty to God?
