I'm not a political activist, but I was motivated to go to the local Tax Day Tea Party here in Prescott, Arizona on April 15. I went with my son Nate (the cool dude in the sunglasses, upper left photo), and we were both glad we attended, if for no other reason than it was a blessing to be in the presence of so many people who love the USA and the principles upon which our nation was founded. A Prescott-based newspaper, The Daily Courier, estimated a crowd of about 2,000--not bad for a town the size of Prescott. With the media bias the way it is in our nation, it's easy to lose touch with the fact that there are still many people who love freedom, the free enterprise system, and the work ethic--and who appreciate the founding documents of our republic.Another thing that encouraged us was the crowd's open expression of love for God. This has been evident in the tea parties across the nation. All of this has caused me to do a lot of thinking lately, along these lines: In a nation in which it has become so common to perversely "call evil good, and good evil" (Isaiah 5:20), is there any chance remaining for a true spiritual revival to deliver our nation from her course of self-destruction?
I am reminded of a breath of fresh air that came to the southern kingdom of Judah in the years just prior to her captivity by the invading Chaldeans under Nebuchadnezzar. Judah had been under the reign of Hezekiah's son, Manasseh, for 55 years. Although he later acknowledged his sins and humbled himself before God (after some intense divine discipline!), Manasseh's reign had been characterized by unprecedented evil. He had promoted idolatry, the worship of the stars and planets, witchcraft, divination, sorcery and spiritism--and he had even sacrificed his own sons to Molech by burning them (2 Chronicles 33:6). So evil and bloodthirsty was Manasseh's reign that God pronounced a final cycle of judgment on Judah (Jeremiah 15:4) that would later be fulfilled by the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar.
After Manasseh died, his son Amon became king and ruled only two years. Amon followed in the evil of his father and was killed in his own house by his servants. The people then killed the conspirators and made Amon's eight year old son Josiah king. Josiah reigned for 31 years and was one of the best kings on the throne after Solomon. In the eighth year of his reign (at 16 years old), Josiah began to seek God, and four years later he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of idolatry.
During his eighteenth year of Josiah's reign, Hilkiah the high priest, while in the temple, found the book of the Law which had been given to Moses. This was quite a discovery, because apparently the temple had become nothing more than a warehouse for odds and ends, and the Word of God had been heavily suppressed in Manasseh's reign. (Tradition holds that the prophet Isaiah was killed by being sawed in half under Manasseh's orders.) What Hilkiah found would have been a scroll with columns. Perhaps this scroll was the entire Pentateuch, but at the very least, it contained portions which delineated the five cycles of divine discipline which would be enacted against God's covenant nation should the people reject His Word. These cycles of discipline are outlined in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy. (Click here to read about The Five Cycles of Divine Discipline.)
The book of the law was given to Shaphan the scribe, who read it to Josiah--and when Josiah heard the discipline which would be administered to the covenant nation for the rejection of God's Word, Josiah became very distressed and tore his clothes (2 Kings 22:11, 19), because he perceived what would happen to Judah. This resulted in a great spiritual reformation led by Josiah: a formal renewal of the covenant and the recovery of doctrine. The upshot was that, although the judgment promised because of Manasseh's evil would be fulfilled after Josiah's death, this judgment was deferred, and Josiah led Judah into the greatest spiritual revival since the times of David and Solomon. There was vitality and prosperity in Judah again! Sadly, Josiah's reign was followed by more evil kings, and Jeremiah's pronouncement of judgment on Judah was fulfilled in 605 through 586 B.C.
As I have stated recently, when I look at the present state of the USA in the context of the global situation, I find it hard to believe that our nation has the spiritual and moral stamina to be able to survive much longer--and, of course I hope I am wrong! But even if the downward plunge cannot be reversed, a true spiritual revival could at least defer the inevitable. A grass-roots conservative or libertarian political revival would not suffice: The Bible clearly shows us the requirement is a genuine spiritual revival; a recovery of Bible doctrine in the land. Hey, if it could happen after Manasseh's reign in Judah, it could happen to us in America. I must say, I'm truly encouraged by the prospect of such a revival. It could bring families closer together--which the pressure of the economic recession is already doing to some degree. Also, think of the opportunities for evangelism! These are exciting times, to be sure.
