Springtime isn't just for tidying up around the house—it's also the perfect moment for a spiritual declutter. Inspired by King Josiah's sweeping reforms in 2 Kings 23, we take a page from his book to discuss the revitalizing effects of cleansing our lives from the clutter that holds us back. From the purging of pagan altars to the celebration of renewed faith, we see how transformation within can lead to joyous outward expressions. Drawing from Josiah's narrative, I'll share insights on how to identify and remove the idols in our own lives, making space for a rekindled connection with what truly matters.
Venturing further, we examine the ebb and flow of freedom and restoration during the reigns of Kings Josiah, Jehoahaz, and Jehoakim, paralleling these periods to our personal lives. It's a candid look at facing down struggles—be they addiction, unhealthy relationships, or other vices—and emerging into seasons of peace and stronger bonds. Through personal stories of courage and an intimate account of my own journey of empathy and support, this episode is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Join us as we celebrate the liberating power of spiritual 'spring cleaning' and invoke a prayer for the strength to walk confidently towards the freedom waiting for us.
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The More You Dig. The More You Find.
Springtime isn't just for tidying up around the house—it's also the perfect moment for a spiritual declutter. Inspired by King Josiah's sweeping reforms in 2 Kings 23, we take a page from his book to discuss the revitalizing effects of cleansing our lives from the clutter that holds us back. From the purging of pagan altars to the celebration of renewed faith, we see how transformation within can lead to joyous outward expressions. Drawing from Josiah's narrative, I'll share insights on how to identify and remove the idols in our own lives, making space for a rekindled connection with what truly matters.
Venturing further, we examine the ebb and flow of freedom and restoration during the reigns of Kings Josiah, Jehoahaz, and Jehoakim, paralleling these periods to our personal lives. It's a candid look at facing down struggles—be they addiction, unhealthy relationships, or other vices—and emerging into seasons of peace and stronger bonds. Through personal stories of courage and an intimate account of my own journey of empathy and support, this episode is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Join us as we celebrate the liberating power of spiritual 'spring cleaning' and invoke a prayer for the strength to walk confidently towards the freedom waiting for us.
SOAP Bible Study Method- https://www.brandoncannon.com/soap/
Bible reading plan- http://www.experiencerlc.com/the-bible/
Free weekly newsletter- https://www.brandoncannon.com/
Social:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/thebrandoncannon
Instagram: https://instagram.com/brandoncannon
Twitter: https://twitter.com/brandoncannon
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theBrandonCannon
The More You Dig. The More You Find.
Well, hello everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today. 2nd Kings, chapter 23,. And today's title is Spring Cleaning Brings Feasting. Spring Cleaning Brings Feasting.
Speaker 1:I don't know how it is with you, but around this time of the year, man, I'm always doing all this spring cleaning because, like during the winter time, just I'm not in the mood, I don't want to be outside, but all of a sudden spring gets here. I want to clean out the garage, the shed, all outside, everything, and because spring's in the air, good things are coming right. Well, that is exactly what happens in this chapter, just a whole lot more of it. They got some spring cleaning and this joker don't play. But then, on the other side of it, is a time of celebration and we're going to see what that has to do with our life today as we get into God's work. But before we do that, as always, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you like, share, subscribe to YouTube channel, make sure you're leaving us some kind of comment on the YouTube channel. It really helps us get the word out there and get more people where they can see it. A lot of times it's difficult because of the algorithm. Even if you type in Bible breakdown or whatever, it doesn't always come up right away and that really helps us get into that search engine better. On the podcast, make sure you're leaving us a 5-star review letting other people know how you're engaging with God's Word. And then, as always, please gather with us at the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook, because, man, the more we dig, the more we find the Every Bible.
Speaker 1:When it opened up with me to 2 Kings 23,. If you remember from yesterday what we had talked about and really the overall theme of Kings is actions have consequences, right. Well, the action that happened was Josiah found the book of the law and he realized how far off they had failed from this place where they were supposed to be worshiping and honoring God. And now he's going to fix it and he's going to do a spring cleaning. But this man's version of spring cleaning may be a little different than yours. I know it's different than mine. We're going to read this and see You'll get it. You'll get what I'm saying in a minute, because this man, he don't play alright. This is like my version of spring cleaning and my wife's version of spring cleaning is a little bit different. My version of spring cleaning is man. We're going to open up the windows. We're going to a little bit of fresh air in my wife's is clean at all. Alright, deep cleaning, let's scrub, alright. His version is closer to her version. You ready, here we go.
Speaker 1:Second Kings, 23 verse one says this Then the king took his place of authority beside the pillar and renewed the covenant in the Lord's presence. He pledged to obey the Lord by keeping all of his commands, laws and decrees with all of his heart. In this way, he confirmed all the terms of the covenant that were written in the scroll and that all the people pledged themselves to the covenant. Then the king instructed Hulkayah, the priest, and the priest in the second rank and the temple gatekeepers to remove from the Lord's temple all the articles that were used to worship the Alhashira and all the powers of the heavens. The king had all these things burned outside of Jerusalem on the terraces of the Kidron Valley, and he carried the ashes away to Bethel. By the way, the Kidron Valley is basically the city dump. It was the dump where they poured everything you didn't want, including human excrement, all the things. It was a really ech place in the Kidron Valley. So think of the city dump. That is where they would put all that, okay? So he put all of this stuff in the Kidron Valley and he then carried the ashes away to Bethel.
Speaker 1:Verse 5,. He did away with all the idolatrous priests who had been appointed by the previous kings of Judah, for they had offered sacrifices at the pagan shrines throughout Judah and even in the vicinity of Jerusalem. He had also offered sacrifices to Baal and to the sun. Oh, excuse me, they had. They had not Josiah, lord, not Josiah. They had offered sacrifices to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations and all the powers of the heavens.
Speaker 1:Then the king removes the Asherith Poles from the Lord's temple and took it outside Jerusalem to the dump Kidron Valley, where he burned it. And then he ground the ashes of the pole to dust and he threw the dust over the graves of the people. Then he also tore down the living quarters of the male and female shrine prostitutes that were inside the temple of the Lord. Inside the temple of the Lord they had shrine prostitutes inside the temple of the Lord, where the women wove coverings for the Asherith pole. Josiah brawled to Jerusalem all the priests who were living in other towns of Judah. He also defiled the pagan shrines where they had offered sacrifices all the way from Giba to Bershiba. He destroyed all the shrines at the entrance to the gate of Joshua and the governor excuse me, the governor of Jerusalem. This gate was located to the left of the city gates as one enters the city. The priests who had served at the pagan shrines were not allowed to serve at the Lord's altar in Jerusalem. They were allowed to eat the unleavened bread with the other priests.
Speaker 1:Then the king defiled the altar of Topheth in the valley of Bethhenon so no one could ever again use it to sacrifice a son or daughter in the fire as an offering to Molek. Thank goodness right. Yes, we don't want to do that anymore. But what do you think it was he did that he defiled it with? We about to find out this man, don't mess around. Verse 11,.
Speaker 1:He removed from the entrance of the Lord's temple the horse statues that the former kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun. They were near the quarters of Nathan Melek the eunuch, the officer of the court. The king also burned the chariots dedicated to the sun. Josiah tore down the altars that the kings of Judah had built on the palace roof, above the upper room of Ahas, the king destroyed the altars that Manasseh had built in the two courtyards of the Lord's temple. He smashed them into bits and scattered their pieces in the town dump right, the Kidron Valley.
Speaker 1:The king also desecrated the pagan shrines east of Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of Corruption, where King Solomon of Israel had built the shrines to Ashtereth, the detestable goddess of the Sedonians, and for Kimosh, the detestable god of the Moabites, and for Molech, the vile god of the Ammonites. He smashed the sacred pillars and cut down the Astral Pulse and he desecrated these places listen to this by scattering human bones over them. Joker, be pouring bones on this. Whose bones? We don't know. Somebody's bones. Someone gave their bones for the cause and he is desecrating these places by scattering them. Bones all over them, mm-mm, all right, here we go. Verse 15.
Speaker 1:The king also tore down the altar at Bethel, the pagan shrines that Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, had had made. When he calls his word to sin. He burned down the shrines, grounded into dust, and he burned the astral pole, thank goodness. Then Josiah turned around and noticed, oh Lord, several tombs on the side of the hill. Here we go. He ordered that the bones be brought out and burn them on the altar at Bethel to desecrate it. This happened just as the Lord had promised through the man of God, when Jeroboam stood beside the altar at the festival. So no bones are safe. If there's a tomb around, he's going to excavate it, get them bones. He's got to scatter them all over the place.
Speaker 1:Then Josiah turned and looked at the tomb of the man of God who had predicted these things. What is this monument over here, josiah? He's probably wanting them bones. And then the people of the town told him hey, wait a minute. Now it's the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted the very things that you have just done at the altar at Bethel. Then Judah said oh, leave them alone, leave it alone, don't disturb his bones. So his bones are safe. So they did not burn his bones and those of the old prophet of Samaria.
Speaker 1:Then Josiah demolished all of the buildings at the pagan shrines in the towns of Samaria, just as he had done at Bethel, and then they had been built by the various kings of Israel that the Lord made. That had made the Lord very angry and he executed the priest oh Lord. And the shrines and the altars. And then he, here we go. And then he burned human bones on the altar to desecrate them, and then he finally returned to Jerusalem, probably for two reasons. He finally returned to Jerusalem because there was no more altars and he'd run out of bones, oh Lord. But then verse 21,. After he had done all that, which was hard, disgusting and terrible, verse 21,.
Speaker 1:Then King Josiah then issued this order to all the people you must celebrate the Passover to the Lord, your God, as required in the book of the covenant. There had not been a Passover like that since the time of the judges had ruled in Israel, nor throughout all the years of the kings of Israel and Judah. But in the 18th year of King Josiah's reign, the Passover was celebrated to the Lord in Jerusalem. Josiah got rid of all the mediums and psychics and the household gods and idols and every other kind of detestable practice both in Jerusalem and throughout the land of Judah. And, by the way, he probably threw some bones at him. He did this in obedience to the law written in the scroll that Hulkaia, the priest, had found in the Lord's temple. Never before had there been a king like Josiah, who turned to the Lord with all of his heart, soul and strength, obeying the laws of Moses, and there's never been a king like him since. Even so, the Lord was very angry with Judah because of all the wicked things Manasseh had done to provoke him. For the Lord had said I will not banish Judah from my presence, just as I banished Israel. I will reject my chosen city of Jerusalem and the temple where my name was to be honored.
Speaker 1:The rest of the events of Josiah's reign and all of his deeds are recorded in the book of the history of the kings of Judah when Josiah was king. While Josiah was king, pharaoh Nikko, king of Egypt, went to the Euphrates River to help the king of Assyria. King Josiah and his army marched out to fight him, but King Nikko killed him when they met in Megiddo. Josiah's officers took his body back in the chariot from Megiddo to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. Then the people of the land anointed Josiah's son, jehoahaz, and made him the next king.
Speaker 1:Jehoahaz was 23 years old and he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother was Hamutel, the daughter of Jeremiah from Libna. He did what was evil in the Lord's site, just as his ancestors had done. Pharaoh Niko put Jehoahaz in prison in Riblah in the land of Hamath to prevent him from ruling in Jerusalem. He also demanded that Judah pay 7,500 pounds of silver 75 pounds of gold as tribute. Pharaoh Niko then installed Eliakim, another Josiah's son, to reign in the place of his father and change Eliakim's name to Jehoakim. Jehoahaz was taken to Egypt as a prisoner and where he died. In order to get the silver and gold demanded his tribute by Pharaoh Niko, jehoakim collected a tax from the people of Judah, requiring them to pay in proportion to their wealth. Jehoakim was 25 years old when he became king and he reigned in Jerusalem 11 years. His mother Zabdiah, the daughter of Padah from Ruma, and he did what was evil in the Lord's site, just as his ancestors had done.
Speaker 1:So what can we get out of this chapter? First of all, josiah, don't mess with him, because he'll throw some bones at you. But the other thing is, besides, that is a season of cleaning. House cleaning, preparing is always followed by a season of peace and a season of feasting and celebration. What do I mean by that? There are times in our life when we will go through a season of peace, when God will just help us to have a season of rest. Everything is good, but God is so very interested in our character, more than our comfort, god wants us to be free, more than we do. And so for a season God will let us go through peace and comfort and safety and all those things. But then, also, because he loves us, he'll say, okay, now it's time to get back to work. And he will cause us to walk toward freedom and other areas of our life. And can I tell you something?
Speaker 1:It's hard. It's hard when you decide enough is enough and you decide it's time to walk in freedom. I've watched people when they take a step toward God and they realize they need to walk in freedom, and they realize that they're married but they've started to have an inappropriate emotional relationship with someone at work. They're not doing anything physical, but they realize now that they're having an emotional affair and they realize that it's time for some house cleaning, spring cleaning in their life. It's hard to go to that person and have a conversation and say you know what this is inappropriate and I'm done, and if I have to leave this job or leave this department, I'm going to do it. That's hard.
Speaker 1:It's always followed with a season of healing and the book of Acts calls times of refreshing. It's hard when the Holy Spirit reveals to someone that you know what? I have a problem with alcohol. I don't just have a drink here and there, it now controls me. It's an addiction. And when they go and they talk to somebody and they have a time of honesty and confession and they say you know what? I've got a problem, it's hard to do. It's hard when you've got to find a different way to work so you're not tempted to stop at the same place. It's hard when you have to get accountability partners in your life and you have to get some things in your. It's hard, do you know what? When they take those steps of faith on the other side of it. It's times of refreshing. It's hard when someone admits I have a problem with pornography. I'm looking at things I shouldn't look at, I'm not honoring God with my eyes and I'm not honoring my spouse in that way. It's hard. It's hard when you have to admit that to somebody and confess that. It's hard when you have to now put some different things on your mobile devices and different stuff. That makes it more friction involved. It's more complicated. It's hard to do. It's hard to not give in to those different addictions in our lives, but on the other side of it is freedom. And you know what's amazing, even though it's hard, on the other side of it, god wants freedom for you.
Speaker 1:I've watched people that had to have those hard conversations with coworkers and different things. You know what else I've seen. I've seen a year later when they say you know what? I've never been more free. I've never been in a better relationship with my spouse. We've been able to work through things and man. It's amazing what the Lord has done.
Speaker 1:I've talked to people who struggle with alcoholism but then I talked to them and say Later they would say I'm five years sober today because I took that next step. I've talked to people hopelessly addicted to pornography and I've listened to them say you know what? I was so addicted, I was living in so much shame. But you know what? I am three years free because of what God has done in my life. If we're willing to take those hard steps, do that spring cleaning of our heart. It is amazing what God will do in our life. And you know what's even more amazing? There's only one thing more amazing than getting free yourself and you know what that is. It's then when God uses you to help someone else find freedom as well.
Speaker 1:I've seen that so many times in my own life. I've seen times in my life when I've struggled with something and God take me through a season of spring cleaning, only for then for me to just kind of hold that and go Okay, well, I've got that and it's a story for me to tell. And then one day someone come up to me and they say Pastor, I want to say something to you. I hope you don't think of me differently. But then they share with me a deep place in our life, only for me to go I got you, I know. And then look and go how, how could you understand? Because me too, because I was there too. And then, when you see that, look on their face where they realize they're not struggling alone, but somebody understands.
Speaker 1:It's one of the most amazing feelings in the world that you have the honor and privilege of watching somebody else walk toward freedom and you get to be a front row observer, cheerleader, cheering them on. It's an amazing feeling, can I tell you, don't shy away from spring cleaning moments in your life Now. Don't be like Joe, syed, don't be burning no bones, all right, but don't shy away from spring cleaning seasons in your life, because on the other side is a wonderful time of celebration. Let's pray together, god. Thank you so much for today. God, you are with us and you are for us. I'm so thankful, god, that you love us enough to take us through spring cleaning seasons in our life. But, lord, on the other side of it, you always do many amazing miracles and then you give us the opportunity to walk in freedom with others. Thank you for loving us in that way. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen and don't forget.
Speaker 1:In 2 Kings 6, the Bible said there was a time when there was a young man and Elisha together, and around them was an army of enemies. And Elisha looked at him and he said don't be afraid, there are more on our side than on theirs. And then Elisha prayed oh Lord, open his eyes and let him see. And the Bible said that God did, and that young man saw that around that small army of enemies was a large army of the angels of the Lord who was watching over them. My prayer is that God will open your eyes to see that God is with you and for you more than you can imagine. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for 2 Kings, chapter 24.