Josiah's Restoration And Ours<img>

Josiah's Restoration And Ours

Jeremiah cried out to ancient Israel, "Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way; and walk therein..." (6:16). These words were spoken during and concerning a notable restoration of the religion of Israel in the days of Josiah, King of Judah. The records of Josiah's restoration are found in II Kings 22-23 and II Chron. 34-35.

That Restoration

Josiah ascended the throne when only a child of eight years. The records tells us that the young king's heart inclined towards God. "He did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah" (II Kings 22:1-2). In his eighteenth year Josiah commissioned repairs for the house of Jehovah which had fallen into decay. In the rubble of the temple, Hilkiah, the high priest, found "the book of the law" (22:8). Shaphan the scribe brought the precious book to the king and read it in his presence. "When the king heard the words of the book of the law....he rent his clothes..." (22:11). From the Scripture, Josiah learned how far his nation had drifted from God and what God expected of him.

Moved with godly fear, the king called the people together and "read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant..." (22:2). He understood that restoration can never be accomplished alone; many must be involved. He further saw that God's message is the only adequate basis for reform.

"The king (then) stood by the pillar, and made a covenant before Jehovah, to walk after Jehovah, and to keep his testimonies, and is statues, with all his heart, and all his soul, to confirm the words of this covenant...and all the people stood to the covenant" (22:3). A theory, however noble, is of little value without commitment to action. Josiah's commitment inspired his people, and they joined him in the resolution to restore God's worship.

The accumulated corruptions had to be removed from the temple and purged from the spiritual life of the people (23:4-24). The paraphernalia of paganism was removed fro the temple and burned. The ashes were used to defile the corrupt worship center at Bethel (23:8). Idolatrous priest were put down (23:5). The Asherah dedicated to Astarte was burned (23:6). Tents of the Baal sodomites were removed from Jehovah's temple (23:7). Priests were recruited to defile the idolatrous high places (23:8). Topeth in the valley of Hennom, where human sacrifice were offered to Molech, was defiled (23:10). Chariots dedicated to the sun-god were burned (23:11). Heathen altars erected in the temple courts by Ahaz and Manesseh were destroyed (23:12). Heathen shrines which the great Solomon had erected for his wives were destroyed (23:13). Jeroboam's rival altar at Bethel was destroyed and desecrated (23:15). Priests who persisted in calf-worship were executed (23:20). All the mediums and wizards were driven out of the land (23:24).

Having completed his purge of idolatry, the true worship of God was reinstituted. They kept "the Passover unto Jehovah...as it is written in this book of the covenant" (23:21). Without this his reform would have been a total failure. Our Restoration

In Nineteenth Century America, men had drifted far from the original ground of God's true religion. Good men's hearts inclined toward God. They were weary of sectarianism and the doctrines and commandments of men. They wanted a closer walk with God. As they studied the Scriptures, they clearly saw their undone status and what God expected of them. They began to share with family, friends and neighbors the grand truths they had discovered in God's Word. Our foregathers made a commitment to go back to the Bible in all things and to be Christians only.

John Mulkey served the Mill Creek Baptist Church near Tompkinsville, Kentucky. When he heard the call for restoration preached by Barton Stone, Mulkey's great soul could no longer preach the message of his Calvinistic creed. On a frosty November Saturday he announced to his congregation his decision to sever his Baptist ties and establish a church after the New Testament pattern. Unsure of the support he would have, he invited those who wished to join him in so doing to follow him out the door. The first to arise was Hannah, the sister of Daniel Boone. Others filed out behind her until only fifty-two of the two hundred were left to carry on the Baptist service. They graciously surrendered the building to the majority.

The Elkhorn Baptist Church appointed a committee to examine their Philadelphia Confession of Faith. After deliberation, they reported:

"Whereas this church in its original constitution agreed to receive and adopt the Philadelphia Confession of Faith as her constitution, This church having taken the subject into consideration and after deliberation thereon have resolved to dispense with the Philadelphia Confession of Faith as her constitution and from this time forth to take the Word of God as contained in the Old and New Testaments in their own statements and connexions as her constitution to be guided and directed thereby in all things, believing them an all-sufficient rule of faith and practice for the government of the church–endeavoring to walk together in love, bearing and forbearing with each other according to the law of Jesus Christ whom we esteem alone as King in Zion.

And further we retain the name of Baptist Church of Christ at South Elkhorn, its members being composed of immersed believers." (July 1828).

To restore the church to her primitive state all the accumulated corruptions and errors of seventeen centuries had to be rooted out and cast away. When Thomas Campbell presented his Declaration and Address to his congregation at Washington, Pennsylvania, Andrew Munro raised a question about infant baptism. He protested that if they did only that which the New Testament authorized, they wold have to abandon that ancient and treasured practice. Campbell responded that if the practice were unauthorized they wold in fact have to do so. Hearing this, a Mr. Thoms Acheson rushed from the room in tears. The subject was laid aside for the moment but when Alexander Campbell's first child was born, the issue had to be resolved. After some weeks of study the young father was forced to conclude that not only should his baby not be sprinkled, he himself was in need of immersion. When he shared his findings with his wife and parents, they and three others were immersed in Buffalo Creek by Elder Mathias Luce of the Baptist Church. Later Alexander described their attempts at restoration as men who set out to sea on a finely trimmed schooner. Once embarked they vowed to cast overboard everything that was not absolutely essential. Ere long they were reduced to the few boards of a raft–but they had found the essential simplicity of the gospel of Christ.

Along with infant baptism and sprinkling, the fathers cast off human creeds, doctrines, traditions, councils and conventions. The role of the preacher had to be rediscovered. He was not a clergyman, pastor or reverend. He should wear no clergy garb or titles and received no supernatural call. He was a Christian brother who under the great commission of Christ was to teach and baptize his neighbors (Mark 16:15-16).

The true worship and service of God had to be restored. Rice Haggard called them back to the holy name Christian (I Pet. 4:16). Thomas Campbell taught them to break the bread of communion on the first day of every week (Acts 20:7). Alexander Campbell led the way in restoring baptism to its proper form of immersion (Rom. 6:3-8). Walter Scott searched and found the gospel plan of salvation (Acts 2:38). The government of the church was restored to its ancient congregational form and the Bible was exalted to its proper place of authority in the life of the church. One by one, the doctrines and practices of the day were examined. Only those that met the divine standard were allowed to stand.

Conclusion

Today we enjoy the fruit of their labor. We cannot, however, afford to rest on their attainments. Restoration is a task that is never done. The truth of this is seen in Josiah's experience. His restoration was short-lived. Upon the untimely death of the young king, the populace quickly reverted to their old ways. God said, "Judah hath not returned to me with her whole heart" (Jer. 3:10). Jeremiah said, that God was "near in their mouth and far from their heart" (12:2). May we never fail in our commitment, but be "steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord" (I Cor. 15:58). Let us commit unto faithful men the great truths we have learned that they may be able to teach others also (II Tim. 2:2).

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