BURNING BONES

“As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs that were there on the mountain. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar, and defiled it according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words” (2 Kings 22:8 NKJV).

King Josiah was a most noble king. He instituted many religious reforms in the land. Our text speaks of his desecrating an idolatrous altar in Bethel. From this action we learn of the fervency of Josiah, the fulfillment of prophecy, and the fearlessness of a prophet.

Fervency of Josiah – “He sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar, and defiled it.” Josiah was earnest in riding the land of idolatry. He was so earnest that we find him here burning the bones of dead people upon a heathen altar. This was an act of great desecration, but Josiah was in no mood to give respect to heathen idolatry. If we are going to honor God, we must be earnest in our opposition to evil. Those who tolerate evil dishonor God.

Fulfillment of prophecy – “According to the word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed.” This refers to the prophecy made 350 years earlier by a prophet to Jeroboam, a very wicked king. Jeroboam had set up a heathen altar to worship an idol. A prophet came and prophesied that a king by the name of Josiah would burn men’s bones on the altar (1 Kings 13:2). This was an amazing prophecy - God predicted this act of desecration by king Josiah 350 years before it actually happened. This is an impossible predictions according to human thinking. But when God predicts, it will happen!

Fearlessness of a prophet – “Who proclaimed these words.” Jeroboam was a very evil king, so it took great courage for this prophet to make the prediction to the king. The prophet could have executed on the spot, but he did not hesitate to proclaim the word of the Lord. If we are going to be faithful in teaching and preaching the Word of God, we need great courage. To proclaim Divine truth is not popular in this wicked world.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Fellowship with a holy God will produce holy living!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Destroy

In Matt. 6:19 we read, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal!” (NKJV)

Destroy is the Greek word aphanizo (‏‏αφανιζω = af-an-id'-zo). It is made up of two words: ‘a’ means without, and phaino which means to appear. Thus the word means to disfigure, to perish, to cause to vanish. Literally, aphanizo means to cause to disappear, and came to mean to do away with. Metaphorically, the idea of aphanizo is to destroy (as the value or use of something), to corrupt, to spoil. The process does not result in annihilation but simply changes whatever is affected from one state to another.

In Classical Greek aphanizo carries the sense of rendering unseen, unrecognizable, or invisible, especially in regard to the face. This may be accomplished by covering the face and head in order to hide them from view. The face may also be made unrecognizable by neglect of cleanliness. In such usages, the connotation of aphanizo approaches the sense of unsightly. In the Septuagint aphanizo conveys the concept of being destroyed, ruined, or desolate. The Lord Jesus used aphanizo twice in Matthew 6:19-20 in the sense of ruin or destroy. The context refers to treasures and contrasts those of earth, which are subject to ruin, with those of heaven, which are free from any possible corruption.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – That Jesus would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)

New Testament Fulfillment – Matt. 2:5-6; Luke 2:4-6

Bible Facts

There are mountains on the bottom of the ocean floor – “The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; the deep closed around me; weeds were wrapped around my head. I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD, my God” (Jonah 2:5-6). Only in the last century have we discovered that there are towering mountains and deep trenches in the depths of the sea.

Bible Quiz

Who led the Israelites into Canaan?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: What did king Josiah of Judah do after hearing the words of the Book of the Law that was found in the temple? “Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes” (2 Kings 22:11 NKJV).

That’s in the Bible

“Two-edged sword (double-edged)”

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart!” (Heb. 4:12 NKJV).

A ‘double-edged sword’ is anything that produces both good and bad effects simultaneously. There is no better example of a double-edged sword than the Bible. The Bible cuts to the heart like a sword and will either save your soul and change your heart or condemn your soul and harden your heart. One reason the Bible is avoided by so many is that it reveals to us our own “thoughts and intents.” It reaches into the very recesses of our souls and makes us face our real selves, and that’s not a pretty sight.

Did You Know – Christian History

John Rogers was born in 1505 in Deritend, an area of Birmingham. He was an English clergyman, Bible translator and commentator. He was the first English Protestant martyr under Mary I of England. Rogers was educated at Cambridge, and although a Catholic priest his conscience told him that certain teachings of his established Church were wrong so he resigned and moved to Antwerp, Holland. In Holland, he became friends with William Tyndale, a reformer who was translating the Bible into English. Under Tyndale’s influence, Rogers converted to Protestantism. Nine months later, Tyndale went to prison but left a precious manuscript in John Rogers’s keeping. This was his English translation of the books from Joshua to Chronicles which had not yet been printed.

Rogers was determined to see that Tyndale’s valuable work was not lost. For the next twelve months he labored to put together a complete Bible. Its text was based on Tyndale and Coverdale, and its two thousand notes were borrowed from the writings of dozens of different reformers who were active on the Continent. Because Tyndale had been declared a heretic, his name could not go on the Bible. So Rogers used a pseudonym - Thomas Matthews. This Bible, licensed by King Henry VIII, became the first officially authorized version in the English language.

After sickly Edward VI died, Mary, a Roman Catholic, became queen. John Rogers was questioned several times about his beliefs and his preaching. He was eventually arrested by Mary’s Catholic bishops and sentenced to death. On February 4, 1555, John Rogers was burned to death at a stake at Smithfield, England. Among the onlookers who encouraged him were his own children. At the stake, Rogers was offered a pardon if only he would recant his beliefs and return to the Catholic Church. He refused. The fire was lit and Rogers washed his hands in the flames as though he did not feel them. He was the first of many martyrs in Mary’s reign.

A Little Humor

One Saturday the Pastor’s 5 year old daughter complained of a stomach ache to her mother. Her mother replied, “That’s because you have an empty stomach. You need to feed it with something.” The next day her father sat down after a long sermon and complained of a headache. His daughter replied, “That’s because you have nothing in your head you need to feed it with something.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“The sinner has only two options - be pardoned or be punished!”