This post was originally written by Bob Russell in 2007 for Lookout Magazine. With the recent 2016 Republican Presidential debate and talk of potential presidential candidacies leading much of the news, this post is, once again, a timely reminder:
Although we’re still fourteen months away from the presidential election, the campaign leads the headlines almost daily and the candidates are stumping the country seeking votes. In addition to the Presidential election, there are numerous Senate seats being contested and a number of close races anticipated in the House of Representatives. Pundits are predicting this will be one of the most brutal political campaigns in American history.
Before we get caught up with the charismatic personalities of the candidates and the heated rhetoric of talk radio, we would do well to review a page from the history book of ancient Judah. The book of 2 Chronicles chapters 34-36 records the dramatic difference that was made in an unstable nation by one Godly leader whose name was Josiah.
Manasseh, Josiah’s grandfather, and Amon, his father, had been two of Judah’s most wicked kings. Under their corrupt administrations the morality of the nation plummeted so deep into depravity that God pronounced a curse on the land. The nation was going to be conquered and taken into captivity.
Shortly after Manasseh died, Josiah was crowned king when he was just eight years old. Even though his father had been horribly wicked, young Josiah had a heart for God and surrounded himself with Godly advisors. “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left” (34:2).
When he was still in his twenties, Josiah ordered the violated temple refurbished, the newly-discovered Scriptures read and obeyed, the neglected Passover Feast reinstated, the idol worship abolished and the sexually oriented businesses of his day closed down. The king vowed, “…to follow the LORD and keep his commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book” (34:31).
The result of Josiah’s righteous leadership was dramatic. God delayed His judgment, the nation of Judah thrived, and for thirty-one years the country experienced peace. Josiah’s leadership teaches four needed principles for America:
(1) There is a direct correlation between the morality of a nation and its stability. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). Obedience to God still brings blessing; disobedience still brings disaster. What America needs most right now are not charismatic leaders who look good on television but Godly leaders who seek to walk in God’s will. We don’t need a heavy turnout at the polls as much as we need a national spirit of repentance.
(2) The spirituality of a declining nation can be reclaimed. It’s rare and it’s difficult, but spiritual revival can occur without a national disaster. It happened to the nation of Judah under Josiah. It happened to the city of Ninevah after Jonah’s warning. It happened in America in what is called the great awakening. It can happen again—but it needs to happen soon.
(3) Spiritual renewal demands dramatic measures. Josiah took drastic steps that disturbed a lot of people. He removed pagan shrines that were the source of pleasure for many. He eliminated the false prophets, who were relatives and friends of many. He established the Scriptures as the basis of morality, which undoubtedly was resented by many. Surgery hurts and Josiah initiated spiritual surgery that was painful.
(4) If real change is to occur, the leadership will most likely come from young people. Josiah was a young man when he led Judah back to God. If spiritual renewal comes, the leadership will probably come from young men and women who still have high ideals and courageous energy. Many older Christians are appalled at the moral decadence of our time but some have given up and others lack the energy to prompt much of a following. Older leaders are easily dismissed as “out of touch.”
First Chronicles 12:32 describes the men of Issachar as men, “who understood the times and knew what Israel should do…” Let’s pray that God will raise up young, Godly, courageous leaders both inside and outside the political arena who understand the critical times in which we live and are willing again to pledge their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to reclaim the values that once blessed America.
