The Remnant

As the times in which we live continue to drift into deeper darkness, as the world grows increasingly evil, God is preserving and preparing a remnant. Do you want to be a part of that godly collection of undefiled ones? I’m sure you do. I sure do. Since we do, we must therefore stay true to God, ruthlessly committed to his Word, and rigorous in our resistance to the widening, strengthening pull of sin that has swept up the multitudes. Stay true to God, for the time for reform is almost here!

Going Deep // Focus: 2 Kings 11:17-18, 20

Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people that they would be the Lord’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people. And all the people of the land went over to the temple of Baal and tore it down…So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was peaceful because Athaliah had been killed at the king’s palace.

The story of Jehoiada the priest and Joash the boy-king, along with a lot of palace and temple intrigue, is one of the great stories of reform in the Bible. An evil queen by the name of Athaliah reigned over the nation of Judah. She was not from the tribe of Judah, she was from the northern nation of Israel. She was from wicked King Ahab’s family, and every bit as cruel as he was. In fact, when Judah’s king was killed, she assumed the throne by quickly dispatching all of his children—she killed them. Yes, her own grandkids were put to the sword at her command in order to eliminate any threat to her ascendency. That was how evil she was. And she reigned for six years, which must have seemed like sixty.

But God always has a people—always. In this case, he had preserved godly families and loyal soldiers and priests of integrity who had not bowed the knee to Baal nor given their allegiance to the wicked queen. God also had a child that he had destined for kingship, Joash, who was secretly kept safe in the temple. When the time came, Jehoiada the priest sprang into action. He aligned the remnant of the faithful in Judah, and at a predetermined moment, they brought Joash out of hiding and coronated him as the rightful king.

When Queen Athaliah heard the commotion, she rushed to the temple to set things straight, whereupon she was seized by the godly soldiers and ultimately put to death. Thus ended her reign of idolatry, vileness and murder. You can read the details of this story in this chapter, which I would encourage. It reads like a movie plot.

The point being: God always has a people. As evil and dark as the times might be, I guarantee, a remnant of godly exists—families, groups of people, pastors and leaders—that have not bowed the knee to wickedness. And they are faithfully waiting and dutifully preparing for the divinely appointed moment to spring into action and call the wayward to repentance and reform. They will lead the way in bringing those who have drifted back to God: families, friends, churches, organizations and nations.

Furthermore, just as Jehoiada presented the child-king with a copy of the Law of Moses, and just as the boy was schooled by it in the ways of the Lord, so too God’s remnant in every age keep the Word of the Lord central in their lives. For if they are to call people out of darkness, they must call them into something; they must call them into the light of God as revealed in the Bible.

As the times in which we live continue to drift into deeper darkness, and as the world grows increasingly evil, God works to preserve and prepare a remnant. Do you want to be a part of that godly collection of undefiled ones? Sure you do! Me too. Since we do, we must therefore stay true to God, ruthlessly committed to his Word, and rigorous in our resistance to the widening, strengthening pull of sin that has swept up the multitudes.

Stay true to God, for the time for reform is almost here!