We saw last time that the Law of Moses was lost for years – perhaps centuries. If the statute-book is misplaced, how much more the practices and customs that went with it!
For nearly 800 years the Passover had fallen into disuse. Certainly Solomon had ordered the sacrifices for the feasts (2 Chron 8:13), but Chronicles never mentions any public celebration of the Passover until Hezekiah renewed the Passover (2 Chron 30).
It's important to study the Law and the Prophets for the picture of what Israel was supposed to be – but we must always remember that Israel was never what Israel was supposed to be!
Of course, the same thing is true in the New Testament. We sometimes idealize the first century and dream of what it would have been like to live in the days of the apostles. But if you read the NT epistles carefully you will see that the first century church was a mess! Churches were splitting right and left, false teachers were running around all over the place, and people treated the apostles just like they treat faithful pastors today!
There never was a time when the church was what she was supposed to be. And yet, that never works as an excuse! We are still called to love the LORD our God with all our heart. We are still called to be holy as he is holy. We are still called to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness!
And that is why we need to listen to the story of Josiah. Because that is what Josiah did – until the end of his life.
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