https://youtu.be/-5oDsL4l1dc

Suffer the Little Children

Suffer the Little Children to Come Unto ME!

II Kings 23-23 and II Chronicles 34-35

Scripture is filled with children.  Heaven is filled with children.  We must enter Heaven as a child–with childlike faith, trust, obedience, and love. (Mark 10:15)  We can learn a lot from a child.  Children do say and do the “darndest things,” and their honesty can cut through to the heart of a matter.  Little children are accepting of others.  They are like sponges absorbing the “water of the Word,” and they come into this world still fresh from God’s hand, seeing Him in the world around them.

A child named Josiah, became king at the age of eight and led the nation of Israel to revival during his thirty one years of reign (640-609 b.c.e.).  He learned what not to do from his father and grandfather, but learned how to lead from his great-grandfather, Hezekiah, who also became king as a very young child.  (II Chronicles 29:1-3;  II Chronicles 32:32)  Whether he saw the examples for himself or learned from the histories passed down to him, Josiah honored God and did what was right in God’s eyes in direct opposition to what had been done previously when “everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” and “evil in the sight of the Lord.” (Judges 21:25, II Chronicles 33:2,22)

In I Kings 13:1-3, it was prophesied that Josiah would arise to lead Israel three hundred years before Josiah was born!  God called him by name!  Does this not remind us that God has a purpose and a plan for the lives of everyone of us!!!   His name means Jehovah has healed and Josiah in large part helped to heal the land of Israel by restoring the temple, tearing down the idols in the land, and LEADING his nation to worship the one true God.   It is said, Josiah was “the last good thing to happen” before the nation of Israel was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar.   (Jeremiah 1:1-3;  25:1-9)

The scripture found in Isaiah 11:6 is a prophecy about the coming kingdom of God when all will be put back as it should be; when animals and man will live together in harmony as they did in the Garden.  But I wonder if there is a deeper meaning???  Could this be speaking of Jesus the child (human) leading the nation of Israel as represented by the animals listed?  The wolf is symbolic of the tribe of Benjamin; the snake is symbolic of the tribe of Dan; the lion is the tribe of Judah;  the ox is the tribe of Ephraim;  the ass is the tribe of Issachar;  the stag is the tribe of Naphtali; the goat the tribe of Zebulun; and so it goes for Isaiah 65:25 says, “”The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,” says the LORD.  Is this not speaking of a reverse of the curse found in Genesis 9:2?  Was Josiah a picture of this for the nation of Israel and of the coming king?

A child king led a nation to revival!  II Chronicles 34:3 tells us this young king at the age of just sixteen began to seek the Lord and when he was only twenty years old he began to rule by ridding the nation of idol worship!   Leadership is vital to a nation.  Following the Lord God of Heaven brings blessings to a nation.  Josiah the child king tore down the idol worship, repaired the Temple and grieved for and with the nation of Israel for their collective national sin as he read the “book of the law,” the Torah.   Yes, in this case, a little child did lead them.    We need to take time to watch small children on the playground as they interact, help each other when they fall down, share their snacks, and above all share stories and laughter and common goals.  We can learn from a child king what pleases the LORD.  We too must acknowledge our sin, tear down our idols, turn our eyes toward Heaven, the Temple of God, and worship in holiness.

Father God of Heaven,

May we have hearts as a child.  May we acknowledge our personal and national sin.  May we look to You for guidance and turn from our “wicked ways” so You can heal our land.

In the mighty and matchless name of Jesus we pray.  AMEN

Jesus Loves the Little Children

Treading with the children once more,