II Chronicles is Godstrumpet

blast calling His church to revival and

reformation. Itis theultl.matesolutionto
the political confusion, injustices ' and
oppression, the economic decline, the
moral anarchy arid the religious apostasy
we face on the threshold of the Twenty-
First Centuty.
Essential to the restoration of the
future is the preservation of our past
herttage. As Israel of old, the church in
the Twentieth Century has lost her
memory. Therefore,
revival and reformation
begin with a renewal of
our memory, and of our
commitment to the
fOlllldation God has laid
for us in Chtist and His
Word.
TIiEFOUNDATION
FOR THE FUTURE
II Chronicles re-
minds us of that solid
base on which we must
build for the future, "all
other ground is sinking
sand."
First, we must remember that God
basenteredintoagreatcovenanlwithHis.
people in Christ, which in the book of
Chronicles is the Davidic Covenant, II
Samuel 7, built on the covenants God
made with Abraham and Moses, all of
whichwerefulfilledintheNewCovenant
in jestis Chtist. God has promised to
construct on this earth a "House," where
He will live on earth, which will be His
"hornehase" from which His presence,
blesSings and power will extend
throughout the world. That "House" is
His church according to Hebrews 3. He
promised to create in this earth a great
kingdom, which would be universal,
eternal and invincible; and which would
overturn all opposing kingdoms, as it
extended its "leavening" influence
throughout the world, I Cortnthians
15:24f. Christians working for Chtistin
every facet of human existence are the
membersoftbataIl-conqueringkingdom,
Mark 1:15. And lastly, God promised in
His covenant to do all these awesome
things onearth through a Messiah who is
the son ofDavid and the Son of God-a
divine-human King and Savior, the Lord
jesus Chrtst, Acts 16:31. .
Second. wemustrememberthatGod
has accomplished full redemption from
sinand reconciliation with God through
the atoning death and resurrection of
jesus Christ, symbolized in II Chronicles
in the Temple in jerusalem and the
Levitical priesthood, IICorinthians5: 171[
Mankind's most basic problems are not
political or economic, they are spiritual
and religious. They result from his
rebellion against Godand hisdesi.re to be
God, determining good and evil for
himself,Genesis3: Iff. Aslongasaculture
is built upon a prtnciple of revolt against
God, there are no answers for its most
critical issues. No man and no human
institution can save mankind from Sin.
There is ouly one Savior from sin-the
LordJesus Chrtst, Matthew 1 :21. By his
substitutionary death on the cross he
turned away God's anger and satisfied
God's justice by beating in himself the
full punishment for sin, I Peter 2:24. By
his perfect atonement, he "obtained
etemalredemption"foraIlthoseforwhom
hedied, Hebrews 9: 12. Therefore,Salvation
8 'I' THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon 'I' June, 1992
for a nation, or of an individ\l3i, mustbegin
withrepentanceofsin,Markl:15,andfaith
injesus Christ as lord and Savior, Romans
10:9; because "there' is salvation in no one
else; for there is no other name under
heaven-(notinpolitics,sdence,education,
philosophy, religion)-thathas been given
among men, by which we must be saved,"
Acts 4:12.
Nonational renewal orchurch revival
will take place except on this hase of
God's covenant and redemption injesus
Christ. Therefore, we
must, here and now,
recommit ourselves, as
God's covenant people
redeemed "by the blood
of the Lamb: to
renewed, COnsistent,
persevering, believing
faithfulness to our Lord
andSavior. We do not
belongto ourourselves!
We have been bought
with an infinite price!
Therefore, we are to live
for God's glory in
evetything we are and
in evetything we do! (I
Corinthians 6:20; 10:31)
mE REASON FOR
mE DECLINE OF A NATION
Why does a nation and a culture
experiencesuch problems as oppression,
injustice, depression, wars, abortions,
andrampantperversions? The answer II
Chronicles gives is this: thespiritual
condition of the church deterrhines the
political, moral and economic condition
of the nation in which that church exists.
Therefore, if the chun:h is spiritua1ly
strong and pure, the nation will bestrong,
justandfree;andifthechurchisapostate,
the nation will be weak, unjust and
oppressive. Therefore, what does pagan
America need the most? Where do we
start in restoting our beloved republic?
Howcanourdownwardeconotnictrends
and leftward political trends bereversed?
How do we stop abortion? The one arid
only statting place is the revival and
refonnation of the churches in America.
Only then will things begin to change
elsewhere.
THE FOCUS ON SPIRITUAL
AND NATIONA.L REYlYAI,.
IN II CHRONICLES
The theme of revival is the central
organizing motif of the whole book ofII
Chronicles. That theme, which also is
the outline of the book, setting the agenda
for information selected from the lives of
the five key Davidic kings of the Southern
Kingdom of Judah, is II Chronicles 7: 13-
14:
"If I shut up the heavens 50 thatdlereis
no rain, orifI wmmandthe locust to devour
the land, or if I send pesdlence among My
people, and My people, who are called by
My name, humble themselves andpray, and
seek My face, and tum from their wicked
WCo/S, then I will hear from heaven, will
forgive their sin, and wiU heal their land. "
Five major revivals of church and
state are recorded in II Chronicles. Each
one is connected with a specific king of
Judah; and each of these kings, and their
revivals, illustrates one of the four
conditions for revival stated in 7: 14:
1. (Chapters 11-12) King
Rehoboam--"Humble themselves"
2. (Chapters 14-16) King Asa-
"Seek My Face"
3. (Chapters 17-20) King
Jehosaphat-"Pray"
4.CChapters28-32) KingHezekiah-
"Turn from their wic1u:d ways"
5. (Chapters 34-35) KingJosiah-
"Humble themselves"
What happened before, during and
after these revivals in the book of
Chronicles? What were their
characteristics?
First, most O.T. revivals were
preceded by a time of deep spiritual
decline, Exod. 32, II Chron. 12:1-5;
28:3.
Second, most O.T. revivals began in
the heart of one of God's servants, who
then became the instrument in God's
hand to arouse the sleeping consciences
of God's people, viz. Moses, Samuel,
Elijah, Haggai, Asa, Jehosaphat, and
JOSiah.
Third, aU O. T. revivalswereinstigated,
propelled and directed by the powerful
and faithful preaching of the Word of
God,IIChron. 11:lf; 15:lf; 16:7f; 18:6f;
18:12f; 19:1; : 1 3 ~ 20:20f; 32:24f; II
Kings20:12f; 1 9 : 2 3 ~ Ezra 5:1-2.
Fourth, all O.T. revivals brought a
return to the true, pure and genuine
worship of the Uving God inspiritandin
truth. Idolatry would be outlawed and
trueworshipwouldberestored, II Chron.
15:8; 30:2-31:1; 35:lf.
Fifth, O.T. revivals produced a deep
sense of sin and an overpowering desire
to separate from it, Exad. 33: If; II Chron.
6:34f; 34: 19f; Neh. 9: 16f.
Sixth, O. T. revivals brought a return
to the offering of blood saCrifices, II
Chron. 7:4f;29:2lf. Givensuchaheavy
sense of sin, there must be as great a
remedy; and that can only be met by the
one and only atoning saCrifice of the
lambofGodJesusChrist. Everysacrifioe
in the O. T. pointed to the finalsacrifioe of
Christ, Heb. 9: Iff.
Seventh, O.T. revivals produced in
God's people a renewed sense of
unbounded joy and exuberance, II
Chron. 7:1-10; 20:29-30; Neh. 8:9-10.
Eighth, most O. T. revivals were
followed by a time of national prosperity
and peaoe, II Chron. 20:29-30; 3 2 : 2 3 ~
Haggai 1:5f.
Ninth, most O.T. revivalswereshon-
lived!, II Chron. 12:14; 16:7f; 20:33.
Why? To teach us that revival-
reformation-renewal, personally and
nationally, whim is deep, genuine and
lasting, is impossible apan from the
person and work ofJesus Christ through
faith in Him and obedience to Him,
EpheSians 2:8-10.
Now to II Chronicles 7:14. This
entire passage ofll Chronicles 7: 11-22 is
concerned with THE WAY TO
REVIVAL.
l.THESUBJECTS OF REVIVAL: "My
people, called by My name," referring to
the covenant people of God, the murm
ofjesus Christ, Heb. 1 2 : 2 2 ~ I Pet. 2:9f.
This point is crucial. If a declining
nation, facing God's judgment, is to be
delivered and restored, the CHURCH
musthumbleherselfandpray. Anation's
welfare and future depend upon her
spiritual condition. If the churches in
Americawill fulfill theconditionsof7: 14
by God's grace, the entire United States
will be healed.
2. THE CONDmONS OF REVIVAL:
II Chronicles 7: 14giveusfourconditions
which will be the conoem of the rest of
our paper. We must humble our proud
heans before God. We must earnestly
pray. We must seek God's face with all
our hean. And we must rum from our
wicked ways.
3. THERESULTSOFREVIVAL: God
will answer our prayers dramatically.
God will forgive our sins. God will heal
our land and restore our murch and our
nation.
4. THE MAINTENANCE OF THE
RESULTS OF REVIVAL: Revival
continues and progresses through
continual worship and persevering faith
and faithfulness to God.
THE CHRISTIANS IN AMERICA
MUST HUMBLE THEMSELVES!
The first revival recorded in 11
Chronicles took place durtng King
Rehoboam's reign, 12:2-8, and the last
onerecorded took place during the reign
of King Josiah, 34-35. Both of these
national revivals tookp1aceinconnection
with the church in Israel HUMBLING
HERSELF BEFORE GOD.
When Rehoboam came to the throne
of the Southern Kingdom, the nation was
in a state of apostasy suffering under
God's judgment, 10: 1-9. This was also
June, 1992 T TIlE COUNSEL of Chalcedon T 9
the case just prior to Josiah's revival,
34: Iff. The instruments God used to
begin revival and reformation under
Rehoboam wereHisprovidenceandHis
Word. He used the massive invasion of
Judah by Shishak of Egypt, 12:1-5, and

humble the entire nation. Kings and
nations must either bend or break before
God. Theymust be humbled or mined.
Under King Josiah the primary
instrument was the discovery, reading
and preaching of the book of
Deuteronomy, 34:14-33.
The revival began with the king and
spread throughout the kingdom. The
key to this revival was '
humbling. The word,

and 14 of these are in the ::::
Chronicles. The word :
describes what happened in ' \', .
Rehoboam's and Josiah's life :"
which led to national revival,
12:6,7,12; 34:19,27. "
Why is this divine Y,
humblingnecessaryforrevival Jr'. ."
to come? The Bible answers::> .
"Pridecomesbefaredestructlon,
and a haughty spirit before a
fall," Prov. 16:18. "God 15
opposed to the proud, but he gives grace to
the humble," James 4:6. "God wages war
againsttheproud,"Psabn 94:2. TheLord
says, "I will put an end to the arrogance of
the proud, and abase the haughtiness of
tyrants: lsaiah 13:11. Rehoboam was
arrogam, 10:10- 14, and disobediem,
12:1; and therefore, would have been
totally destroyed by God's anger, 12:12,
if he had not humbled himself.
What does it mean to be "humbled"?
The Hebrew word, KANA, signifies the
bringing of a proud and
heart (andlor people) into subjection
to God. It is illustrated ill the lives of
Hezekiah, 32:24-26; Manasseh, 33:9-13
and Josiah 34:23-29. It also means to
subdue and' conquer a proUd and
resistant heart before God and to bring
it into subj ection to Him. "To
subordinate oneself to God, and to give
honorto himalone, one must have broken
his self-will, and come to the knowledge
ofhimselfihhisdependence, nothingness
and sin." -Keil
What causes this "humbling"?
Answer: the revelation of the righteous
character of god to the heart,lsa. 6: Iff.
When we humble ourselves, we see God
as He is and we see ourselves the way
God sees us, thereupon we submit
ourselves to His rule over us and we rest
in His mercy for us in Christ. "The
cpnceptofhumblingoneselfisveryclose
to the idea of turning to the Lord,
Remember how the leaders and the king
confessed, 'The Lord is righteous,' when
they humbledthem.selves? Not only did
theymakethemselveslowinthepresence
of God, but also they agreed that what he
had done was 'in the rich' and richly
deserved by them: -Kaiser. WheiJ. we
are so hmnbled, we want to trust in and
obey God, distrust ourselves, and
recognize that everythingwe possess has
been given us. by God.
In KingJosiah's life humblingmeam
the tenderizing of his heart before
God A tender heart is a heart that is soft
and responSive to God; and sensitive to
sin and temptation, which repulse and
embarrass it. It isa heart thathasnot been
10 TIlE COUNSEL of OiaIcedon 'f JtIile, 1992
calloused and desensitized by sin and
impenitent disobedience. Havingdrunk
in the name of Christ with his mothers
milk,josiah's tender heart kepthim from
his IiIther's sins,
What are the signs of a tender heart?
First,josiah tore hisclothesat the reading
of God's law. Shaphan, the scribe, did
not tear his dothes, nor did Hilkiah, the
priest, nor Azahiah, the servant, nor
Huldah, ,the prophetess. Josiah alone
tore his clothes as the Law was read.
Their hearts' were not as tender as his.
"The finding of the Law was, no doubt, a
great event in sacred archeology, as well
as in sacred letters, to Shaphan and
. Hilkiah; but it did not come
...... ' home to their hearts as it alI
<. i.
.. , them;butitwasGodhimself
.. speakingtoJosiah. Itwasan
. ... :: ,/ '. old book to them; but it was
. Un: the word of the living God
> i' to him." -Alexander Whyte
Second, he was wlUing
.. '. ' .' . to risk and lose bis own life
. >\. in defense of God's temple,
.... , . ' God's Kingdom and God's
: , : CovenantPeoiJ!e. "Oiily,if
'. you willhaveJosiah'stender
heart in this' hard-hearted
world, you will have to pay a heavy price
forit. Josiah paid a heavy price at the last
for his tender heart. ... it lost him his
,life .... Josiah's tender heartwas the cause
ofhis too early death, The kings tender
heart led hili!. out to do battle against the
hereditary enemy orlsrae! and the
oppressorandpersecutoroftheweak." -
Aleiander Whyte. There on the plains of
Megiddo,helosthislifedoingbattlewith
the Egyptians.
What are the consequences of
"humbling" in the lives of Christians on
the nation in which they live? First, it
brings NATIONAL DELIVERANCE
ANDSECURJ.1Y,12:7. Whenthechurch
humblesitself,thewholenationbenefits.
When the church humbles itself "the
mostthreateningfon:.estrangelydwindles
andbecomesimpotent"-MatthewHemy.
Second, it brings NATIONAL
CHASTISEMENTfromGod,12:8, which
cleanses and purifies and matures. The
purpose of chastisement is "that Judah
may learn to know by experience the
difference between the rule of God and
that of heathen kings, and that God's rule
wasnotso oppressive as that of the rulers
of the world."-Keil. It teaches us, by
deprtving us of some civil liberties and
some matertal wealth, not to trust in self
and forsake the Lord. The more the
government of God is compared to the
govemmemsofmen,themorereasonable
and easy it will appear. "Whatever
difficulties or hardshipswe may imagine
there are in the way of obedience, it is
better a thousand times to go through
them than to expose ourselves to the
punishment of disobedience." -Matthew
Henry.
Third, humbling brings NATIONAL
RESTORATION,12:12,13.ltstrengthens
the entire nation. It restores "good things"
to the whole culture, 12:12. Prosperity
returns: "things went well... ." Piety and
morality retum, for "good things" can
include good political leaders, good
ministers, good people and good families.
WHATWILLITTAKE TO DELIVER
AMERICA FROM HER DOMESTIC
AND INTERNATIONAL CRISES? Nota
mere change of political panies in the
White House. Not better organized and
betterfundedconservativeorganlzations.
Not bigger buildings and newer
computers. Not better media networks
and biggerthinktanks. Notmore money.
Whatthen? If America is to bedelivered
and restored she must be humbled
before God. We must admit that:
Amertcans are arrogant and have
forsaken God.
Amelica is facing imminent and
severe judgment from Almighty God,
which has already begun.
God is rtghteous in whatever He
chooses to do to Amertca.
* We are too proud with reference to
our minds and opiniOns. We are not
working to brtng every thought captive
to Chrtst. We are not standing guard
over our thought-lives.
We are too proud with reference to
self-criticism. Wearenotwillingtoallow
the Bible to critique us through and
through.
* We are too proud with reference to
our submission to one another in the
Lord, in interdependence and loving
care.
* We are too proud to pray and to
admit our total dependence on Christ,
His Word and His Spirtt.
We are too proud to serve each
other in the church, and in the world, as
Christ served us.
WE MUST WORK HARDER AT
SUBDUINGOUROWNHEARTSTHAN
WE DO AT SUBDUING THE WORLD!
THE CHRISTIANS IN AMERICA
MUST SEEK GOD'S FACE
Asecond revival came to Judah under
KingAsa'sadministration,lIChron.lS:1-
IS. God sovereignly sent this one after a
Reform Movement had been in progress
for IS years. This spiritual revival and
reformation did not follow a pertod of
moral decline, it came during a time of
national and ecclesiaticaI reform. It was
not occasioned by national disaster,
causing people in despair to tum to God;
instead, it came after a time of security
and prosperity.
The revival came down from God by
means of the preaching of Azartah
endowed with the power of the Spirtt of
God, which always brtngs soundness,
clartty, boldness, compassion and
effectivenesstothepreachingoftheWord
of God. The message of this preaching
was a simple and fonhrtght presentation
of the principle upon which God deals
with men and nations: If you are with
God, God iswithyou! If you seek God,
He will let you find Him! !fyou forsake
God, He will forsake you!-IS:2; Jer.
29:13; II Chron. 24:20; 12:5. "If you
forsake Him and His ordinances, He is
not tied to you, but will cenainly forsake
you, and then you are undone, your
present triumphs will be no securtty to
you; woe to you when God depans."-
Matthew Henry. In 15:3-6 Azariah ..
describes the future of a nation forsaken
by God.
Revival came to Judah, and to King
Asa, as he "SOUGHT GOD." In the 48
verses recounting Asa's life, "to SEEK
THE LORD" is used 9 times: 14:4,7;
15:2,4,12,13,15. What does this mean?
TO SEEK THE LORDis toseek direction
from God alone, Lev. 19:31; to desire
andseekcommunionwith God, IChron.
16: ll; to desire and seek the
companionship, comfon and spirttual
stimulationofGod'sPresencecontinually,
Psa. 24:6; 27:4, 7-10; I Chron. 16:11;
Psa. 105:4; Exod. 33:7; Deut. 4:29. Itis
to devote your whole bean to seeking,
serving, obeying, glortfyingandenjoying
God. It may never be half-heaned, Jer.
29:12f; I Chron. 22:19; II Chron. 19:3;
12:14;30:19; 15: 12,13,15. Ifweareto
find God, we must make seeking Him
in Christ the daily and all-consuming
passion and aim of our lives.
Charles Spurgeon wrote: "Even
seeking has a sanctifying influence; what
a consecrating power must lie in finding
and enjoying the Lord's tace and favor.
To desire communion with God is a
puriJYing thing. Oh, to hunger and thirst
mote and more after a clear vision of the
Face of God; this will lead us to purge
ourselves fTOm all filthiness and to walk
with heavenly circumspection. He who
longs to see his friend when he passes by
takes care to clear the mist from the
window, lest by any means his friend
should go by unobserved. Really
awakened souls seek the Lord above
everything, and as this is not the usual
desire of mankind, they constitute a
generation by themselves; a people
despised of men but beloved of God."
How and where do we seek God? In
prtvate, family and congregational
June, 1992 1HE COUNSEL of Chalcedon 11
wocllip. During the faithful preaching
of the Bible, In prayer. In m.editation on
and study of the Bible. ' In discussions
with Christians about Spiritual things.
In the Sacraments of Baptism and the
Lord's Supper. In Christian fellowship.
In se1f-consdous obedience to biblical
law for Christ's sake.
What happens when we seek God?
Notice what happened to Asa and to
Judah, 15:8-19. Asagrewmoreboldfor
God than he had ever been. He saw
more clearly how critical continuing
refonnation was; and it made him more
daring and more thorough in
undertaking it. Allidolsintheheanand
the nation must go! God's
altar must be repaired and
made central!Asa also
extended his influence for
God more broadly than
before. In 15:9 we see him
encouraging godly
immigrants to gather with the
assembly of all Judah in the
worship and service of
Jehovah. Judah joyfully
offered sacrifices to God in '
faith and gratitude, 15:1l.
They renewed theircovenarit
vows.andobligationsasGod's
chosen people: (1). they
would continue to seek God's
Face andWillasanation; (2).
they would, to the utmost of
their power, oblige others to seek Him;
and (3). they would severely punish
defections from the Lord.
As a result of seeking the Lorc1,Judah
experienced a time of peace, 14:2-7. "It
isbothamusingandsadtoseethemania
of modem niIli.ons. They maintain a
highstateofmilitaryreadinessbutusually
neglect the preparations of the heans of
their people to meet the high standards
of the govenunent of Heaven. Of what
use are the mostsophistiaited orunique
weapbn systems on the face of the earth
if thatnation has flaunted righteousness,
justice and mercy or failed to walk
humbly with the one true God?" -Kaiser
God "came back" toJudahandmade
His Presence powerfully known among
the population. Deuteronomy 4:29 is
reinforced and fulfilled in II Chronicles
15:3-6-"But Jrom thcre you wlll seek the
LORD your God, and you will find Him if
you search Jor Him wlth all your heart and
all your soul . He enabled revivedJudah
to prevail over all their enemies, 14:9-
15. But,sadtosay, their repentance and
their "seeking" were not thorough or
deepenough,sotherevivalfailed,15: 17.
Asa himself began to compromise his
exclusive love for the Lord, and he too
wandered off-track in sinful anger,
decreasing gratitude and growing
unbelie( until God had to chasten him
with sickness and death, 16:11-14.
So, from the life ofKingAsa of]udab,
we see that the principle of the prophet,
Azariah, is really true: If you are with
God, God is with you! If you seek
God, He will let you fmd HIm! But, if
you forsake God, Hewillforsakeyou!
This is just as true in the USA in 1992
as it was in Judah almost 3000 years
ago. We have abandoned God as a
nation, so He began abandoning us
years ago. And now, our only hope is
that we seek Him again,and that He will
let us find Him, if we seek Him in Christ
with our whole hean.
12 mE COUNSELoE Cha\cedon June, 1992
THE CHRISTIANS IN AMERICA
MUST PRAY
The third time of Spiritual revival
and reformation in the nation ofJudah
was under the administration of King
Jehoshaphat, II Chronicles 17-20. As
Rehoboam and Josiah illustrated
humbling of seIf, and as Asa illustrated
seeking God, so Jehoshaphat illustrates
PRAYINGasameanstoSpirit-produced.
revival. Heunderstoodandappreciated
the value and power of true prayer, and
of the faithful preachiiIg of the Word of
God. He surrounded himself with
preachers--Micaiah,Jehu,Jahaziel,and
Eliezer. Hehitnselfwasa great preacher,
aswellas agreatman of prayer
and a great king.
Under . the powerful
preaching of Jehu, 19:1-11,
King Jehoshaphat was
convicted of his sins aM
dangerous compromises. He
was moved to repentance and
prayer by the. simple message
from God-"Shouldyouhelp
thewickedandlovetJwsewho
hate the LORD and so bring
"''Talk on yourself from the
LORD?"-19:1. Heknewwhat
the prophet was addressing:
his unwise and ungodly
alliance with wicked King
Ahaboflsrael,18:1-3)nstead
ofadingoutoffearandputting
hisfaithinpoliticalalliancesJehcisbapruit
understood that He must act out of faith
and of unswerving faithfulness to his
Covenant lord and Savior .. So, through
the preaching of Jehu, God brought
Spiritual revival to ]ehoshaphat, and to
aI1 of Judah. It had an immediate, and
long-standing, effect on him. It gave
him a renewed zeal in the performance
of duty. He personally, as head of state,
travelled throughout his entire nation
preaching the gospel and calling all the
citizens to renewed devotion to the lord
andtOHiscovenantWord.ltmadehim
an indefatigable evangelistic witness,
traveling and preaching from Beersheba,
on the southern frontier to Mt Epluaim
on the nonhern frontier. And, by this
persevering praying and preaching
]ehoshaphat SUCCEEDED IN
BRINGING HIS NATION BACK TO
GOD.
He reformed the administration of
justice and the court-system o[hlsnation,
basing it entirely upon biblical law. He
established lower courts of justice
throughout]udah, Dt. 16: 18, as well as
asupremecounin]erusaiem, which was
the highest court of appeals, Dt. 17 :8f;
Exod. 18:26. Thishighcourtwould
be divided into two departments:
an ecclesiastical court to adjudicate
"church-related" issues; and a dvil
court to adjudicate dvil issues.
(Here we see a clear separation of
thejurisdictionsofchun:handstate
in O.T. lsmel.) He called upon all
the judges to do nothing but
administerjustice, by obeying and
enfOrcing biblical law, Dt 16:19;
10:17; 1:17. They were not to be
agents of social change, imposing their
own ideas on the interpretation of the
law of the land. He reminded them that
they, as judges, represented the Lord and
His Law; that their decisions, based on
His Law, were His judgments; and that
their courts were the courts of the Lord.
They were not to deviate in the smallest
degree from that biblical standard. (If
judges are not champions of biblical law
and divine justice, they will become
hatchet-men for ananti-chrlstian order.)
The KEY TO REVIVAL, and to the
extension of revival, in]ehoshaphat's life
and nation was PRAYER. II Chronicles
20:1-37 contains the moving prayer of
King]ehoshaphat, as his nation feels the
threat of war. Preaching moved him to
pray, and through prayer, God brought
strength and victory. "The preaching of
the Word moves men and women to
humble themselves under the mighry
hand of God and to turn from their
wicked ways and seek God's faoe in a
renewed way. PRAYER MOVES GOD
TO GRACIOUSLY POUR OUT TIlE
BLESSING OF HEAVEN ON SINNERS,
UNDESERVlNG AS WE ARE."-Kaiser.
InIIChronides20Jehoshaphatgives
us powerful motives to earnestly pray for
ournationasit faces a multitude of crises
which are capable of devastating us: (1).
God rules over all nations, vs. 6. "May
God grant us a new vision of His
incomparable greatness. This is the best
cure for our faintheartedness." -Kaiser.
(2). God delights to do what He has
promised in His Word, vs. 7-11. (3).
Godjudgesall who oppose Him, vs. 12-
13. (4). God delivers us fromourdistress
when we call on Him, vs. 14-17. And
(5). God upholds those who believe in
Him and in His Word, vs. 18-30.
His prayer is profoundly simple. His
FlRSTPETITION is: Lord, look at what
your enemies are doing to your people!
Your enemies are rrying to dtive your
people out of the land and dvilization
which you have given them as an
Inheritanoe, vs. 10-11. His SECOND
PETmON is: "0 our God, will You not
judge your (and our) enemies? We are
powerless bifore this great multitude wJw
arewmingagainstus, nordowe know what
to do, BUT OUREYESARE ONYOU!"-vs.
12. Lord, deliver your people who trust
in you, by vindicating your Name and
judging your enemies. Notice that God
delivers His people from their enemies,
not by "rapturing" them out of the midst
of their enemies, but by destroying their
enemies through conversion,
demoralization and death.
God'sanswerto]ehoshaphat'sprayer
is another preacher and more preaching.
The king asked God to act and God sent
him a preacher-prophet,jahaziel,20: 14-
17. Because God's Spirit was upon him
his message was powerful: Victory is
certain for God's faithful people, because
the barrIe is the Lord's. Stand in faith and
courage and see the salvation of the Lord
in your behalf. Do not fear. Face the
enemy. The Lord is with you.
The prayers ofjehoshaphat were the
instruments through which God gave
Judah victory over her enemies in war,
20:20-30, and renewedjudah'sworship
of Him, 20:18-19. jehoshaphat
sent out singers and musidans to
lead the annies into battle singing
the praises of God, vs.21-22. This
could not have been done unless
the armies were confident that
theyweredoingwhatwaspleasing
to the Lord, and therefore sure to
be blessed by Him, vs. 28.
Prayer moves the arm of God.
There are some things God will
not do forusexcept through our prayers.
Prayer brings down the blessing of God
from heaven. Prayer 15 the key that
unlocks the treasury of divine promise.
"Prayer must be the hallmark of our
Christian lives and the ministry of our
church. Itmusthecome ournumber one
priority if we are ever going to be more
than a minoriry band exerdsingselective
holding actions.... Such minirnalistic
goals are a weariness to God and bother
to manldnd.".Kaiser
"To say prayers in a deoent, delicate
way is not heavy work. But to pray
REALLY, to pray till hell feels the
ponderous stroke, to pray till the iron
gates of difficulty are opened, till the
mountains of obstades are removed, till
the mists are exhaled and the clouds are
lifted, andthesunshineofacloudlessday
brightens-this is HARD WORK, but it
is God's work and man's best labor."-
E.M.Bounds
Our prayers must take the prayers of
the Bible as their models, and then we
will see just as dramatic answers from
June, 1992 THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon 13
God../furning divine promise into our
prayer petitions is the most effective way
of praying. Results. and answers are
guaranteed. I John 5:14. Jehoshaphat
criedto GodandHe divenedtheattention
of an entire anny from him SO he could
escapeunhanned. HeptayedwithJudah,
and God routed the Triple Alliance of
Nations. Notice these characteristics of
his prayers: (1). They were
earnest and from the heart. (2). They
were God<entered and full of praise.
(3). Their petitions were basedondivine.
ptomisesin the Word of God. (4). Their
primary concern was the kingdom of
God. If we learn to pray as Moses, Isaiah,
Elijah and Jehoshaphat prayed, we will
see the mighty display of God's power
and glory they saw.
"A backslidden hean ... reveals itself
in praying almost exclUSively for selL. It
is often very striking and even shocking
toattenda backsliders prayermeeting ....
Their prayers are timed and hesitating
and reveal the fact that they have little or
no faith." -Finney
THE CHRISTIANS IN AMEiUCA MOST
TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS.
The founh national revival in Judah
was during the reign of King Hezekiah, II
Clltonicles29-32. TheKEYtothlsrevival
was REPENTANCE.
During the 160+ years between
JehoshaphatandHezekiah, to one degree
or another, the kings ofjudah led Judah
away from the Lordandtowardapostasy.
By Hezekiah's time Judah was in a deep
spiritual, moral and social decline.
Moreover, God had devastatedJudah in
His judgment with defeat in wars which
led to oppression and to the captivity of
manyoftheirwomenandchildren,28:8-
9. God had made Judah a "horror"
amongthenationsbecauseofherspiritual
apostasy. And then,like a bolt out of the
blue, totally unexpected, unp1annedand
undeserved, Godsovereignlysenttevival
and refonnation to Judah.
"The revival in the time ofHezekiah
is among the most sudden of those
recorded inScripture. Hezekiah began a
work of refonnation during, the first
month of his reign, and WflHlN lWO
MONTHS the whole lap.d was swept
with a ;yave of spiritual enthusiasm."-
Ernst Baker. it, as are all revivals, was a
sovereign work of God. How did evil
Ahaz produce such a godly son as
Hezekiah? Only by sovereign grace!
Although we are not told how it
happened, the Spirit of God moved on
the heans of men and women, and
Spiritual revival began. Hezekiah found
a new desire ill his hean, 29:10. God
suddenlypreparedHispeople forrev1val,
29:36., . The hand of God was on the
heansof the people in Judah, 30:12,
God "came down" and manifested His
. Presence to and among His people, and
rev1valcame,32:7-8.
Revival is the work of God not man.
In Exodus 33 revival came when God
showed Moses His glory;in Exodus 34it
came when GOd preached to Moses; in
Isaiah 62-64revival came when God rent
the heavens and came down; and in II
Cllronicles revival is God answering
prayer, God forgiving sin, God healing
the land, God lelling Himselfbe found,
God coming to His people. Therefore,
we must earnestly and contip.ually pray
that God would do a sovereign work of
revival in our time. We cannot produce
revival. It must cOIIje, from him. After
over 160 years of spiritual declension,
Americaisinsucha fallen condition, that .
nothingmancandocanhelpus. America
can only be helped by a genuine revival
and refonnation from God.
Although it has taken many decades
for America to get in this shape, it does
not have to take many decades to come
out of it. The revival under Hezekiah
began in the first month of his
administration and had swept the whole
nation itt two months. Two months
from now we could be living in a totally
different America" an America in the
midst of genuine Spirit-wrought revival.
It doesnothave to take generations to get
America back where she should be. If it
14 mE COUNSEL of Chalcedon June, 1991.
pleases God to send revival, itcouldtake
'only two shon months!
Whatshouldwedomthemeantime?
With Hezekiah and Judah, Tum from
our wicked ways. Repent or perish!
"Repentance," the KEY to the revivai
under Hezekiah, is ofcenrral imponance
in the Bible, summarizing the message
and ministry of the G.T. prophets.
Zechariah preaclted: "All the earlier'
prophets proclaimed, 'This is what the
Lord ofhcists says, "Turn from yourev1l
ways and evil deeds .... ;-Zech. 1:4 . . II
Kings 17: 13 "The Lotd warned
lsrael and Judah through all the
prophets .. :rum from your evil ways."'
But thls isnor simply an O.t . theme.
Itistheerilphasisoijesusandtheaposrles. '
Mark summarizes the focus of Jesus'
preachipgwith thisstatement: "The lime
Is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God Is at
. hand; repentandbelteve thegospeI,"1:15.
To the disciples on the road to Emrnaeus,
the resurrected Jesus said: "Thus it Is
written, thattheChrtstshouldsuffcrandrtse
again from the dead the third day; and that
repentance for forgiveness of sins should be
proclaimed in His Name to all natlOns.,.:
Luke24:46-47. And to the philosophers
on Mars Hill, Paul declares: "God Is now
declartng to mend,tat all everywhere should
repenL.:' Acts 17:30.
The Hebrewword for "tunrlitg" or
"repentance" is shuv. It occurs 118
times in the O.T. in a religiOUS senSe. It
occurs 13 times In II Chronicles
6:24,26,37,38; 7:14; 15:4; 30:6,8,9;
36:13. It occurs 5 times in II Chronicles
30:6-9, due to the influence of 7:14,
teachingusthatthekeynoteofHezekiah's
revival was repentance. 48 of the 118
occurences of SHUV appear with the
preposition "to" or "unto," and usually
with the Lord as its object, 6:26,37,38.
Therefore, we know that repentance
involves a turning or returning to God
in faith and obedience Dr. 30:2,8,10,
40 of the 118 occurenoes appearwith the
prepOsition "from," denoting that
repentance involves a turning from
sin in one's life, Ezek. 18:30,3l.
Repentance, then, is a continual
turning from that which displeases
God in one's life to that which pleases
Him.
The old Wesnninster Confession of
Faith defines repentance this way: "By it
(repentance) a sinner, out of the sight
and sense, nO[ only of the danger, but
also of the filthiness and odiousness of
his sins, as contrary to the holy nature
and rtghteoUS law of God, and upon the
apprehension of his mercy in Chrtst to
su.ch as are penitent, so grteves for and
hates his sins, as to tum
from them all unto God,
purposingandendeavortng
to walk with Him in all the
ways of His command-
ments." (SeeEzek. 18:30,31;
36:31; lsa. 30:22; Psa. 51:4;
jer.31:18,19; joel 2:12,
13,15; Psa. 119: 128; II Cor.
7: 11; Psa 119:6,59,106; Lk.
1:6; II Kings 23:25.)
The message in the life
and revival of Hezekiah is
simple:
I. 00:6) TURN TO GOD
WITH UNQUALIFIED
IRUST OR HE WILL NOT
TURN TO US.
"0 sons of Israel, return to the LORD
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that He
may return to those of you who escaped ... "
II. (30:7) TURN TO GOD WITH
WHOLEHEARTED OBEDIENCE OR HE
WILL BRING US INTO NATIONAL
DISGRACE
"AnddonotbeIikeyourfathersandyour
brothers, who were urifaithful to the LORD
God of their fathers, so that He made them
a horror, as you see."
Each generation and everyindividual
must answer to God. Our generation is
sinful, but where sin abounds, grace
abounds all the more. And where grace
abounds, responsibility and accounta-
bilityaboundall themore. Ifwecontinue
to tumourbackstoGod,HewiUcontinue
to tum His back to us and make us
despicable among the nations.
"Hezekiah refused to settle for the
performance level of the past or present
generations."-Kaiser. We must not take
the defeatist's position of thinking we
have inherited an irreversible situation.
III.OO:8) TURNTOGODWITH]OYFUL
SERVICE OR HE WILL NOT TURN HIS
DESIRUCTIVE ANGER AWAY FROM
Turning from our evil deeds to the
Lord demands an unqualified and
unconditional trustinHim, accompanied
with a total renunciation of sin, self, and
aU idols in which people place their trust
and hope. The caU to RETURN to God
implies moral and spirttual declension,
which "consists in our taking back our
consecration to the Lord, leaving our first
love for God, abstaining from the regular US
and whole-heaned devotion to God in "Now do not stiffen your neck like your
worshipandprayer."-Kaiser. Thecallto fathas, but submit to the LORD and enter
RETURN to God also implies faith that His sanctuary whtch He has consecrated
God is more than willing to receive us, forever,andserve the WRDyourGod, that
forgiveus, andrestoreus, Deut. 4:30-31. His burnfngangermayturnaway jromyou.
The biblical phrase, "Submit w the
Lord" is literally tranSlated, "Give the Lord
your hand"in a pledge ofloya! allegiance,
I Chron. 29:24. Before you can enjoy
communion with God, you must enter
intocovenantwithHim. You must place
yourself under His government and at
His disposal to do with or to you as He
pleases. Being stiffnecked is the
permanentconditionoftheunregenerate.
Let us raise our hands in pledge of our
loyaky and fidelity to God in full
submission to His lordship and total
dependence upon His grace in Chrtst.
When God tells us to
"enter His sanctuary" He is
tellingusthatitisimpossible
to tum to God without also
; turning to the corporate
,: worship of God in Chrtst,
? john 1:14. When the
church leaders have to beg,
entice, and compete on a
populartty scale with the
multitude of recreational
and leisure options for the
attention and anendanceof
the church members at
worship, something is
terribly wrong. True
repentance is desperately
needed as the alternative to
the anger and judgment of God.
We "serve the Lord" when we refuse
to allow any other loyalty or interest to
usurp the place owed solely to God.
What or whom are your serving
ultimately?
IV. (30:9) TURN TO GOD WITH
UNCEASING PRAYER OR HE WIll
WITHDRAW HIS PRESENCE AND
FAVOR FROM US
"For if you return w the Lord, your
broillers and your sons will jindcompassion
before those who led them captive, and will
returnwthisland. FortheLORDyourGod
is gracious and compassionate, and will not
tum His Face w ~ from you if you retum
wHim."
June, 1992 ~ WE COUNSEL of Chalcedon ~ 15
Hezekiah urged all]udah to pray-
to be a NATION OF INTERCESSORS,
mediat0I5, under Christ the Mediator,
channels of truthand grace from God to
the family,churchandnation,Exod. 32-
34. In DatlieI9:14-19, Daniel uses the
filSt pelSon plural pron01m 39 times his
brief, prayer. Wemustidentifyoursdves
in prayer with the Body of Christ.
Repentance always includes a to
prayer for forgiveness and for restored
communion with God. We are nothing
ifGodi.!;notWiTHUSto bless us and to
manifest His presence, power, grace and
compassion to us and through us.
Wbatilappens to a people when they
truly TURN FROM lHEIR WICKED
WAYS and return to the LORD their
God?
(29:21) They have a renewed faith
in the atoning death ofjesus Christ as
their only hope of testoration and
acceptailce with a holy God.
(29:25-30) They have a renewed
joyin,thewors4il'ofGod,andaconstant
desire to praise Him.
(29:10) They have a renewed
desire to plea;<: God and to obey His
law for jesus' sake.
(30:12; 32:8). They develop an
awareness of the presence and activity of
God in the lives of His people. They
beCOI):)e consciousthat itis that presence
that sets them apan from all other
institutions, organizations, and
movements. It is that activity that makes
fum effective and successful in their
mission tothis world. ,
(31:1). Theyare moved to rid
themselves and their societies of all
idolatry, and to establish the exclusive
and univetsal crown rights ofKingJesus
ove!" themSelves and their nations.
, . ,
*
Christ to progressive victories for His
churchand kingdom overall theenemies

(31:4-5, 20-21) Their renewed
devotion to the LORD is manifested in
tithing, because true revival always
producesarenewedlOVeforblblicallaw,
and therefore always causes tithing to
increase.
(31:10; 32:27-29) Since the
spiritual condition of the church
detenninS the political, economic and
social condition of the nation in whiCh
that church exists, true revival and
reformation of the church usually brings
increased national productivity and
national prosperity.
''May (God bring) a whole new wave
of repentance and turning to God
lead(ing) to a veritable downpour of His
Spirit. And may this revived vitality lead
to such widespreadobediencethatmany
willbesweptintothekingddrtlofGodin
unprecedented numbelS."-Kaiser
CONCLUSIONS
1. THE CHOICE OF TWO HERITAGES
During the history of Judah
recounted inll Chronicles, God's people
were faced
to' choose between their more distant,
biblical heritage of King David and their
morerecentapostate berttageunder kings
suCh as Manasseh. By the time of the '
prophetJeremiah, each had esWblisbed
its own tradition and history, America
faces the same Choice in 1992. Willshe
return to her m6re distant Christian
heritage of the Bible, the Protestant
Reformation, the Puritans, the Pilgtims,
theAmertcanRevolution,aridonilodox,
, reformed Christianity, whiCh
hastnade her the greatest nation on the
face of the earth? Or will she choose to
, continue in her more recent anti-
chrtstian;hurnanistic heritage of Rome,
the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the
' French Revolution, Unitarianism,
Datwinism, the War Between the States,
Hegelianism, and Marxism, which have
brought her tQ serious decline and
apostasy? The choice is YOUlS!
2. THElNADEQUACYOF"TOP-DOWN"
REV1V AL ,(II Kings 23:24-iT)
16 f TIlE COUNSEL of Cbalcedon June, 1992
The godly leadership of ]udah was
correctinseeking to reconsttuct]udah's
politics, economy and society by biblical
law. However, these eainest attempts
broughtonlysuperlicialandshon-lived
change"because t4e and lives of
the people were not reconstructed by
the Word and Spirit of the living God.
We muSt work for 'and pray for "top-
down" reconstruction .in the political
arena arui "bottom-up," "grass-roots"
revival and refonnation. in the 'liVing
, rooms of America and in the hearts of
Americans. Only then will America
recover!
3. Lancelot Andrewes prayed every
itight: "I can Sin much, but 1 cannot
repen!: muCh. Woe is me, for my hard
anddryhean. Giveme,OGod,amolten
heart. Give !'ealS. Give .the grace of l'eaI5.
Giveme, OLord,thisgreatgrace. None
weresowelcometome. Notallthegood
things of this life are to be coveted by me
in comparison to teats. Tears suCh as
,1l1oudidstgivetoDavid,andtojeremiah,
andlo josiah,and to Peter, and to her out
bf whom were cast severaI devils. 0
God, give the chief of sirmers some tealS
for his great sin, and for Thy great
salvation." May this be our prayer! '
4. "If I shut up the heavens S(J that
there is 1W ram, or if I 'command the,
locust to devour the 1and, ar if I send
pestilence among My peOple, and My
people, who ate allied' by My Name,
, humble i1wnseIves and pray, and seek
, My Face and turn from their Wicked
ways, thinlwill hearfrom heaven, will
forgive their sili, afJd will heal their
Jand."
(For a !pore complete study on the
subjectofrevivalinbooksofIIChronideS,
Exodus and Isaiah, see my booklet
entitled, The Revival of the Churchand
the Gluryof God For a copy call me at
404-396-0965.)0
, ,
Soli Deo Gloria