(2 Chronicles 35:1-27) Then Josiah celebrated the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 He appointed the priests to their offices and encouraged them in the service of the house of the Lord. 3 He also said to the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the Lord, “Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built; it will not be a burden on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and His people Israel. 4 Prepare yourselves by your fathers’ households in your divisions, according to the writing of David king of Israel and according to the writing of his son Solomon. 5 Furthermore, stand in the holy place according to the sections of the fathers’ households of your countrymen, the lay people, and according to the Levites, by division of a father’s household. 6 Now slaughter the Passover animals, keep one another consecrated, and prepare for your countrymen to act in accordance with the word of the Lord by Moses.”
7 Josiah contributed to the lay people, to all who were present, flocks of lambs and young goats, all for the Passover offerings, numbering thirty thousand, plus three thousand bulls; these were from the king’s property. 8 His officers also contributed a voluntary offering to the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the officials of the house of God, gave the priests 2,600 from the flocks and three hundred bulls, for the Passover offerings. 9 Conaniah also, and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the officers of the Levites, contributed five thousand from the flocks and five hundred bulls to the Levites for the Passover offerings.
10 So the service was prepared, and the priests stood at their positions and the Levites by their divisions according to the king’s command. 11 They slaughtered the Passover animals, and while the priests sprinkled the blood received from their hand, the Levites skinned the animals. 12 Then they removed the burnt offerings so that they might give them to the sections of the fathers’ households of the lay people to present to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did this with the bulls as well. 13 So they roasted the Passover animals on the fire according to the ordinance, and they boiled the holy things in pots, in kettles, and in pans and carried them quickly to all the lay people. 14 Afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night; so the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron. 15 The singers, the sons of Asaph, were also at their positions according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer; and the gatekeepers at each gate did not have to leave their service, because their kinsmen the Levites prepared for them.
16 So all the service of the Lord was prepared on that day to celebrate the Passover, and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord according to the command of King Josiah. 17 And the sons of Israel who were present celebrated the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. 18 There had not been a Passover celebrated like it in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet; nor had any of the kings of Israel celebrated such a Passover as Josiah did with the priests, the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 19 In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign this Passover was celebrated.
20 After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt came up to wage war at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to engage him. 21 But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “What business do you have with me, King of Judah? I am not coming against you today, but against the house with which I am at war, and God has told me to hurry. For your own sake, stop interfering with God who is with me, so that He does not destroy you.” 22 However, Josiah would not turn away from him, but disguised himself in order to fight against him; nor did he listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, but he came to wage war on the plain of Megiddo. 23 The archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded.” 24 So his servants took him out of the chariot and carried him on the second chariot which he had, and brought him to Jerusalem where he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. 25 Then Jeremiah chanted a song of mourning for Josiah. And all the male and female singers speak about Josiah in their songs of mourning to this day. And they made them an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are also written in the Lamentations. 26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and his deeds of devotion as written in the Law of the Lord, 27 and his acts, the first to the last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
I know we can have a tendency to be over-organized, but there needs to be some organization and preparation so all bases and details are covered properly. Those who serve in churches, should be believers who strive to live in God's will, and serve in God's strength, wisdom and love. Not only are we representing God and His Church, but we are examples to others. Whether we are "just" serving food, ushering, answering phones, playing guitar... there will be someone observing us, and hopefully - who they see in us - is Jesus!
And just as it was with the detail of carrying the ark, it should never be a burden to serve. We are not just serving people, but the Lord God, Himself. He has given us spiritual gifts to use, therefore we should not be proud about where or how we serve. We should understand what our gifts are - and what they are not - so that the appropriate people are serving in the right place, to the best of our abilities. God does deserve the best. And as we ask, He will help us, and equip us MORE with His strength and wisdom. Therefore, it will be a blessing and a joy.
We have also been told to do everything with the right motives, which means using God's agape (unconditional and sacrificial) love. We are serving BECAUSE God loves us and we love Him, so therefore we should be serving WITH God's love. Just as the Bible tells elders not to lord their position over others, and husbands are to love their wife as Christ loved the Church... we have to know that Jesus, besides coming to pay the price for all sin on the cross, came to serve us, tenderly and patiently teach us, and guide us by being a living example for us to follow.
Remaining humble to the Lord is key, as we see how Josiah stumbled with his pride right at the end of his life. Anyone of us is still capable of committing any sin. This is why it is important that we find appropriate ways to hold each other accountable. And always, at church and at home, we should be praying and encouraging one another in our walk with God and in our service.
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