Thurs., 11/10/16 Devotion (2 Ki. 23:7)

Today's encouragement comes from 2 Kings 23:7, which says this:

"Then [Josiah] tore down the ritual booths of the perverted persons that were in the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the wooden image."

This is a providential text, given what is going on even in our world today. When Josiah, the good king of Judah, was taking out the garbage of idolatry from the temple of the Lord—he also included on his trash heap the "pervert-ed persons." These were sodomites that had entered the house of God, and who had polluted it with their pagan rituals.

Today, as the house of the church gets purified—not only does heresy have to go, and all forms of works-righteousness, etc.—but also the "perverted persons" have got to be expelled. This does not mean that they are not wel-come to come and hear the gospel; but it does mean that—barring faith and repentance—they can have no part in the life of the body of Christ.

[Puritan quote of the day: "There is nothing in the world more uneasy than the heart of a wicked man made to listen to spiritual instruction . . . “ —Richard Sibbes, in, "The Bruised Reed"]