A Heavenward Spiral

II Chronicles 24:15–22

“Now Jehoiada was old and full of years, and he died at the age of a hundred and thirty. He was buried with the kings in the City of David, because of the good he had done in Israel for God and his temple. After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. They abandoned the temple of the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God’s anger came on Judah and Jerusalem. Although the LORD sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen. Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the LORD’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has forsaken you.’” But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the LORD’s temple. King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, “May the LORD see this and call you to account.”

Again, we see Israel descend into disobedience and idolatry. How sad it is sometimes to think that that is the human condition, to use our sacred gift of free will to rebel against the God who created us and had given it us. And sometimes it is scary to think we are also, just like Israel, trapped in this cycle, always in between holiness and impiety. However, be of good cheer, I believe this is what Christ offers us, a huge break from this vicious downward spiral of sin and evil (which resides in each human heart), and a newfound justification and capability to honour our Heavenly Father completely, to encounter Him in all His splendour. It was something we couldn’t achieve by ourselves, being fallen humanity. Our Lord’s earthly father was just like us, beleaguered by such cares and worries but he had a heavenly visitation which gave him an eternal perspective: “And Mary’s husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” (which means, God with us) (Matt 1:19–23).” He has not only visited, but has come to save us from our sins, He is with us and dwelling within us, then, now, and hereafter, and by His precious blood that was spilled on the cross we are lifted into a virtuous cycle beyond our nature and the heavenward spiral that makes our struggle towards holiness meaningful, we are a new creation (II Cor 5:17)!