The Remnant Revolution

II Chronicles 23:16-21

"Jehoiada then made a covenant that he and the people and the king would be the LORD's people. All the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars. Then Jehoiada placed the oversight of the temple of the LORD in the hands of the priests, who were Levites, to whom David had made assignments in the temple, to present the burnt offerings of the LORD as written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and singing, as David had ordered. He also stationed doorkeepers at the gates of the LORD's temple so that no one who was in any way unclean might enter. He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people and all the people of the land and brought the king down from the temple of the LORD. They went into the palace through the Upper Gate and seated the king on the royal throne, and all the people of the land rejoiced. And the city was quiet, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword"

There will always be a remnant faithful to God. He is keeping watch over His own. This remnant is at every age and it ushers in a revival of the worship of the One True God, the LORD! No matter how spiritually and politically dire a situation looks like, God will always preserve us and others faithful to Him and His purpose. The prophet Elijah thought that he was alone, twice He tells God, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts, but the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well (I Kings 19:10, 14).” God, however, encounters the prophet in despair, in bombastic fashion at first it appears, an earthquake, a whirlwind, a fiery blizzard, but finally He revealed Himself in a "still, small voice (I Kings 19:12)", in a modest tone far removed from the awesome power of nature He brings; it is omnipotence sealed in a gentle whisper, just like a little baby boy, no less than the Light of the World, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Messiah, our Lord and Saviour, wrapped in a humble birthplace, "and she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn (Luke 2:7). God then reveals to Elijah that He has a plan in Isreal, contemporaneous to the yesterday's verses in Judah, and to the prophet's surprise, that He had reserved thousands of faithful, "all whose knees have not bowed to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him (I Kings 19:18)." God is faithful. The Living Life writer reminds us in this narrative, "the unity that all Israel displays in this revolution is remarkable, and the key to their success is this: they remember and trust in God’s promise to establish David’s throne forever. The Lord our God is faithful, and if we stand firm in His promises, there is nothing we cannot overcome" and that "this revolution is not only political; it is also spiritual. Jehoiada and the people make sure to destroy every last trace of the idolatry that flourished under Athaliah’s rule and restore worship in the temple." Let us take heart. Father, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven (Matt 6:10).