Now, all of these things that Josiah did was prophesied during the reign of another king, an evil predecessor.

1Ki 13:1  And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.
1Ki 13:2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.
1Ki 13:3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This [is] the sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that [are] upon it shall be poured out.
1Ki 13:4 And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.
1Ki 13:5 The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.
1Ki 13:6 And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as [it was] before.
1Ki 13:7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.
1Ki 13:8 And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place:
1Ki 13:9 For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.
1Ki 13:10 So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.

The prophet that made this prophesy is a little known prophet named Jadon. Josiah was prophesied by name to be born, and that he would specifically to do this:

2Ki 23:20  And he slew all the priests of the high places that [were] there upon the altars, and burned men's bones upon them, and returned to Jerusalem.

Again, when Josiah found out (I will discuss later) about the sin still in the camp, he didn't monkey around. He got right down to business immediately, in obedience to the Lord, and he cleaned up his people's act by completely eliminating any trace of those things which had caused them to sin. Not only did he complete get rid of all the idols, but also the temples of those gods, their alters, sepulchers...every thing that represented them in any way.

However, something else happened in light of this prophetic word from this prophet. You see, God requires complete obedience. Even his highest or most revered servants can be cut down for disobeying a direct order or charge from the Lord, because the integrity of His word is involved.

1Ki 13:10     So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.
1Ki 13:11    Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.
1Ki 13:12    And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah.
1Ki 13:13    And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon,
1Ki 13:14    And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, [Art] thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I [am].
1Ki 13:15    Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.
1Ki 13:16    And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:
1Ki 13:17    For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.

2Ki 22:4 Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people:

Hilkiah = "my portion is Jehovah"

2Ki 22:5 And let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD: and let them give it to the doers of the work which [is] in the house of the LORD, to repair the breaches of the house,
2Ki 22:6 Unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.
 
2Ch 34:9  And when they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the doors had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin; and they returned to Jerusalem.
2Ch 34:10 And they put [it] in the hand of the workmen that had the oversight of the house of the LORD, and they gave it to the workmen that wrought in the house of the LORD, to repair and amend the house:
2Ch 34:11 Even to the artificers and builders gave they [it], to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and to floor the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed.
2Ch 34:12 And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them [were] Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set [it] forward; and [other of] the Levites, all that could skill of instruments of musick.

Jahath = "He will snatch up"
1) a Merarite Levite in the reign of Josiah

Obadiah = "servant of Jehovah"
1) a Merarite Levite overseer of the work of restoring the temple in the time of king Josiah of Judah

Levite = see Levi "joined to"
1) the descendants of Levi, the 3rd son of Jacob by Leah
a) the tribe descended from Levi specially set aside by God for His service

Merari = "bitter"
1) the 3rd son of Levi and head of a Levitical family

Zechariah = "Jehovah remembers"
1) a Kohathite Levite in the reign of Josiah

Meshullam = "friend"
1) a Kohathite or family of Kohathite Levites in the reign of Josiah

Kohath = "assembly"
1) the 2nd of the 3 sons of Levi and progenitor of a family in the tribe of Levi

Kohath; Kohathites:
ko’-hath, ko’-hath-its (qehath, qohathi; Kaath): Second son of Levi, and ancestor of Moses and Aaron (Ge 46:11; Ex 6:16-20; Nu 3:17; 1Ch 6:1, etc.). The Kohathites formed one of the three divisions of the tribe of Levi; the other two being the Gershonites and the Merarites (Nu 3:17 ). The Kohathites consisted of four families, the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites (Nu 3:19,27, etc.). Their place in the wilderness was on the southern side of the tabernacle (Nu 3:29), and their number is given (from a month old) as 8,600 (Nu 3:28). Their special charge was "the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the screen, and all the service thereof" (Nu 3:31; compare Nu 7:9). After the conquest 23 cities were assigned them by lot (Jos 21:4,5 ). In David’s time and after, Heman, a Kohathite, and his family had a prominent place in the service of the music of the sanctuary (1Ch 6:33 ff; 16:41 ff; 25:1 ); David likewise divided the Levites into courses (the Kohathites, 1Ch 23:12-20; 24:20-25). We read of the Kohathites in the reign of Jehoshaphat at Engedi (2Ch 20:19), and in connection with the cleansing of the temple under Hezekiah (2Ch 29:12,14).
Written by James Orr

Samuel was of this division.

2Ch 34:12 And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them [were] "He will snatch up" a "servant of Jehovah", "joined to", the sons of "bitter[ness]"; and "Jehovah remembers" [a] "friend", of the sons of the "assembly", to set [it] forward; and [other of] the "joined to", all that could skill of instruments of musick.

2Ch 34:13 Also [they were] over the bearers of burdens, and [were] overseers of all that wrought the work in any manner of service: and of the Levites [there were] scribes, and officers, and porters.

2Ki 22:7  Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully.

Josiah was in the midst of a purging process of the kingdom, because he realized that the kings before him had not followed the Lord.

2Ch 34:6  And [so did he] in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about.
2Ch 34:7 And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.

And he did this in Manasseh = "causing to forget," Ephraim = "double ash-heap: I shall be doubly fruitful," Simeon or Shimeon = "heard," and even unto Naphtali = "wrestling," with their "mattocks = sword, knife, tools for cutting stone" round about.

2Ch 34:8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.

According to Josephus, who, for those who are unaware, was a reporter/recorder of the history of the Jews during biblical times; Josiah, who was operating under divine government since his twelfth year, had appointed the gentlemen listed above to oversee the repair of the temple of the Lord. These gentlemen had the following credentials.

Shaphan = rock badger, coney, the hyrax; which is a reference to an animal like a rabbit, badger, or even porcupine. The difference though, is that unlike the porcupine, this creature is defenseless, but according to scripture, is a creature of wisdom.

Pro 30:24 There be four [things which are] little upon the earth, but they [are] exceeding wise:
Pro 30:25 The ants [are] a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;
Pro 30:26 The conies [are but] a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;
Pro 30:27 The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;
Pro 30:28 The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.

Psa 97:7  Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all [ye] gods

Deu 27:15  Cursed [be] the man that maketh [any] graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth [it] in [a] secret [place]. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.

Why did Josiah do this? Well, I have to jump ahead in this book, because the reason is later given.

2Ch 34:17  And they have gathered together the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and to the hand of the workmen.
2Ch 34:18 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
2Ch 34:19 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes.

I'll get into this part later, but suffice it to say, he was pretty upset once he found out this information. What I like, however, is that once informed, he took immediate action. He made an informed decision. This is why I love this gift of writing that God has blessed me with, because I like to share information because I think people make better decisions once informed; and if I can share something that encourages better decisions, I'm happy.

2Ch 34:4 And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that [were] on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust [of them], and strowed [it] upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.
2Ch 34:5 And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.

When he broke them into pieces and made dust of them, he was doing this out of reverence for what Moses had done when he found the Israelites worshiping the golden calf.

Exd 32:20  And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt [it] in the fire, and ground [it] to powder, and strawed [it] upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink [of it].

Now, I thought this was rather harsh, and I wondered if Moses had sort of gone off the deep end in his anger here, because we already know he had a problem controlling his anger and/or frustration to some degree, because of the rock incident which later kept him from seeing the promised land.

However, I stumbled across a reference to a grain offering for jealousy, which also explains to some degree why Josiah ground up those pieces. I'm not going to dwell on this, but just let you see this for yourselves. I will say that it caught me off guard.

Also, remember that those of us that are saved are the bride of Christ...the second wife, much like Ester was. Israel was the first, but she followed the indiscretion of Vashti, and was put away. So while you check out this passage, just bear this in mind concerning the whole jealousy thing.

Num 5:12  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,
Num 5:13 And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and [there be] no witness against her, neither she be taken [with the manner];
Num 5:14 And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled:
Num 5:15 Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth [part] of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it [is] an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.
Num 5:16 And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD:
Num 5:17 And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put [it] into the water:
Num 5:18 And the priest shall set the woman before the LORD, and uncover the woman's head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which [is] the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse:
Num 5:19 And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness [with another] instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse:
Num 5:20 But if thou hast gone aside [to another] instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband:
Num 5:21 Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;
Num 5:22 And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make [thy] belly to swell, and [thy] thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen.
Num 5:23 And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot [them] out with the bitter water:
Num 5:24 And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, [and become] bitter.
Num 5:25 Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman's hand, and shall wave the offering before the LORD, and offer it upon the altar:
Num 5:26 And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, [even] the memorial thereof, and burn [it] upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.
Num 5:27 And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, [that], if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, [and become] bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.
Num 5:28 And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.
Num 5:29 This [is] the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside [to another] instead of her husband, and is defiled;
Num 5:30 Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the LORD, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law.
Num 5:31 Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.

What does this have to do with Josiah? He did the same grinding of the pieces into flour, because he knew that God is a jealous God, and that God was angry with Israel.

You see, his mindset was to follow the ways of David in his love and devotion to God, so he was cleansing the land. He had yet to see a prophesy that would really put the fear of God into him more than before.

2Ch 34:3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.

Knowing that nothing that is written here is without a purpose, I'm trying to assess the difference between carved images and molten images. I'm thinking that the molten ones were created with a mold, and that the carved ones could be of wood or stone.

Graven (carved) Image:
Deu 27:15; Psa 97:7 (Heb. pesel), refers to the household gods of idolaters. "Every nation and city had its own gods...Yet every family had its separate household or tutelary god."

But molten images is explained here in a definition of images. Images, as used here, are visible representations of supposedly supernatural or divine beings or powers. They may be

(1) themselves objects of worship,

(2) pictures, embodiments or dwelling-places (temple, ark, pillar, priests) of deities worshipped,

(3) empowered instruments (amulets, charms, etc.) of object or objects worshipped,

(4) pictures or symbols of deities reverenced though not worshipped.

These images may be shapeless blocks, or symmetrically carved figures, or objects of Nature, such as animals, sun, moon, stars, etc. These visible objects may sometimes be considered, especially by the uninstructed, as deities, while by others in the small community they are thought of as instruments or symbolizations of deity.

Even when they are thought of as deities, this does not exclude a sense and apprehension of a spiritual godhead, since visible corporeal beings may have invisible souls and spiritual attributes, and even the stars may be thought of as "seats of celestial spirits."

An idol is usually considered as either the deity itself or his permanent tenement; a fetish is an object which has been given a magical or divine power, either because of its having been the temporary home of the deity, or because it has been formed or handled or otherwise spiritually influenced by such deity.

The idol is generally communal, the fetish private; the idol is protective, the fetish is usually not for the common good. (See Jevons, Idea of Cod in Early Religions, 1910.) Relics and symbolic figures do not become "images" in the objectionable sense until reverence changes to worship.

Until comparatively recent times, the Hebrews seem to have offered no religious objection to "artistic" images, as is proved not only from the description of Solomon’s temple, but also from the discoveries of the highly decorated temple of Yahweh at Syene dating from the 6th century BC, and from ruins of synagogues dating from the pre-Christian and early Christian periods (PEF, January, 1908; The Expositor, December, 1907; Expository Times, January and February, 1908). The Second Commandment was not an attack upon artists and sculptors but upon idolaters.

Decoration by means of graven figures was not in ancient times condemned, though, as Josephus shows, by the time of the Seleucids all plastic art was regarded with suspicion. The brazen serpent was probably destroyed in Hezekiah’s time because it had ceased to be an ancient artistic relic and had become an object of worship (see below).

So the destruction of the ark and altar and temple, which for so long a time had been the means of holy worship, became at last a prophetic hope (Isa 6:7; Jer 3:6; Am 5:25; Ho 6:6; compare Zec 14:20). While the temple is not naturally thought of as an "image," it was as truly so as any Bethel. An idol was the temple in miniature—a dwelling-place of the god. When an image became the object of worship or a means by which a false god was worshipped, it became antagonistic to the First and Second Commandments respectively.

2Ch 34:3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.

Also note that he began the purge in the 12th year. The number twelve in general is regarded as suggestive of Divine administration. He began to purge or cleanse Judah ("praised") and Jerusalem ("teaching of peace") from the high places, which were places of worship on hillsides.

The groves are representative of Ashera(h) = "groves (for idol worship)"

1) a Babylonian (Astarte)-Canaanite goddess (of fortune and happiness), the supposed consort of Baal, her images:
a) the goddess, goddesses
b) her images
c) sacred trees or poles set up near an altar

Basically it represented pictures, embodiments or dwelling-places (temple, ark, pillar, priests) of deities worshipped.

These images of fertility and reproduction were naturally connected in Canaan with the worship of the Baals or "lords" of each locality, upon whose favor as possessor of the land fertility depended. They were also naturally associated with the cult of Astarte, the female counterpart of all the Baals (see ASTARTE).

In the Old Testament the Baalim and Asherim are almost invariably classed together, although the latter were wooden posts dedicated to a particular goddess, while "Baal" was merely a title which could be given to any male Semitic deity, and sometimes even to his female associate.

The matstsebhoth were set up in a "high place" (which see), attracting reverence because of its "elevation, isolation and mystery" (Vincent). Originally these pillars were not considered as idols, but were naturally erected to Yahweh (Ge 28:18; 31:45; 35:14; Ex 24:4), and even Isaiah (19:19) and Hosea (3:4) approve them, though pillars dedicated to idols must of course be destroyed (Ex 23:24; 34:13; Jer 43:13; Eze 26:11).

Only in late times or by very far-sighted law-givers were the matstsebhoth erected to Yahweh condemned; but after the centralization of the Yahweh-worship in Jerusalem, these pillars were condemned, even when set up in the name of Yahweh, and the older places of worship with their indiscriminate rituals and necessary heathen affiliations were also wisely discarded (Le 26:1; De 16:22; see also GOLDEN CALF Jer 7:18; 44:17,19; but see).

(2) ‘Asherah ("grove"): Perhaps a goddess (see ASHERAH), but as ordinarily used in the Old Testament, a sacred tree or stump of a tree planted in the earth (De 16:21) or a pole made of wood and set up near the altar (Jud 6:26; 1Ki 16:33; Isa 17:8).

It has been supposed that these were primarily symbols of a goddess Asherah or Ashtoreth (Kuenen, Baethgen), and they were certainly in primitive thought connected with the tree cult and the sacred groves so universally honored by the Semites (see especially W.R. Smith, Religion of the Semites, 169, 437; Stade, Geschichte, 160 ff; Fraser, Golden Bough, II, 56-117; John O’Neill, Night of the Gods, II, 57); but the tree of life is closely connected in texts and pictures with the human organ of generation, and there can be no doubt that there is a phallic meaning connected with this sacred stake or pole, as with the matstsebhoth described above. See references in HDB under "Asherah," and compare Transactions of the Victoria Institute, XXXIX, 234; Winckler, Keilinschriftliches Textbuch zum AT. As these wooden posts from earliest times represented the ideas of fertility and were connected with the mystery of life, they naturally became the signs and symbols in many lands of the local gods and goddesses of fertility.

Astarte was by far the most popular deity of ancient Palestine. See ASHTORETH. The figures of Astarte from the 12th to the 9th century BC, as found at Gezer, have large hips, disclosing an exaggerated idea of fecundity. In close connection with the Astarte sanctuaries in Palestine were found numberless bodies of little children, none over a week old, undoubtedly representing the sacrifice of the firstborn by these Canaanites (R.A.S. Macalister, Excavation of Gezer, 3 vols). These Asherim were erected at the most sacred Hebrew sanctuaries, at Samaria (2Ki 13:6), Bethel (2Ki 23:15), and even in the Temple of Jerusalem (2Ki 23:6).

The crowning act of King Josiah’s reformation was to break down these images (2Ki 23:14). As the astrological symbol of Baal was the sun, Astarte is often thought of as the moon-goddess, but her symbol was really Venus. She was, however, sometimes called "Queen of Heaven" (Jer 7:18; 44:17,19; but see Zeitschrift fur alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, VI, 123-30).  Further info on Asherah can also be found in this study I did previously, which starts at that link and continues with info on Asherah in 7 parts.

I came across this section of Chronicles, chapters 34-35 about King Josiah a few days ago, and it caught my attention. So I'm doing a short study on it.

2Ch 34:1  Josiah [was] eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years.

Josiah = "whom Jehovah heals"

He was the son of Amon by Jedidah who succeeded his father to the throne of Judah and reigned for 31 years; his reign is noteworthy for the great revivals back to the worship of Jehovah which he led.

Amon: builder
He was assassinated (2Ki 21:18-26: 2 Chr. 33:20-25) by his own servants, who conspired against him.

Jedidah: well beloved; amiable

2Ki 22:1  Josiah [was] eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name [was] Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.

His mother was the daughter of Adaiah = "Jehovah has adorned Himself"
of Bozkath or Boscath = "rocky height"

I thought King Tut was alleged to be the youngest king ever at nine years old, but this one was eight.

2Ch 34:2  And he did [that which was] right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined [neither] to the right hand, nor to the left.

It's amazing..."And a little child shall lead them..." It always blows me away to see a young child that is so on track with God. I'm not talking about the ones who do the hype and put on the charismatic show. I'm talking about the ones who it is truly real for, those that study the word and know it.

Ecc 12:1  Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

My younger brother was very much like that when he was young. We thought for sure he was going to become a pastor, because he took his bible everywhere, and although he didn't preach it, he read it constantly with no encouragement from my parents. He was just into it. I think he was about 8 or 9 at the time.

Note that he bypassed his father Amon, who apparently was a builder of a lot of mess...things not worth investing in. Instead he followed and walked in the ways of David, and so he found favor in God's sight. At that age, he discerned the differences between what David did and what Amon did, and he chose David.

2Ch 34:3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.

My bible study group recently finished a study on the stress of change. In the course of this study, I was called a pessimist for reasons I'm not clear on. Personally, I think it was because I disagreed with certain things being expressed. Why does my disagreeing make me a pessimist?

So naturally, I had to look this word up just to make sure I fully understood the meaning. This is what I found:

"A person who habitually sees or anticipates the worst or is disposed to be gloomy."

I'm gloomy? I anticipate the worst?!? Really? I find that hard to believe, but correct me if I'm wrong, please.

What was I disagreeing about? The spirit of control in the church, particularly regarding women, which I already discussed here. But we only briefly touched on that subject, and I said that this was something I disagreed with at my own church. It all comes back to one issue, but I'll get to that in a sec.

Then, when we started the study, the first point of reference was Abraham; specifically, chapter 12 of Genesis. Well, I've studied that chapter in depth for several years, and know it pretty well. Not that I'm the end all, or total source of knowledge on the subject, but I am pretty familiar with that particular chapter, which I discussed here.

So the question was asked, "How would you respond if God told you to leave your country?" My answer was, When do we leave? But of course, my mind was on living in a place I'd prefer to live in. I wasn't thinking outside of that.

The person who later said I was a pessimist (a male btw) was in complete disagreement about leaving the country, and said his response would be more resistance towards the idea of leaving.

Later, the other question, which was supposed to get us thinking of a God given opportunity, was worded like this:

"Your company has told you that they have an incredible new opportunity for you in another city. They won't tell you where it is, and you must put your house up for sale and load up the moving van before you receive an envelope with directions to your new home. How would you respond to their offer?"

I immediately said, "No way." Then my accuser said incredulously, "You wouldn't jump at that opportunity?!?"

I said, "No, I wouldn't, because the company is not God."

Well, it became somewhat of a debate (not an argument, mind you) yet, I was told I'm just a pessimist, because I didn't agree, even when the alleged purpose of the question was explained, and even after being told, "Let's just go with what the question asks."

I replied, "According to the question, I'd be trusting in man, with no information to go on. I'd be uprooting my entire life based on a promise from man. At the very least, I'd have to pray about it and get confirmation from God that this is in His plans for me, otherwise, I would not go!"

I know of several people who jumped up and uprooted their lives for a "golden opportunity" promised by their company, only to get there and find out that the situation changed while they were in route, and the wonderful opportunity no longer existed. All that glitters isn't necessarily gold.

I had made this point already in the discussion, prior to the above statement, and this was the point in which I was called a pessimist. But I don't think I'm a pessimist for this. I think I'm cautious.

I'm not quick to believe everything man tells me, even those men who lead the church. I always want to check the word for proof if I don't know for a certainty that a doctrine  they promote or a statement they make is supported by scripture.

For instance; in the notes of this study, it said the following:

"The Lord calls Abram to take a step of incredible faith, and through the obedience of one man, God unfolds His marvelous redemption of all mankind."

What's my problem with this statement? My problem is, its not a true statement. This statement is one of those typical church pushed ideologies that is self serving for the purpose of control. How?

Its in this: "...and through the obedience of one man..."

Problem is, Abram was not obedient. Check out my study if you want to know what I'm talking about. He was not obedient. But the idea of obedience is pushed so hard in the churches to control people, because the concept of faith and grace is not fully grasped nor taught.

There is no need to push obedience when faith and grace will naturally be a catalyst to obedience. We aren't obedient when we falter in faith and because of that we fail to walk in grace which would birth obedience.

Believe me, I'm as guilty of this as the next man, but the truth is the truth. Why do you think I know this chapter in Genesis so very well? Because I was Abram.

I walked in the same sort of foolish path. I missed God in very similar ways for a long time, and He kept bringing me back to Abram until I got it, and even still; every once in a while, I have a setback in this area, and God has to gently remind me.

In the course of this study with the group, I actually discovered a verse that I didn't find at the point my study on Abram, but which relates. Its Acts 7:2, which only confirmed the fact that God "had" told Abram to leave (past tense), which means he was not obedient immediately, and if you check that chapter and/or my study, you'll see that God did not tell Abram to take the family. So he was not obedient.

Note that Abram's name didn't change right away. It changed after he finally lined himself up with God's will, after he finally became obedient, but that didn't happen until much later. He wasn't known as the "father of obedience," but as the "father of faith." His name changed because his faith changed and he was obedient as a result of that change.

It was not his obedience that gave him that title. God did not "unfold His marvelous redemption of all mankind" because of Abram's obedience, because clearly, he wasn't obedient, and it took a while for him to line up.

Paul states that it is not of ourselves that we can do anything. He talks in Romans about the war with the flesh. To be obedient at our own will, or to gradually be obedient is not obedience to God's will. Obedience to God's will requires faith, not flesh.

We can't accomplish anything, even obedience within the auspices of the flesh, so obedience could not and would not be the reason. Only faith is.

"Ok. So which did you choose?" My mind was on the straight and narrow path, but that's not what my son's mind was on.

"I took the really crooked path, because that's where the light was."

Well you know I smiled then, right? I smiled because God had given me my answer. Remember when I was busy confessing my fault, and I said God always starts pulling rabbits out of hats whenever I do that?

I said that my faith in God concerning myself was strong. I know that I know that God's got my back, but I wasn't sure if he had my son's back the same way, because I don't know where my son's faith is.

God just answered me. He brought that dream back to my son's memory, and showed him the next part of it. He gave him an opportunity to choose his path, and my son chose the one with the Light!

He let me know that my son will be alright, because despite the fact that he will have a rough road, he is moving towards the light; he wants to be in the light.

This is fabulous news, because my son is struggling emotionally, and it's been a while since I've heard anything like that from him. Everything has been so negative, so this was great news.

I relayed this info to my bestest sista gurl at church, and she told me that the part about the 3 paths is in scripture. I'd love to know where that is.

But nevertheless, my heart has been relieved. God has already been working things out. I was blessed by a sister in a Hobby Superstore, who I got to talking to.

She informed me about a school for children with disabilities another part of the county. I went there today, but that school was for kids with severe physical and cognitive disabilities. My son is not having that sort of issue.

However, they referred me to another school for kids struggling emotionally and/or behaviorally. I went there and found out that there are 3 such schools in my county, and one of them is closer to where I live.

I also found out that his current school would have to refer him, so I called his current school counselor, who seems very willing to help, and gave her the information. She is now going to send a packet for me to fill out to initiate the paperwork for this process. Praise God.

My son is eager to leave that school and go to another one. He is miserable there, and completely shuts down, refusing to cooperate with teachers and do his work. Hopefully, we can get this process completed so he can start next year at a school that will really help him.

My understanding is that these 3 schools I was referred to, are very good schools, and have only 12 students per class, with two teachers. This will be better for my son, who has focus problems and needs more individualized attention.

So while my pastor spoke on the reasons for fear; sin, situation, and season; he was only confirming that God was working everything out for his purpose.

If a lack of faith is considered to be a sin, then I am guilty. Once I admitted that was the problem, He allowed me to continue in the situation, but it was just a seasonal thing with the purpose of growing me more, and drawing me closer to Him.

At this point was where my son stopped at the first time he related this dream to me some 3-4 years ago. He has the same dream gift I have, but he is unable at this point to see and interpret them...yet.

He and I discussed this dream again just two days ago. I remembered the dream vividly, because I had interpreted it for him at the time. I thought that was all there was to it, but apparently, that was not all.

Much like God does with me, he delivers answers to my son in slices...slivers. He reveals things in bits and pieces, even bringing a dream or vision back to mind again; repeating it for the purpose of reminding us of something He showed us is coming, or will happen; or to show us some new thing that He hadn't revealed before...a new sliver.

I explained to my son the first time he told me about this dream and a few others, that God was sending him messages, and that he was blessed that  God was communicating with him in this manner; this clearly.

"This dream  is about letting your yay be yay, and your nay be nay. When you first walked into the park you saw 3 frogs on 3 lily pads. That tells me that this was a situation that God allowed. God was present at the beginning of this situation. The number 3 tells me that. Not only was He present in the beginning, but in the middle and at the end as well.
When you were on the hill, the 3 balls passed you, and the girl told you to get them. You agreed to get the first two, but said you would not get the other because it went past you and was too far away, down the hill.
Yet you went to look. That's called 'lust of the eyes.' When you went to look, you placed yourself in a position to get into trouble, because after saying no, you basically went to look, and tempt yourself. This is why you found yourself surrounded suddenly by darkness.
When you called out to me, you saw a light and you followed it, up out of the darkness."

Well, that was where my explanation had ended, but this time he said, "Yeah mom, but when I walked out of the darkness, there were 3 paths in front of me."

"Wait a minute. You never told me about this part. I remember that dream clearly. I couldn't forget it. You never mentioned it."

"No, mom, the 3 paths were there, and I had to choose. One path was straight. One path was a little crooked or wavy, and the other was really crooked and a real hard road. I thought about going on the straight path, and I also thought about the slightly wavy path, because they didn't look so difficult."