2 Chronicles 23

What an amazing chapter! All it took was one man. One man who would stand up and say “enough”. One man who would do the will of God, and not the will of man. That man was Jehoiada the priest. Under his leadership, we see a COMPLETE AND TOTAL CHANGE in the spiritual climate of Judah. Instantly we go from very dark days to the dawning of a bright and glorious horizon. He was not a king, he was not even a politician… he was a PRIEST.

Now, what was a priest, and what were his duties? A priest, in the most basic sense was a MEDIATOR between GOD and MAN. He was to represent the heart of God to mankind, and represent the people before God… he was a means through which RELATIONSHIP with GOD could be a reality. The priest duties were to offer sacrifices to God on behalf of the people, and speak to the people on behalf of God. The priests were the SPIRITUAL LEADERS of the nation.

With this in mind, read the chapter again and see how PRACTICAL Jehoiada was as he led the people out of spiritual darkness, back into the light of relationship with God. He knows who the enemies are, he anticipates the attacks, he is prepared with a proper defense, and he is committed to seeing the endeavor through to completion. What a model he is for us!

We look at this with spiritual eyes, and we see that all believers are a part of the “priesthood”. We can all be like Jehoiada in our own way. We need to know who the enemy is (the world, the flesh, and the devil) and know who it is we are trying to save (the lost!). We need to anticipate the attacks of the enemy, and be prepared for them… and we need to be willing to see the work through to its completion.

Today, ask the Lord how you can be HIS PRIEST. Ask Him what it is that He would have you to do as you seek to lead others out of the darkness and back into the light of relationship with God.