O Come O Come Emmanuel

I have ignored this blog far too long.  Sometimes we have to go through a spiritual dry spell in order to recognize what we are missing.  I have been on a journey back into a deeper relationship with the Lord for the past few months and now feel like perhaps I once more have something worth writing about.

For some time, I have been thinking about the hymns and how accurately they project the Christian life we should be experiencing, so I have decided that next year I will blog daily on a specific hymn.  I'm hoping that it will not be like most New Years resolutions and trickle down until the inspiration stops completely.

In the meantime, since it is the Christmas season, I am going to start by looking at Christmas carols.

The first one that comes to mind is O Come, O come, Emmanuel.  It has such a mournful tune and words and speaks volume to the situation we find ourselves in today.  The tune we are most familiar with is from 15th century France while the words are thought to have first appeared in the 18th century.  There are many different versions of the text, but all of them speak to the travails of the mortal life and the promise of the Messiah, both his birth as man on earth and his long-awaited coming as our future King.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

We are mourning, even in this season of celebration.  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 

All of creation, especially those that are heir to the promise are longing for His coming.  O come, O come, Emmanuel!

Gen. 1-7 Walking With God

After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. 24 Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. Gen. 5:22

This is how I want to begin the New Year....walking with God!  Not worrying about the weather, not wondering about the future, not caught up in all the controversy or activities that surround us, but walking with God. Spending time with him in solitude.  Spending time with him in the midst of all that is going on around me.  I want to be like Enoch, walking faithfully with God until I am no more.  Can I do it?  Can I be faithful?  I don't know, but perhaps my desire to know God will overwhelm my desire for all earthly things if I just put one foot in front of the other and walk.

Luke 21: It's About Time

And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.
And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,
As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.
And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
In your patience possess ye your souls.
And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. - Luke 21: 1-28 KJV

We're living in a time when the hearts of even the strongest of men grow faint.  Catastrophic events are occurring all around us and there is no man or no solution to any ot the chaos.  We do know, that someone is going to come along to fill the great leadership void with promises of personal and financial security.  We know that many will welcome him as the new messiah and savior.  We know that those of us who do not accept his offering will be rejected.  There are perilous times ahead, we all feel it, we all know it.  What are we supposed to do?  There is only one answer:  Lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Psalms 73: A Time of Repentance

But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.  For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.  For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.
Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.  Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.  They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.  They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth. Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.  And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?  Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.

Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.  For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.   If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children.  When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;

Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.  Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.  How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.  As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image. 

Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins.   So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee -Psalms 73:2-22 KJV

Most of us know exactly how the Psalmist felt.  We look around and wickedness seems to increase, the darkness seems to be overtaking the light, it feels like we are suddenly on the losing side.  But, that is not the truth of the situation.  God is still in charge, just as he always has been.  The world may mock God, they may try to destroy what is his, but they cannot touch Him.  He is still the creator of the universe and he still holds the world in his hands.  We are the ones at fault.  We are the ones that have taken our eyes off of our God.  We are the ones who have become judge and jury. We are the ones who have forgotten to be salt and light. We are the ones who have lost compassion.  We are the ones who have forgotten the fate that awaits those who don't trust in God.  Like the Psalmist, our hearts should be grieving for the world that is lost.  Our conscience should be pricked, we should be crying out for forgiveness and offering compassion.  We should be drawing near to the source and pleading for a world that is lost and dying.  It is a time of repentance.

Psalms 3: The Lifter of My Head

Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.  
Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.  
But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.   I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.   I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.  
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.  
Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.  
Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah. - Ps 3:1-8 NIV

This may well be the cry of God's people today.  I know it is my cry many times.  'Many are they that rise up against me!'  It's not just those who openly oppose the gospel and all it stands for.  Many of us could fight that off if that were the only case.  But, it's the internal warring that gets me down.  It's all of the ways that I have compromised.  It's all of the ways I have been trapped in idolizing what the world idolizes: my independence, my security, my prosperity.

I am so afraid sometimes, that I am being overcome by the world, of succumbing to its lure, of being caught in the lies until there is no way back to the Father.  But, David says, we are not to have those fears.  That God hears us, that he sustains us, that he smites our enemies, that he saves. He is not just interested in saving us, but he plants our feet on solid ground, he says to us, you don't need to fear that your actions are inadequate.  He reaches out and lifts our downcast face up.  He tells us we are his children.  We have nothing to fear and nothing to be ashamed of.  It's not my pride, but his glory that is the lifter of my head.

Job 20-31: The Words of Job Are Ended

(“Oh, that I had someone to hear me! I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser put his indictment in writing.
Surely I would wear it on my shoulder, I would put it on like a crown.
I would give him an account of my every step; like a prince I would approach him.)—
“if my land cries out against me and all its furrows are wet with tears,
if I have devoured its yield without payment or broken the spirit of its tenants,
then let briers come up instead of wheat and weeds instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended. -Job 31:35-40 NIV

Sooner or later, we all tire of defending ourselves, of defending our position, our righteousness.

You see, we have none.  We have no defense and just like Job, we have no accuser except for our own heart.  We may all cry out, 'it is not my fault', and it is only a partial truth.  It is not solely our fault that these calamities come upon us, it goes back to Eve in the garden.  That is the point at which we lost our relationship with God.  But, God did not abandon Adam and Eve.  He did not abandon Job and he has not abandoned us.  Like Job, we still bear some responsibility.  All we like sheep have gone astray.  Even Job.

God did not say that Job was perfect, only that he was blameless and upright.
Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” (Job 1:8 NIV).

Eventually we all come to the end, even those who are upright: the end of ourselves and our words.  We have no more defense, nothing more to prove.  The words are ended.

Job 1-19: I Will See Him

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! -Job 19:25-27

Poor Job.  Not only has he lost his family and his health, but his so-called friends are no help or comfort to him as well.  In spite of all of his protests, they assert that Job must have done something wrong and is now suffering the consequences that he deserves.  Job, meanwhile is convinced that he is blameless and if he could only reason it out with God, everything would be all right.

We may not have such unreliable friends, but how many times is our response the same.  Woe is me!  Why is God not hearing me?  What have I done wrong.  In the end, the only consolation is as Job expressed it.  I know that my Redeemer lives and one day I shall see him face to face.  What marvelous words!  I will see Him face to face.  I will see Him and all the confusion, problems and suffering of this finite world will no longer matter.  I will see  Him!

On a side note...I have not abandoned my daily bible reading, but I find that a lot of my devotions are taking on a more personal note or are not necessarily applicable to the scripture I am reading on any given day.  I'm not sure I want to share all of them, so my postings may be more erratic than I intended initially when I started this year.

Esther: A Prayer Covering

“Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” -Esther 4:16 NIV

Much has been written about Esther's words "If I perish, I perish", but little mention is made of her request prior to those words.  Esther knew that going into the king was not something to be taken lightly.  She knew that she was powerless against the whims of the king, that if he was not pleased with her appearance, she could be facing death.  She knew that there was only one thing that would keep her safe and it was not her beauty or pleasing personality.  The only thing that would keep her safe was God's covering, being surrounded by the presence of God.  She knew that if she was surrounded by his angels, she could face anything, even death.  It was the prayers and fasting of all of the Jews that changed the outcome.  It was their devotion that caused the king to wake during the middle of the night and discover that Mordecai had never been rewarded for saving the king's life.  It was their prayers and supplication that caused the king to lift his scepter to Esther.  It was their covering that changed the outcome of extinction that they were facing.  The covering of prayer saved a nation.

Nehemiah 8-13: Return

For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you handed them over to the neighboring peoples. But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God. -Neh. 9:30-31 NIV

Living in this day and age, we know what it is like to be handed over to the neighboring people's.  Our society has become u recognizable.  We have adopted all of the gods of the neighboring tribes.  Our sons and daughters have abandoned the truth and even those of faith have become cold.

Yet we have hope.  God is still the God of great mercy.  He has not abandoned us.  He is waiting for us to return, to turn our hearts toward him.  His heart cries out to us.  He cries our to us as a father waiting for his lost child to return.  Return, that is all he asks of us, return.

2 Chronicles 23-30: Everyone Who Sets His Heart on Seeking God

Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the LORD,: who is good, pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God—the LORD, the God of his fathers—even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.” And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people. - 2 Chronicles 30:18-20 NIV

We often think that we have to live by all of the rules in order to incur God's favor.  This was not true for the Israelites during Hezekiah's time, when the people had become so estranged from their God that they no longer even knew what the rules were.  When Hezekiah came to power, he realized how far the people had departed from the right relationship with God.  Even when he, the king, sent messengers around to call the people back to the Lord, his entreaties were met with refusal.  Only a few chose to answer the call, and they were so far removed from the law, that they didn't even know that they needed to purify themselves in order to approach the sanctuary of God.  But, as always, it is our hearts, not our actions that God is interested in.  Hezekiah realized that it was a sinful people trying the best they knew to approach God and he asked God to forgive them, which he did...which he has always done.  Even today, even if our prayers and devotion are not what they should be, we can approach God.  God does pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God.

2 Chronicles 13-22: No Partiality

He told them, “Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for man but for the LORD, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. Now let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.” - 2 Chron. 19:6-7 NIV

How different would our decisions be, how different would our judging of others be if we realized that we are judging for God, that we are to be judging with God's heart as well as his eyes.  How often do we let our prejudices influence those that we judge.  We judge based on the color of a person's skin.  We judge based on their educational level.  We judge based on the church that they attend.  We even judge on their appearance down to the clothes that they wear.  In contrast, there is no partiality with God.  He sees all men through the eyes of love.   Nothing we do, can bribe God to see his creation differently.  He sees us with all of our faults, but he also sees the opportunity that exists for all of his creation to be reconciled to him.  While we see the screw ups, he sees the possibilities.  Oh, that God would allow us to see through his eyes for just a minute.  It would completely change how we view all others.  It would completely change how we mete out justice.  There would be no partiality.

2 Chronicles 13-16: How Does One Stop Trusting God?

For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.” 2 Chron. 16:9 NIV

Asa should be a lesson for us all.  He started out with a heart after God and his commands.  He destroyed the foreign gods, he stopped the influence of his  grandmother, Maacah and trusted God for deliverance. Judah was at peace and prospered.

Somewhere along the line, Asa decided that the God of his fathers, the God who had always been able, was not strong enough.  At least, not strong enough to deliver Judah from their fellow brethren, the  Israelites under King Baasha.  Rather than enlisting help from God, Asa took the gold and silver from the temple and gave it to Ben-Hadad to entice him to break his treaty with Baasha.  Everything went downhill from there.  He started oppressing the people he was supposed to protect and with a hardened and calloused heart refused to ask God for help, even when his feet became diseased.  How does one who started following God and enjoyed the blessing of God's faithfulness make such a dramatic turnaround?  How does one stop trusting God?

2 Chronicles 7-12: Worshipping God's Glory

When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled it. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “He is good; his love endures forever.” - 2 Chron. 7:1-3 NIV

Israel, following the reign of David, abandoned the Lord and ignored the covenant made with him.  However, it did not start out that way.  Solomon finished the temple as his father David had planned.  No expense was spared and there was a great celebration to dedicate it when the temple was completed.  For once, the Israelites were united in their worship and thanksgiving....not because of anything that God had done, but merely because he showed up.  The glory of the Lord filled the temple and all they could do was say "He is good; his love endures forever."

We have a tendency to worship God, to give him thanks, when he has done something marvelous,  I believe what really warms the heart of God is when we worship him for what he is;  when we worship him for his universal power, not just that which is manifest in our lives.  Our greatest worship is worshipping his glory.

2 Chronicles 1-6: Our Sin Matters to God

“When famine or plague comes to the land, or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers, or when enemies besiege them in any of their cities, whatever disaster or disease may come, and when a prayer or plea is made by any of your people Israel—each one aware of his afflictions and pains, and spreading out his hands toward this temple— then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive, and deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of men), - 2 Chron. 6:28-30 NIV

It's awfully easy to blame the conditions of our world on others.  After all, they are the ones committing the gross sins that have allowed the enemy to take up residence in our society.  It is more difficult for us to accept responsibility on our part.  Our sins may not be as flagrant, but God never said that there is a gradation of sin.  Sin is sin.  It's all the same and false testimony, or  stretching the truth, is no different from murder.  While it may not seem a big deal to us, it is to God.  He sees and knows our hearts.  He knows our failures, and while our sins may be forgiven by the shedding of Christ's blood, they are still known to God.  Our response must be to plead for forgiveness.  It is only when each and every one of us confesses our part in the sin of the land that the land can be restored.
Our sin does matter to God.

1 Chronicles 23-29: An Inheritance Forever

“So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands of the LORD your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever. - 1 Chron. 28:8 NIV

The formula for prosperity is not that difficult to understand, but it is extremely difficult to adhere to....follow all the commands of the Lord your God.  That's it...follow God's commands.  There were only Ten Commandments.  A lot of intrepretations were added to make it more specific, but there were only ten.   Later, Jesus narrowed those Ten Commandments down to only two - love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself.  How difficult can that be?  From my standpoint, it's not difficult, it's impossible!

I may think I am loving my neighbor, but all of my selfish wants and desires get in the way.  I love when it is convenient, but selflessly, never.  As for loving God with all of my heart, I wish I could say that I do, but, I'm afraid that most of the time I treat him like a gumball machine.  I put a little in and expect a good response in return.  I know he demands more of me than that.  If it were not for the cross, for God's own Son giving me access to His family, I would have no inheritance, earthly or heavenly whatsoever.  Only because of God's mercy, I have an inheritance forever.

1 Chronicles 18-21: Strength in Numbers

Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.”
But Joab replied, “May the LORD multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?” - 1 Chron. 19:1-3 NIV

When will we ever learn that God's might cannot be measured in earthly terms.  Over and over in the Old Testament, and even in the New, circumstances illustrate that numbers have nothing to do with anything.  One small stone was all it took to kill the giant, Gideon's army of 300 was all it took to defeat the Midianites, five loaves and two fishes was enough to feed five thousand.  Yet, like David, we're always trying to measure our strength.  If Christian candidates won every election would it prove anything?  Would that mean that we have turned back to God?  Hardly!  It would mean we are counting on our strength and power more than on God.  The results would be as disastrous as they were for David.  Anytime we think our strength is in numbers, we are being misled.

1 Chronicles 14-17: Who Am I?

Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: “Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, O God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men, O LORD God. -1 Chron. 17:16-17 NIV

If David, the greatest king in the history of Israel, a man after God's own heart, would ask these questions, what should our response be to the blessings of God in our lives?  First, we have to acknowledge that it is God himself that has brought us thus far.  It is God that has blessed us with our current circumstances whatever that might be.  Some might say, "Well, our situation is not that great right now".  Well, neither was David's.  He was pursued for years by a maniacal Saul who wanted to see him dead.  His own wife despised him.  His children would turn against him.  And on and on...just like our own lives.  Our lives do not have to be perfect to be blessed.

Which brings us to our second response, we have to realize that God looks on all of us, each and every one, as though we are the most exalted of men.  Can you wrap your mind around that?  God considers us right up there with the saints and angels.  We are that precious in his sight.  Just as with David, none of this is of our own doing.  It is only because of God's love for his creation that he made a way for us.

Who am I that God has brought me thus far?

1 Chronicles 10-13: Taking the Things of God Seriously

They moved the ark of God from Abinadab’s house on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it. David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, cymbals and trumpets.
When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. The LORD’s anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.- 1 Chronicles 13:7-10  NIV

Even David, who was a man after God's own heart had to learn the lesson about that which belongs to God; the things of God are not to be taken or treated lightly.  God is real, his power is strong.  His power is greater than anything we can imagine.  The Bible is littered with stories of those who did not take God at his word or who did not give him the honor that was due.

Korath and his followers rebelled against Moses and they and all their families were swallowed up by the earth.  Eli sons treated the Lord's sacrifice with contempt and lost their lives as a result. Ananias and Sapphira, lied about proceeds from the sale of their land, and were slain on the spot.  God's possessions, whether they be human or material are not to be messed with.  He is that holy and therefore the things of God are holy as well.

1 Chronicles 1-9: God is Faithful

As I read the chronicler's list of the generations of each tribe of Israel, that old hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness comes to mind.

“Great is Thy faithfulness,” O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Through the ages, through all of the years of the lives listed in 1 Chronicles, God was there.  God was present in the lives of his people whether they realized it or not.  He was leading them, protecting them, delivering them.  God could not change his mind about his chosen people.  They were and have been forever his.  Even in the darkest times, even during the holocaust, even when Christians were burned at the stake or slaughtered by ISIS, God is there.  His compassion has not changed.  Just because we cannot see from an eternal perspective does not mean God is not there.  Even in the direst circumstances, God is faithful.

2 Kings 21-25: Great is the Lord's Anger

“Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD ’s anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.” - 2 Kings 22:13 NIV

When did the people of Judah start ignoring the words of the Lord?  Was it when they looked around and saw the prosperity of the other nations who followed other gods?  Was it when Manasseh, the evil son of Hezekiah became king.  Was it when Manasseh built all of the shrines to other gods?  Did they become fearful when they saw children being sacrificed to Molech and decided that it would be best to keep their mouth shut?  Did they observe all of the people visiting the male prostitutes at the temple and decide that God just didn't care what they did?  Or, did they just get lazy? Did it become too difficult to go to the temple on a regular basis?  Was it because all of their friends stopped going to make sacrifice and seemed to prosper anyway.

It really doesn't matter why they stopped paying attention to God's requirements.  The bottom line was their safety net was removed, their covenant with the God of their fathers was broken.  Josiah accurately saw that the consequence of their actions was dreadful.  The Lord wasn't just dismissive of their insult, he was angry.  As the writer of Hebrews states, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Heb. 10:31 KJV  

The citizens and rulers of Judah would pay for their disobedience.  Everything they owned would be confiscated.  All but the very poorest would be driven into exile.  Their adopted gods would not protect them from the Lord's anger.