2 Chronicles 34:1-33 - True Worship is Based on God’s Word

2 Chronicles 34:1-33

Josiah Reigns in Judah (2 Kings 22:1, 2)

1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images. 4 They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars which were above them he cut down; and the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images he broke in pieces, and made dust of them and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. 6 And so he did in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali and all around, with axes. 7 When he had broken down the altars and the wooden images, had beaten the carved images into powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.

Hilkiah Finds the Book of the Law (2 Kings 22:3–20)

8 In the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God. 9 When they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites who kept the doors had gathered from the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, from all the remnant of Israel, from all Judah and Benjamin, and which they had brought back to Jerusalem. 10 Then they put it in the hand of the foremen who had the oversight of the house of the LORD; and they gave it to the workmen who worked in the house of the LORD, to repair and restore the house. 11 They gave it to the craftsmen and builders to buy hewn stone and timber for beams, and to floor the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed. 12 And the men did the work faithfully. Their overseers were Jahath and Obadiah the Levites, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to supervise. Others of the Levites, all of whom were skillful with instruments of music, 13 were over the burden bearers and were overseers of all who did work in any kind of service. And some of the Levites were scribes, officers, and gatekeepers.

14 Now when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD given by Moses. 15 Then Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. 16 So Shaphan carried the book to the king, bringing the king word, saying, “All that was committed to your servants they are doing. 17 And they have gathered the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers and the workmen.” 18 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.

19 Thus it happened, when the king heard the words of the Law, that he tore his clothes. 20 Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying, 21 “Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do according to all that is written in this book.”

22 So Hilkiah and those the king had appointed went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe. (She dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.) And they spoke to her to that effect.

23 Then she answered them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to Me, 24 “Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah, 25 because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath will be poured out on this place, and not be quenched.’“‘ 26 But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, in this manner you shall speak to him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel: “Concerning the words which you have heard— 27 because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” says the LORD. 28 “Surely I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place and its inhabitants.”’” So they brought back word to the king.

Josiah Restores True Worship (2 Kings 23:1–20)

29 Then the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 The king went up to the house of the LORD, with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem—the priests and the Levites, and all the people, great and small. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the LORD. 31 Then the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the LORD, to follow the LORD, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. 32 And he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin take a stand. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 33 Thus Josiah removed all the abominations from all the country that belonged to the children of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel diligently serve the LORD their God. All his days they did not depart from following the LORD God of their fathers.

Josiah followed in the good footsteps of his grandfather Manasseh and not in the evil acts of his father Amon.  The account given is in God’s word tells us that he walked in the ways of his father David the man after God’s own heart and did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left (Proverbs 4:27, Isaiah 30:21), walking straight and true in holiness as a pleaser of the LORD.  He destroyed all the false worship in the land he could find and restored true worship of the only living LORD God after finding the written word of God and repenting for himself and the people who had strayed from it and Him.  Hilkiah the priest had found the Book of the Law of the LORD given by Moses and passed it to Josiah, beginning the process of change due to reading God’s word and will contained in the instructions for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) that had been neglected far too long under his predecessors who had not all pursued the knowledge of the LORD or even desired to follow in true worship because they did not have and did not follow God’s word.  He reestablished true and right worship based on the guidance and commandments of the LORD as it was written to live by and honor Him after realizing they all stood under the wrath of God for their sinful state seen in their actions and ways of living.  We also see our state being born in the inherited original sin of Adam who turned from God’s word and have been rescued from the wrath of judgment (John 3:36, Romans 3:23, 5:8-9, 6:23, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, Revelation 6:17) to be restored to our right standing in true worship through the work and words of Jesus Christ.  Like Josiah, the gospel has moved we who received Christ to repentance and faith in God’s word and work to deliver us from this wrath to come and has answered our humble response with life in place of the judgment of our due death.  He read the words of the book to the people to follow the LORD with all his and their hearts and lives according to the words of God written there.  They all made a stand for following God by His word they heard as they were cut to the heart (Acts 2:37) as we were also, and they responded in restored worship as we have imitated in our own conversion’s response.  May we likewise remove all abominations from our lives and pursue ongoing conformity to Christ (Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 3:18) in sanctification of holiness as we follow Him and do not depart from devotion to our Lord all the days of our lives.  Our true worship then is based on listening to hear, understand, and follow His word that reveals His will to honor and worship Him (John 4:23, 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14, 15) in spirit and in truth, holding fast to all He says to worship truly to please Him all the days of our lives.  Do we pursue the knowledge and knowing of the Lord (Hosea 6:3, 2 Timothy 2:15) to follow in true worship based on what He tells us? 

2 Chronicles 33:1-25 - Humility and Prayer Reveal God

2 Chronicles 33:1-25

Manasseh Reigns in Judah (2 Kings 21:1–9)

1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 But he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he raised up altars for the Baals, and made wooden images; and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4 He also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem shall My name be forever.” 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 6 Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger. 7 He even set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever; 8 and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers—only if they are careful to do all that I have commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of Moses.” 9 So Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.

Manasseh Restored After Repentance

10 And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen. 11 Therefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon. 12 Now when he was in affliction, he implored the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, 13 and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.

14 After this he built a wall outside the City of David on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate; and it enclosed Ophel, and he raised it to a very great height. Then he put military captains in all the fortified cities of Judah. 15 He took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD and in Jerusalem; and he cast them out of the city. 16 He also repaired the altar of the LORD, sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel. 17 Nevertheless the people still sacrificed on the high places, but only to the LORD their God.

Death of Manasseh (2 Kings 21:17, 18)

18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel. 19 Also his prayer and how God received his entreaty, and all his sin and trespass, and the sites where he built high places and set up wooden images and carved images, before he was humbled, indeed they are written among the sayings of Hozai. 20 So Manasseh rested with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. Then his son Amon reigned in his place.

Amon’s Reign and Death (2 Kings 21:19–26)

21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. 22 But he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done; for Amon sacrificed to all the carved images which his father Manasseh had made, and served them. 23 And he did not humble himself before the LORD, as his father Manasseh had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more.

24 Then his servants conspired against him, and killed him in his own house. 25 But the people of the land executed all those who had conspired against King Amon. Then the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.

Manasseh began reigning as a child of twelve years old and undid all his father Hezekiah had done after his repentance.  This evil child king brought back idolatry and much other evil to provoke the wrath of God and even seduced the people to rush headlong after him into grievous sins like passing sons through the fire to a false god, soothsaying, witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists for answers that only can come from the LORD God, causing them to do more evil than the godless nations they had been delivered from. Because he refused to listen to God’s word and repent, the Assyrians were sent to take him into captivity (just as his sin held him captive) and brought him bound to Babylon, a byword from God now for all sin’s captivity.  He was released from captivity as we are (2 Timothy 2:26) when he humbled himself before the LORD and through prayer knew that the LORD is truly the sovereign God over all as his eyes were opened.  This is a pattern repeated by us with the words of the gospel bringing us to repentance and faith as we have nothing left in our misery of captivity to sin and the devil’s idolatry and turn for help in prayer and receive the answer to realize who (Titus 2:13, 2 Peter 1:1) the Lord is - He is God!  Manasseh’s realization of this profound life-changing truth led him to turn from his sin to Him and remove the idols from his and the people’s lives as he listened to the prophets who spoke the words of God to him, turning them all back to worship the only God, the LORD of all creation and peoples, even though some still held to their dead gods.  He died at peace with God (Romans 5:1) as we will if we know who the Lord is, but his son Amon who came after him repeated the cycle of evil even as Manasseh repeated his father’s at first, yet Manasseh repeated the repentance of his father as well, yet his son did not because he did not humble himself and turn from sin to the God revealed to him.  We have the same sobering truth that just being a in Christ never assure our children will follow us to the world, yet we continue to seek the Lord and pray they too will follow us instead to see who the really is and humble themselves to receive Jesus Christ as the Savior-Lord (John 1:12, 29, 3:17, 12:46-47, 1 John 4:14) of the world.  The humility to hear and trust who the Lord Jesus Christ is leads to prayer for deliverance from sin’s captivity (Psalm 68:18-19, Luke 4:18, 2 Timothy 2:26, Galatians 3:22) into the freedom of being able to know and worship our Maker as we ought to do, having escaped the corruption (1 Peter 1:4) of earthly desires that rule us from birth’s original sin controlling us as young king Manasseh discovered and escaped from through humbling himself to see and receive the Lord God through his prayer for deliverance.  Have you seen who He is and turned to Him?

2 Chronicles 32:24-33 - Pride, Humility, and Release from Wrath

2 Chronicles 32:24-33

Hezekiah Humbles Himself (2 Kings 20:1–11; Isaiah 38:1–8)

24 In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death, and he prayed to the LORD; and He spoke to him and gave him a sign. 25 But Hezekiah did not repay according to the favor shown him, for his heart was lifted up; therefore wrath was looming over him and over Judah and Jerusalem. 26 Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

Hezekiah’s Wealth and Honor (2 Kings 20:12–21; Isaiah 39:1–8)

27 Hezekiah had very great riches and honor. And he made himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of desirable items; 28 storehouses for the harvest of grain, wine, and oil; and stalls for all kinds of livestock, and folds for flocks. 29 Moreover he provided cities for himself, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance; for God had given him very much property. 30 This same Hezekiah also stopped the water outlet of Upper Gihon, and brought the water by tunnel to the west side of the City of David. Hezekiah prospered in all his works.

31 However, regarding the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they sent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land, God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.

Death of Hezekiah

32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his goodness, indeed they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 33 So Hezekiah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the upper tombs of the sons of David; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death. Then Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

Hezekiah had done great things as he followed the LORD until pride of his accomplishments overtook him.  But he was convicted of his sin and repented, humbling himself in the sight of the LORD and the people humbled themselves by his example so that he and they were released from God’s wrath on their sinful pride.  This is the pattern for our salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ; we are born in the pride of sin to know better then Him until we are convicted and repent, turning away from our sins which we all are born with (Romans 3:23) and continue to commit unless we turn to trust in Him and His righteousness alone to find deliverance (Romans 6:23) from the wrath due to us all.  Like king Hezekiah, we pray and change our direction to receive (John 1:12) Christ as we believe His work like Hezekiah believed the work he did was God’s work and battle and not his own.  Only then can we prosper in what we do for him in this life as the king discovered when he humbled himself before His Deliverer.  Then will we be honored in death as in life with heavenly rewards (1 Corinthians 3:8, 14, 2 Timothy 4:8, Hebrews 11:6), recognizing our faith in all we say and do as we have trusted in the Lord’s work of His substitutionary sacrifice to deliver us (2 Corinthians 1:9-10) from so great a death as we learn from God (John 6:45, Hebrews 5:14, 1 John 2:27) to humble ourselves and follow Him.  May also learn from Hezekiah so that we do not brag in what we have either as he did to the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, that our rewards may not be forfeited in recurring pride, even though (1 Corinthians 3:14-15) our souls remain in Christ because His work in and for us to enter His kingdom cannot be forfeited or taken (John 6:37, 10:28-29, Ephesians 1:13, 14) away.  This then is the eternal pattern of the pride we are born with, the humility that the gospel’s conviction brings, and the resulting release from God’s eternal wrath on sin which we are all born in as inherited (Romans 5:12-13, 14, 15, 18-19) from the first Adam and delivered from by the second Adam, Jesus Christ, our eternally effectual Savior. 

2 Chronicles 32:1-23 - Boasted and Bested

2 Chronicles 32:1-23

Sennacherib Boasts Against the LORD (2 Kings 18:13—19:34; Isaiah 36:1–22)

1 After these deeds of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judah; he encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them over to himself. 2 And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and that his purpose was to make war against Jerusalem, 3 he consulted with his leaders and commanders to stop the water from the springs which were outside the city; and they helped him. 4 Thus many people gathered together who stopped all the springs and the brook that ran through the land, saying, “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?” 5 And he strengthened himself, built up all the wall that was broken, raised it up to the towers, and built another wall outside; also he repaired the Millo in the City of David, and made weapons and shields in abundance. 6 Then he set military captains over the people, gathered them together to him in the open square of the city gate, and gave them encouragement, saying, 7 “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. 8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

9 After this Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem (but he and all the forces with him laid siege against Lachish), to Hezekiah king of Judah, and to all Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, 10 “Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria: ‘In what do you trust, that you remain under siege in Jerusalem? 11 Does not Hezekiah persuade you to give yourselves over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, “The LORD our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria”? 12 Has not the same Hezekiah taken away His high places and His altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, “You shall worship before one altar and burn incense on it”? 13 Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands in any way able to deliver their lands out of my hand? 14 Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed that could deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand? 15 Now therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or persuade you like this, and do not believe him; for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand?’”

16 Furthermore, his servants spoke against the LORD God and against His servant Hezekiah.

17 He also wrote letters to revile the LORD God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, “As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand.” 18 Then they called out with a loud voice in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and trouble them, that they might take the city. 19 And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth—the work of men’s hands.

Sennacherib’s Defeat and Death (2 Kings 19:35–37)

20 Now because of this King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, prayed and cried out to heaven. 21 Then the LORD sent an angel who cut down every mighty man of valor, leader, and captain in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned shamefaced to his own land. And when he had gone into the temple of his god, some of his own offspring struck him down with the sword there.

22 Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side. 23 And many brought gifts to the LORD at Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations thereafter.

When Sennacherib the king of Assyria came against Jerusalem to take it, Hezekiah consulted the leaders and they agreed to deprive the boastful invaders of drinking water by clogging up the wells around the city.  He built a second wall, a rampart mound, and towers for defense in preparation for the assault as well.  He to;d the people, “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed…with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles.”  He answered the boasting of Assyria with the promised besting by the LORD to finish the battle and humiliate those who would attack God’s chosen people.  Sennacherib sent messages to the surrounded city with boasting against the LORD whom they trusted in and bragged how the other nations he conquered were not helped by their gods, as if to equate the LORD God with lifeless and powerless idols of wood and stone!  Such blasphemous threats of Assyrian pride to proclaim that the God of Hezekiah was unable to deliver them from his hands was the last straw of boasting.  God moved the prophet Isaiah to pray with Hezekiah towards heaven from where they knew their strength comes (Psalm 121:1-2) and the answer rode down from above as an angel who cut down the attacking enemy’s army at the gates, stopping the mouths and weapons of the leaders there and stopping the assault of blasphemy and impending war.  Sennacherib was put to shame (Psalm 44:7-8) by this overwhelming defeat of his boasting pride and met with his own defeat after returning home by his own children.  This is how the LORD God saved His people from the enemy and guided them to continue to follow Him as He protected them from the nations surrounding Jerusalem who even brought tribute out of fear of their own defeat before the God who protects His own.  They saw how Sennacherib boasted and was bested by the LORD and feared Him.  For we who are His chosen people in Christ now, we understand that the battles belong to the Lord and not us, yet we are faithful to take the steps of making a good defense (1 Peter 3:15) no matter the assault on the gospel, for in the end when judgment falls on all we know we will remain standing (1 Corinthians 16:13, Philippians 4:1, 1 Peter 5:9) in His eternal protection of grace that protects us from our adversary and saves us (2 Peter 2:9, 1 Thessalonians 1:10) from the destruction of the boasting proud ones set against (Psalm 2:2) the Lord and His anointed.  The victory over all battles belongs to the Lord and is ours (1 Corinthians 15:57) in Christ.  The boasting one will be eternally bested in the end. 

2 Chronicles 31:1-21 - Do Good and Seek God Wholeheartedly

2 Chronicles 31:1-21

The Reforms of Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:4)

1 Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke the sacred pillars in pieces, cut down the wooden images, and threw down the high places and the altars—from all Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh—until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned to their own cities, every man to his possession.

2 And Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and the Levites according to their divisions, each man according to his service, the priests and Levites for burnt offerings and peace offerings, to serve, to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the camp of the LORD. 3 The king also appointed a portion of his possessions for the burnt offerings: for the morning and evening burnt offerings, the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths and the New Moons and the set feasts, as it is written in the Law of the LORD.

4 Moreover he commanded the people who dwelt in Jerusalem to contribute support for the priests and the Levites, that they might devote themselves to the Law of the LORD.

5 As soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of grain and wine, oil and honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything. 6 And the children of Israel and Judah, who dwelt in the cities of Judah, brought the tithe of oxen and sheep; also the tithe of holy things which were consecrated to the LORD their God they laid in heaps.

7 In the third month they began laying them in heaps, and they finished in the seventh month. 8 And when Hezekiah and the leaders came and saw the heaps, they blessed the LORD and His people Israel. 9 Then Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps. 10 And Azariah the chief priest, from the house of Zadok, answered him and said, “Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat and have plenty left, for the LORD has blessed His people; and what is left is this great abundance.”

11 Now Hezekiah commanded them to prepare rooms in the house of the LORD, and they prepared them. 12 Then they faithfully brought in the offerings, the tithes, and the dedicated things; Cononiah the Levite had charge of them, and Shimei his brother was the next. 13 Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah were overseers under the hand of Cononiah and Shimei his brother, at the commandment of Hezekiah the king and Azariah the ruler of the house of God. 14 Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the keeper of the East Gate, was over the freewill offerings to God, to distribute the offerings of the LORD and the most holy things. 15 And under him were Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, his faithful assistants in the cities of the priests, to distribute allotments to their brethren by divisions, to the great as well as the small.

16 Besides those males from three years old and up who were written in the genealogy, they distributed to everyone who entered the house of the LORD his daily portion for the work of his service, by his division, 17 and to the priests who were written in the genealogy according to their father’s house, and to the Levites from twenty years old and up according to their work, by their divisions, 18 and to all who were written in the genealogy—their little ones and their wives, their sons and daughters, the whole company of them—for in their faithfulness they sanctified themselves in holiness.

19 Also for the sons of Aaron the priests, who were in the fields of the common-lands of their cities, in every single city, there were men who were designated by name to distribute portions to all the males among the priests and to all who were listed by genealogies among the Levites.

20 Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and true before the LORD his God. 21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered.

Hezekiah was a wise and godly king who led by example, doing what was good in the sight of God according to His word and serving with all his heart and might as he ran after knowing and pleasing the LORD above every other pursuit.  His reforms for the nation under God rid the land of offensive idols and reformed the kingdom to point once again back to true worship and service that aligned with the commandments, precepts, and examples of God’s word given to guide life into spiritual prosperity and protection from their enemies.  The people then began to support the priests who served in the house of the LORD with tithes and offerings, and they blessed His servants in overwhelming abundance once their hearts were aimed at hitting the mark of seeking the glory and honor of their God again.  In their faithfulness they sanctified themselves in holiness.  This should be our ongoing example to faithfully serve as we sanctify ourselves by aiming to be holy as our Lord is holy (1 Peter 1:15) in living to please God as we follow the scriptures to demonstrate our love for Him with all our hearts, minds, and souls (Mark 12:30) in our service of sacrificial (Romans 12:1) worship.  True prosperity is in the heart and soul, therefore, as we do what is good and right and true according to God as spelled out in His word, and not compromise Him as we seek His face (Psalm 27:8, 105:4) with every bit of heart and mind and strength we have.  This is our example to imitate of God-pleasing worship, to do good and seek the Lord wholeheartedly in spirit and in truth.  We cannot afford to play with eternal rewards (1 Corinthians 3:12-13, 14-15) by allowing the world’s idols to distract and derail us as we read in the scriptures how Israel and Judah did.  

2 Chronicles 30:1-27 - Consecrated to Keep the Passover

2 Chronicles 30:1-27

Hezekiah Keeps the Passover

1 And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to the LORD God of Israel. 2 For the king and his leaders and all the assembly in Jerusalem had agreed to keep the Passover in the second month. 3 For they could not keep it at the regular time, because a sufficient number of priests had not consecrated themselves, nor had the people gathered together at Jerusalem. 4 And the matter pleased the king and all the assembly. 5 So they resolved to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem, since they had not done it for a long time in the prescribed manner.

6 Then the runners went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the king and his leaders, and spoke according to the command of the king: “Children of Israel, return to the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel; then He will return to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 And do not be like your fathers and your brethren, who trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, so that He gave them up to desolation, as you see. 8 Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD; and enter His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you. 9 For if you return to the LORD, your brethren and your children will be treated with compassion by those who lead them captive, so that they may come back to this land; for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him.”

10 So the runners passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun; but they laughed at them and mocked them. 11 Nevertheless some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 Also the hand of God was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king and the leaders, at the word of the LORD.

13 Now many people, a very great assembly, gathered at Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month. 14 They arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they took away all the incense altars and cast them into the Brook Kidron. 15 Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought the burnt offerings to the house of the LORD. 16 They stood in their place according to their custom, according to the Law of Moses the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood received from the hand of the Levites. 17 For there were many in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves; therefore the Levites had charge of the slaughter of the Passover lambs for everyone who was not clean, to sanctify them to the LORD. 18 For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good LORD provide atonement for everyone 19 who prepares his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.” 20 And the LORD listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.

21 So the children of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day, singing to the LORD, accompanied by loud instruments. 22 And Hezekiah gave encouragement to all the Levites who taught the good knowledge of the LORD; and they ate throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings and making confession to the LORD God of their fathers.

23 Then the whole assembly agreed to keep the feast another seven days, and they kept it another seven days with gladness. 24 For Hezekiah king of Judah gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep, and the leaders gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep; and a great number of priests sanctified themselves. 25 The whole assembly of Judah rejoiced, also the priests and Levites, all the assembly that came from Israel, the sojourners who came from the land of Israel, and those who dwelt in Judah. 26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. 27 Then the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard; and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, to heaven.

Hezekiah restored worship to both Judah and Israel by first consecrating the priests in holiness and then restoring sacrificial worship in the house of God.  This is a foreshadowing of our own consecration in Christ our Passover (Exodus 12:13, 14, John 1:29, 1 Corinthians 5:7, ) to be made holy in His righteousness as priests to our God (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6, 5:10) that we may worship in the beauty of holiness in His house which we are.  We are then to keep ourselves holy as the priests of old before our lives as living sacrifice are acceptable (Romans 12:1, 2, 1 Peter 2:5) to worship fully before Him in His house.  After Hezekiah had the priests consecrated, they shared in the Passover meal together as the disciples would later in the upper room before Christ the Lamb of God was taken to be sacrificed for we who have His blood applied to the doorposts (Exodus 12:23, Ezekiel 45:19, 1 Peter 1:18-19) of our lives that He may pass over judgment on us (Romans 3:24-25) for our sins in the day of judgment that is fast approaching as the people of God in Hezekiah’s day looked forward to year by year in temporary reconciliation with the LORD.   The priests sanctified those not prepared then to partake of the Passover meal much like our great High Priest, Jesus Christ, does for us now.  We are sanctified by Him in His righteousness (Romans 3:25, 26, 1 Corinthians 1:30, Philippians 3:9) because we are in Him by faith in this grace in which we stand, forgiven and reconciled (Romans 5:10) that we may eat of Him (John 6:53, Matthew 26:26) in celebrating the Lord’s Supper, in Him who is our Passover Lamb by whose sacrifice of His own lifeblood applied to our souls saves us from the destroyer in eternity and purifies us to stand before Him.  As we reflect on the fact that we also have been Consecrated to Keep the Passover in Christ by the lifeblood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and keeps us from destruction, may this realization that we have been consecrated by our Great High Passover Priest cause us to continually offer praise to God (Hebrews 13:15) that our prayers may be likewise heard in His holy dwelling place in heaven!

2 Chronicles 29:20-36 - Reformation to Restoration of Worship

2 Chronicles 29:20-36

Hezekiah Restores Temple Worship

20 Then King Hezekiah rose early, gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the LORD. 21 And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. Then he commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the LORD. 22 So they killed the bulls, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. Likewise they killed the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar. They also killed the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar. 23 Then they brought out the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them. 24 And the priests killed them; and they presented their blood on the altar as a sin offering to make an atonement for all Israel, for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering be made for all Israel.

25 And he stationed the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with stringed instruments, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, of Gad the king’s seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for thus was the commandment of the LORD by His prophets. 26 The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. 27 Then Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD also began, with the trumpets and with the instruments of David king of Israel. 28 So all the assembly worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. 29 And when they had finished offering, the king and all who were present with him bowed and worshiped. 30 Moreover King Hezekiah and the leaders commanded the Levites to sing praise to the LORD with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped.

31 Then Hezekiah answered and said, “Now that you have consecrated yourselves to the LORD, come near, and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the LORD.” So the assembly brought in sacrifices and thank offerings, and as many as were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings. 32 And the number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD. 33 The consecrated things were six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep. 34 But the priests were too few, so that they could not skin all the burnt offerings; therefore their brethren the Levites helped them until the work was ended and until the other priests had sanctified themselves, for the Levites were more diligent in sanctifying themselves than the priests. 35 Also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings and with the drink offerings for every burnt offering.

So the service of the house of the LORD was set in order. 36 Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced that God had prepared the people, since the events took place so suddenly.

Hezekiah’s reforms led him to restore singular and true worship to Judah in the repaired house of God.  He stopped the idolatry and cleaned out the remnants of all idol statues and practices, focusing the devotion of individual and collective worship on the LORD alone as the first moral commandment (Exodus 20:3-5) clearly defined and was applied once again.  Sacrifices were restarted and holy service to God alone that excluded wooden and stone statues was restored.  Psalms were sung and instruments played as king David had done to please God’s heart once more.  Then the assembly worshiped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded until the sacrificial offering was completed and everyone bowed to worship God alone in humility and willingly faithful obedience.  Everything was done decently and in order (1 Corinthians 14:40) as we now do in a spiritual sense within the body of Christ which is the house of God (1 Peter 2:4-5) foreshadowed in the first physical temple in days of old here.   May we determine to constantly consecrate our hearts and minds to our Lord with willing service (Romans 12:1-2) as our hearts and souls are changed to be like Him (2 Corinthians 3:18) in holiness and willing obedience.  May we realize that continuing reformation of doctrine and practice aligned with scripture is required if we are to keep restored worship in spirit and in truth at hand as Hezekiah had done for our example (Romans 15:4, 1 Corinthians 10:11) to learn what to avoid and what to imitate.  May we therefore be continually reflecting on God’s word to keep in step with His Spirit to offer unadulterated worship in this house of God as bricks of holiness in its walls with psalm, hymns, and spiritual (Psalm 100:1-2, Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16) songs honoring our Lord and allowing no other religious statues or other distracting idols of practices or errant beliefs to corrupt us.  Amen. 

2 Chronicles 29:1-19 - Cleaning up the House of God

2 Chronicles 29:1-19

Hezekiah Reigns in Judah (2 Kings 18:1–3)

1 Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah. 2 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.

Hezekiah Cleanses the Temple

3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them. 4 Then he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them in the East Square, 5 and said to them: “Hear me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place. 6 For our fathers have trespassed and done evil in the eyes of the LORD our God; they have forsaken Him, have turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the LORD, and turned their backs on Him. 7 They have also shut up the doors of the vestibule, put out the lamps, and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. 8 Therefore the wrath of the LORD fell upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He has given them up to trouble, to desolation, and to jeering, as you see with your eyes. 9 For indeed, because of this our fathers have fallen by the sword; and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity.

10 “Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that His fierce wrath may turn away from us. 11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that you should minister to Him and burn incense.”

12 Then these Levites arose: Mahath the son of Amasai and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah and Eden the son of Joah; 13 of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeiel; of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; 14 of the sons of Heman, Jehiel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.

15 And they gathered their brethren, sanctified themselves, and went according to the commandment of the king, at the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD. 16 Then the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD to cleanse it, and brought out all the debris that they found in the temple of the LORD to the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it out and carried it to the Brook Kidron.

17 Now they began to sanctify on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the vestibule of the LORD. So they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.

18 Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, the altar of burnt offerings with all its articles, and the table of the showbread with all its articles. 19 Moreover all the articles which King Ahaz in his reign had cast aside in his transgression we have prepared and sanctified; and there they are, before the altar of the LORD.”

Hezekiah was the son of Ahaz the unfaithful, yet chose not to follow in his spiritual footsteps; he was a godly king who did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, taking the example of his ancestral king David who was a man after God’s own heart.  He reopened and repaired the house of God which his father had looted and desecrated.  He had the priests and Levites consecrated them before clearing out the rubbish all over in that holy place and reminded them how the people under his father and rulers before him had sinned against the LORD in all their evil doings of idolatry and accompanying immortality in performing pagan practices throughout the land and even there in God’s own house.  He recounted how the people had turned their backs on God and their faces away from meeting and worshipping Him there through offerings and sacrifices.  The lamps meant to guide and illuminate their lives and the temple had long been left extinguished and the result was defeat for the nation and the individual as they were turned over to the adversary (1 Corinthians 5:5, 1 Timothy 1:20) in the world to bring them to repentance, to change their thinking and behavior back to following their LORD and Maker in lives of (Romans 12:1) worship.  The heart of Hezekiah, however, was moved by God to make a covenant promise of commitment to deflect His wrath (Romans 1:18, 2:5, Colossians 3:5-6) on their sin as we all face now under judgment apart from the sacrificial work of the righteous one, Jesus Christ the LORD of all, who likewise calls us to repentance and faith to worship Him in the beauty of holiness in these temples of our bodies.  We should be keeping these temples fit for worship (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19, 2 Corinthians 6:16, 17, 7:1) even more than the symbolic temple on earth that Hezekiah was so keen to restore and make clean to honor God.  May we sanctify these temples along with the Lord in our hearts (1 Peter 3:15) to honor God that others may hear and join us in following and worshiping our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, in His presence with lives of holy worship, honor, and praise.  May we learn from this account as our example to clean up the house of God, one at a time and together (Hebrews 10:24-25, Colossians 1:28-29), in this new covenant of the sacrificial lifeblood of God’s Son whom we worship. 

2 Chronicles 28:16-27 - Unfaithful Ahaz

2 Chronicles 28:16-27

Assyria Refuses to Help Judah (2 Kings 16:7–9)

16 At the same time King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria to help him. 17 For again the Edomites had come, attacked Judah, and carried away captives. 18 The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland and of the South of Judah, and had taken Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Sochoh with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages; and they dwelt there. 19 For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had encouraged moral decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the LORD. 20 Also Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came to him and distressed him, and did not assist him. 21 For Ahaz took part of the treasures from the house of the LORD, from the house of the king, and from the leaders, and he gave it to the king of Assyria; but he did not help him.

Apostasy and Death of Ahaz (2 Kings 16:12–20)

22 Now in the time of his distress King Ahaz became increasingly unfaithful to the LORD. This is that King Ahaz. 23 For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him, saying, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. 24 So Ahaz gathered the articles of the house of God, cut in pieces the articles of the house of God, shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. 25 And in every single city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers.

26 Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to last, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 27 So Ahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem; but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. Then Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

Here Ahaz looked outside of God’s help when the Edomites and Philistines separately attacked and raided Judah.  He tried to get help from the Assyrians with treasures from the house of God but was refused any help.  The LORD had kept the help from coming because Ahaz had been continually unfaithful to God and even encouraged the moral decline of the people.  He slipped further and further into unfaithfulness to the LORD and into the idolatry of the ungodly societies surrounding them.  Unfaithfulness and rejection of God replaced devotion and obedience in holiness to the LORD and provoked the just wrath of the Divine.  When he died, he was not buried with honors due to these actions of a corrupt and corrupting heart.  The people of Judah had not learned that bad company corrupts good habits as we read in 1 Corinthians 15:33-34; like yeast that invades and takes over dough until it is puffed up (1 Corinthians 5:6, 8), so evil associations result in puffing up the soul with pride and sin that takes our eyes off of devotedly following Him in God-pleasing holiness.  May we learn from this example not to imitate unfaithful Ahaz, but the examples (1 Corinthians 4:16, 11:1, Philippians 3:17, 4:9) of those who followed hard after God who have come before us as good examples.  May our names be remembered as faithful.