Reforming and Restoring True Worship

2 Chronicles 31:1-21

    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.

The reforms of Hezekiah restored true worship which was acceptable to the LORD God as it was written.  The first act after the Passover celebration was to completely breakdown and destroy all the pagan worship idols and places, that both the places and the the temptation to backslide or continue to serve false gods alongside the LORD would be taken away.  Secondly, the priests were put into their roles of service and the daily sacrifices were brought back, along with the required festivals and support for the priests by the people.  Third, the firstfruits and tithes were collected again until such an abundance was collected that they had to tell the willing givers to stop.  They were quite willing because they most likely felt the remorse from wandering away from God and following evil leaders for so long, and probably also did so out of a genuine desire to worship the LORD again after putting away their idols in shame.  Then Hezekiah made the rooms ready in God’s house to store the gifts and dedicated articles of the temple.  The final things were to make sure that all who were appointed to serve and all others coming in to serve in the house of the LORD were given what they required to serve and survive.  These were then set apart for His work, sanctified, and distribution channels were set up for them.  The good king Hezekiah lived what God commanded; he did what was good and right according to God’s word and standards from its commands and principles outlined for true worship which he reformed back to the original design, restored to please God accordingly.  Such is our example when the present church of God’s people strays from His word (2 Timothy 4:3-5), that we are constantly willing to reform and restore biblically God-pleasing worship when we notice that we have compromised His ways according to our own rationalizations and reasonings which change the clear commands, principles, and examples of the whole of scripture rightly interpreted by itself (Acts 20:27-28, Colossians 2:8).  The voices which propel and move us off the guidance in His word must constantly be examined and compared to our formulated doctrine and practice without fear of not following the popular teachings when they do not honor and glorify the Lord Christ (Acts 20:30), and we do this by setting our faces like a flint (Isaiah 50:7) to the truths we know and by refusing to have idols we serve in academia or emotionally charged voices of popularity which do not align with the truth on our narrow path.  Remember 2 Timothy 3:16-17 for each of us to guide the whole of the body.  It is the word of God from Genesis to Revelation which teaches and corrects us individually and corporately as a result to keep us on the straight and narrow (Matthew 7:13-14).  A final thought from verse 21: Do we seek God in all we do?  Whatever we do for God, our heart must be fully engaged for the true prosperity of a transformed life, well-pleasing to Him and for His glory. This is not only for work we do “in the church,” but in every place and endeavor as we live in this world, showing and telling the good news which is the words of life.