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.