6/5/2011 7:00:31 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Hezekiah the reformer Pt. 3
Bible Reading
& Meditation Reference: 2Chronicles 30:1-27
Message of the verses: “1 ¶
Now Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah and wrote letters also to
Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at
Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover to the LORD God of Israel. 2 For the king and his princes and all the
assembly in Jerusalem had decided to celebrate the Passover in the second
month, 3 since they could not celebrate
it at that time, because the priests had not consecrated themselves in
sufficient numbers, nor had the people been gathered to Jerusalem. 4 Thus the thing was right in the sight of the
king and all the assembly. 5 So they
established a decree to circulate a proclamation throughout all Israel from
Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to celebrate the Passover to the
LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem, for they had not celebrated it in great
numbers as it was prescribed. 6 The
couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the hand of
the king and his princes, even according to the command of the king, saying,
"O sons of Israel, return to the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel,
that He may return to those of you who escaped and are left from the hand of
the kings of Assyria. 7 "Do not be
like your fathers and your brothers, who were unfaithful to the LORD God of
their fathers, so that He made them a horror, as you see. 8 "Now do not stiffen your neck like your
fathers, but yield to the LORD and enter His sanctuary which He has consecrated
forever, and serve the LORD your God, that His burning anger may turn away from
you. 9 "For if you return to the
LORD, your brothers and your sons will find compassion before those who led
them captive and will return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious
and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him."
10 So the couriers passed from city to
city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn
and mocked them. 11 Nevertheless some men of Asher,
Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 The hand of God was also on Judah to give
them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the
LORD.
“13 ¶ Now many people were
gathered at Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second
month, a very large assembly. 14 They
arose and removed the altars which were in Jerusalem; they also removed all the
incense altars and cast them into the brook Kidron. 15 Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs on
the fourteenth of the second month. And the priests and Levites were ashamed of
themselves, and consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the house
of the LORD. 16 They stood at their
stations after their custom, according to the law of Moses the man of God; the
priests sprinkled the blood which they received from the hand of the Levites.
17 For there were many in the assembly
who had not consecrated themselves; therefore, the Levites were over the
slaughter of the Passover lambs for everyone who was unclean, in order to
consecrate them to the LORD. 18 For a
multitude of the people, even many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and
Zebulun, had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than
prescribed. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the good LORD
pardon 19 everyone who prepares his
heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though not according to the
purification rules of the sanctuary." 20
So the LORD heard
Hezekiah and healed the people.
“21 ¶ The sons of Israel present
in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great
joy, and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day after day with loud
instruments to the LORD. 22 Then
Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good insight in the
things of the LORD. So they ate for the appointed seven days, sacrificing peace
offerings and giving thanks to the LORD God of their fathers. 23 Then the whole assembly decided to celebrate
the feast another seven days, so they celebrated the seven days with joy.
24 For Hezekiah king of Judah had
contributed to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep, and the princes had
contributed to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep; and a large number of priests
consecrated themselves. 25 All
the assembly of Judah rejoiced, with the priests and the Levites and all the
assembly that came from Israel, both the sojourners who came from the land of
Israel and those living in Judah. 26 So
there was great joy in Jerusalem, because there was nothing like this in
Jerusalem since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. 27 Then the Levitical priests arose and blessed the people; and their
voice was heard and their prayer came to His holy dwelling place, to heaven.”
This
is the third part or the third sub-point under the first main point in Warren
Wiersbe’s commentary on 2Kings and parts of 2Chronicles, and he has entitled
this sup-point “He celebrated the Passover.”
According
to Numbers nine and verses six through thirteen there was a Word from the Lord
that the Passover could be celebrated on the second month, a month from the
time it was to be celebrated on the first month. This situation was not exactly like the
situation in Numbers, but because of the distinctiveness of this situation the
Passover would be celebrated on the second month. Now there were some problems that did occur
during this celebration, but for the most part it was a great revival that took
place. To begin with the king sent
messages to those who were in the northern tribes that they should come to
Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, but many laughed and ridiculed those who
brought the message to them. However
there were some from these tribes who would humble themselves and come to this
celebration. The next problem was that
not all of the priests and Levites had taken the time to consecrate themselves
in order to perform what they should have been doing in the celebration of the
Passover. Latter on we read in verse
twenty-four that during the second week of this celebration that some of them
did take the time to consecrate themselves.
Another
thing worth noting is that when the people gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate
this Passover they did find some altars that were left over from King Ahaz used
for idol worship and the people broke them down and put them in the Kidron
creek. There were also some of the
people who were not properly consecrated, and so Hezekiah prayed to the Lord so
that they would be able to participate in the Passover celebration, and the
Lord answered and allowed them to do this.
There are some examples of this kind of thing in the Scriptures, that of
the heart being more important than the religious action. 1Samuel 15:22-23 is a good one to look
at: “22
Samuel said, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and
sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than
sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23
"For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is
as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He
has also rejected you from being king.’”
Let’s look at another example in Micah 6:6-8, “6 ¶ With what shall I come to the LORD And bow
myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, With
yearling calves? 7 Does the LORD take
delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my
firstborn for my rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And
to walk humbly with your God?” I am not
saying that these people who could have been ready to participate in the
celebration of the Passover should not have been ready, and this was the case
for some of them, but it is the heart that is most important here as some of
these people would miss the point and think that they could work their way to
heaven by just doing these rituals and not having their heart right with the
Lord. The same is true with people going
to church in today’s society, for some think that by just going and not having
their hearts right with the Lord that they will be right with the Lord and that
is not so.
As
stated above this celebration lasted another week and that was similar to when
Solomon was king, and in order for this to happen the king and some of the
leaders provided the sacrifices to be offered in order for the people to have
food for this celebration.
I
like the last verse in this section: “Then the Levitical priests arose
and blessed the people; and their voice was heard and their prayer came to His
holy dwelling place, to heaven”
The reason why I like this verse is because the people had their lives
right with God and now their prayers came up to heaven where the Lord lives and
reigns.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I believe that just as the people in
Hezekiah’s day had to be prepared to worship the Lord so this is true in this
day and age, and I also need to make sure that my life is clean before the Lord
so that whenever I go to a church service that I am in fellowship with the
Lord. I also must remember that worship
is 24/7/365.
My Steps of Faith
for Today:
1.
23 Search me,
O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and
lead me in the way everlasting.
2.
1 ¶ I beseech
you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is
that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
3.
5 Trust in
the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and
he shall direct thy paths.
4.
11 Not that I
speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I
am. 12 I know how to get along with
humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every
circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both
of having abundance and suffering need. 13
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
6/5/2011 8:01:58 AM
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