King Hezekiah
2 Chronicles 29:1-32:33

Hezekiah Purifies the Temple

2 Chronicles 29:1-37

• Hezekiah became king when he was 25 and reigned for 29 years. (v. 1)
• Hezekiah was a good king, compared to David. (v. 2)
• Hezekiah is considered the greatest king since David.
• One of the very fist things Hezekiah did when becoming king was to reopen and repair the Temple. (v. 3)
• Hezekiah assembled the Levites and made an empashioned speach about how Judah had been sufferning because they turned away from the Lord. He announces that the Levites are to resume their rightful position as worship leaders. (v. 4-11)
• Note that the priests and Levites needed to be consecrated before this task. They were probably caught somewhat unprepared to act as priests, after the lax period under Ahaz. As Christians, we must be attentive to always be on alert, ready to act in God's service at any time.
• The priests cleaned out the Temple and consecrated it. (v. 15-17)
• The priests reported their progress to King Hezekiah. (v. 18-19)
• Hezekiah commanded the priests to resume sacrifices. (v. 20-24)
• The priests stationed themselves about the temple, with the harps and other instruments as David had prescribed. (v. 25-26)
• The sacrifices were given and everyone worshiped. (v. 27-31)

Preparations for Passover

2 Chronicles 30:1-9

• Hezekiah invited all of Israel and Judah to come to the temple and celebrate Passover. (v. 1)
• Note that the invitation was sent to all Judan and Israel! Israel as a kingdom doesn't exist anymore due to their capture by Assyria. The only connection for these Israelites is to Jerusalem.
• Passover would be a reminder to Israel that they can be released from slavery to a super-power, since Passover is the celebration of the release of the Israelites who were enslaved by the Egyptians.
• They celebrated Passover in the second month because they were not ready to celebrate it in the first month. (v. 2-4)
• See Numbers 9:10-11 for the provision to observe the Passover a month later than usual under certain circumstances.
• Hezekiah wrote a letter and distributed it throughout the land, inviting people to come to Jerusalem for the Passover. (v. 6)
• Hezekiah's letter scolded the people for abandoning the Lord, but promised that the Lord is gracious and compassionate and would take the people back. (v. 6-9)
• Note that Hezekiah implore the people to submit themselves to God and to repent (turn from) their sins. This is the same command that Jesus gives us.

Celebration of Passover

2 Chronicles 30:10-27

• The couriers went from town to town in Israel, but were scorned. (v. 10)
• Some people from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun joined the people in Judah for the Passover. Compare with the parable of the sower in Mark 4:1-9. (v. 11-12)
• A large crowd gathered for the Passover. (v. 13)
• The people removed the alters to foreign gods from Jerusalem and destroyed them. (v. 14)
• The priests and Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb and offered sacrifices. (v. 15-16)
• Note that te priests and Levites are ashamed in verse 15. This is because the congregation is more enthused than the priests! To their great credit, however, the priests and Levites were able to quickly adapt to the real expression of love for God, even if that expression was unconventional or ignorant. Contrast with the rigid inflexibility of the Pharises in Jesus' time.
• Some of the people were not consecrated to sacrifice their lambs, so the priests and Levites slaughtered the lambs for them. (v. 17)
• Many of the people who came from Israel ate the Passover, even though they were not supposed to because they had not purified themselves. (v. 18)
• Hezekiah prayed that God pardon everyone who ate the Passover, even if they were unclean. God heard his prayers and healed the people. (v. 19-20)
• Everyone celebrated the Passover for seven days and were very excited. (v. 21-22)
• Everyone was so excited about celebrating the Passover, they decided to celebrate it again! (v. 23)
• This is a great, exciting revival! It had been more than 200 years since Jerusalem had seen such a celebration.

Hezekiah's Religious Reforms

2 Chronicles 31:1-21

• After the Passover celebration, the people went throughout Judah and destroyed the vestiges of idol worship. Then the Israelites went home. (v. 1)
• Hezekiah reinstituted the priests to their duties as were assigned by David. (v. 2)
• Hezekiah reinstuted the tithe so that the priests and Levites could fully devote themselves to the work of the Lord. The people eagerly complied. (v. 4-8)
• During the reign of the evil kings, the priests were not supported by the tithe system, as God had prescribed. Hezekiah is reinstituting not only proper Temple worship, but also the proper organization that David had set up.
• The priests told Hezekiah that there was plenty to spare because the Lord is blessing the people. (v. 9-10)
• Hezekiah commanded that storerooms be build in the Temple to handle the overflow. (v. 11-13)
• Hezekiah sought God wholeheartedly and prospered. (v. 21)
• Hezekiah's life can be an inspiration for our own lives: 1) he remembered God's compassion, 2) he kept going despite ridicule, 3) he aggressively removed evil influences from his life, 4) he interceded for the people, asking for the Lord's pardon, 5) he was open to spontaneity in worship, and 6) he contributed generously to God's work.

Assyria Invades Judah

2 Chronicles 32:1-8

• Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, invaded Judah and attacked Jerusalem. (v. 1)
• Hezekiah responded responded by routing the water underground. This was a brilliant military move that allowed Jerusalem to have water, even during a long seige. (v. 2-3)
• Hezekiah also looked to repairing the city walls and building towers. (v. 4-5)
• Hezekiah encouraged the people to trust in God and the people were encouraged. (v. 6-8)
• Hezekiah did everything he could do and then trusted God for the outcome.

Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem

2 Chronicles 32:9-23

• Sennacherib sent a threatening letter to the people in Jerusalem. (v. 9-15)
• Hezekiah responded by praying. See 2 Kings 19:14-19 for Hezekiah's prayer. (v. 20)
• The Lord sent an angel who annihilated all the fighters of Assyria. (v. 21)
• Sennacherib withdrew to Assyria in disgrace. (v. 21)

Hezekiah's Sickness and Recovery

2 Chronicles 32:24-33

• Hezekiah became ill and was about to die. He prayed to God, who gave him a miraculous sign. (v. 24)
• Hezekiah's pride kept him from responding to the Lord properly, so the Lord's wrath fell on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. (v. 25)
• Then Hezekiah repented and the Lord blessed the people. (v. 26)
• Hezekiah was very rich and succeeded in everything that he did. (v. 27-30)
• Hezekiah was buried in the tombs of where David's decendants are. (v. 33)
• More information about Hezekiah, especially about his pride, can be found in 2 Kings 20.