2 Chronicles 29-31
(Huzzah for Hezekiah!)
May 12th


Produced by The Listening for God Ministry
Copyright 2016
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Please refer to one or more Bible versions of your choice to read this section. We recommend that you read at least two versions for added understanding. For your convenience, we have provided six links below, each of which takes you directly to today's chapters in a specific version:

Key Verse

Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah, and even wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, saying that they should come to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel.

- 2 Chronicles 30:1 (NAB)

Summary of Chapters

These three chapters begin the story of Hezekiah, who succeeded his father, Azah, as king. Chapter 29 reports that Hezekiah immediately went to work at cleansing the temple and restoring the practices of sacrifice and worship.

Then, when the temple, priests, and Levites were ready, Hezekiah reinstated the celebration of Passover and other feasts, as noted in chapter 30.

Hezekiah invited all the people in Judah and the remaining people from the tribes in the northern kingdom. At this time, these tribes were estranged from the southern kingdom (Judah) and most of the people had been taken into exile in Assyria. A lot of the people rejected the invitation, but some accepted and joined with their cousins from the south.

After an extended Passover, the people were inspired enough to destroy all the false idols and put aside provisions for the Levites, as described in chapter 31. They then returned to their homes and work.

    In everything that he (Hezekiah) undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered
    - 2 Chronicles 31:21 (NIV)

Reflection and Application

Note all the actions that Hezekiah and his people did to revive the nation:

  1. Rememembered God’s compassion and sought to seek redemption
  2. Kept inviting people to Passover, despite rejection
  3. Followed the commands of God for worship
  4. Aggressively removed idols
  5. Hezekiah interceded for those who were not properly prepared
  6. Hezekiah and the people contributed generously to the feast

We can take encouragement from all these actions. God always stands ready to be compassionate for those who choose to follow him. Hezekiah knew that his people could be welcomed back despite their stiff-necked track record of disobedience. He was not discouraged by events of the past and was not discouraged when many people rejected his invitation.

The story of Hezekiah’s invitations is similar to the Parable of the Wedding Banquet told by Jesus and recorded in Matthew and Luke:

    Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

    “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

    “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

    “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

    - Matthew 22:1-10 - (NIV)

We too are welcomed back at any time that we find ourselves off track. We are called to testify to others and invite them to join us, but we are not going to convert anyone. That is the job of God and the Holy Spirit. If our invitation is rejected, it is a rejection of God by that person, not a rejection of us.

We too can “seek God and work wholeheartedly” in everything we do , and we will prosper. If we want to know what it means to seek him wholeheartedly, we can refer to the list above and see if we are taking these actions, including removing all evil and temptation from our lives, interceding before God for others, and contributing generously. If we are following God wholeheartedly then these actions are likely to come naturally.

Tomorrow's reading will be 2 Chronicles 32-33 (Hezekiah Passes the Torch)

Questions and Prayers for Further Reflection

    Related Questions
    1. What was the biggest cleaning project that you ever undertook?
    2. Who can you invite to the great feast today?
    3. For whom can you intercede today?
    Recommended Prayer
    Father in heaven, we acknowledge that you are deserving of our worship. Please help us to devote time to you.

    Suggested Prayer Concerns
    Displaced people

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