Day 128: 2 Chronicles 28-30

(The previous post covered the reigns of Amaziah, Uzziah, and Jotham.)

2 Chronicles 28

(This chapter covered the reign of Ahaz.)

¹ Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he did not that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, like David his father;
² but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for the Baalim.

(Ahaz reigned over Judah and did not do right before God. Ahaz made molten images for Baalim.)

³ Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah cast out before the children of Israel.

(Ahaz burnt his children in the fire!)

⁴ And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.
⁵ Wherefore Jehovah his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away of his a great multitude of captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter.

(God delivered him into the hands of the Syrians and Israelites.)

⁶ For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah a hundred and twenty thousand in one day, all of them valiant men; because they had forsaken Jehovah, the God of their fathers.
⁷ And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the ruler of the house, and Elkanah that was next to the king.
⁸ And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.
⁹ But a prophet of Jehovah was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out to meet the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because Jehovah, the God of your fathers, was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage which hath reached up to heaven.

(Oded, the prophet, spoke to those who came to Samaria...that was, the Israelites.)

¹⁰ And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you: but are there not even with you trespasses of your own against Jehovah your God?

(The Israelites intended to keep the children of Judah as bondmen, even though they were also sinning against God. Remember, the ten tribes of Israel did not have even one king who did what was right in God's Eyes. This book followed the kings of Judah in detail. Consequently, it skipped over some of the kings of Israel. The last king of Israel we heard about was Jehoash. The following was covered by 2 Kings 15...Jehoash was followed by the second Jeroboam and then an eleven year period of anarchy. That was followed by a tumultuous period of four kings in less than fifteen years: Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, and Pekahiah. Pekah ruled during the transition from Jotham to Ahaz.)

¹¹ Now hear me therefore, and send back the captives, that ye have taken captive of your brethren; for the fierce wrath of Jehovah is upon you.
¹² Then certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against them that came from the war,
¹³ and said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither: for ye purpose that which will bring upon us a trespass against Jehovah, to add unto our sins and to our trespass; for our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.

(A prophecy was made that God's wrath would come upon them if they did not release their brethren. 200,000 captives were released once they were defeated.)

¹⁴ So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the assembly.
¹⁵ And the men that have been mentioned by name rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat and to drink, and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them upon asses, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm-trees, unto their brethren: then they returned to Samaria.

(The captives from Judah were clothed, fed, cleansed, and brought to their brethren.)

(Verses 16-27: Ahaz's fall.)

¹⁶ At that time did king Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him.

(Ahaz put his trust in the kings of Assyria instead of the Lord.)

¹⁷ For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives.
¹⁸ The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland, and of the South of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, and Aijalon, and Gederoth, and Soco with the towns thereof, and Timnah with the towns thereof, Gimzo also and the towns thereof: and they dwelt there.
¹⁹ For Jehovah brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he had dealt wantonly in Judah, and trespassed sore against Jehovah.
²⁰ And Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not.
²¹ For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of Jehovah, and out of the house of the king and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria: but it helped him not.
²² And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against Jehovah, this same king Ahaz.

(When Ahaz became distressed, he sinned more against God.)

²³ For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him; and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.
²⁴ And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of Jehovah; and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem.

(Ahaz shut up the doors of the temple.)

²⁵ And in every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger Jehovah, the God of his fathers.
²⁶ Now the rest of his acts, and all his ways, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.
²⁷ And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem; for they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.




2 Chronicles 29

(This chapter introduced Hezekiah.)

¹ Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old; and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.
² And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that David his father had done.

(In 2 Kings 18, Hezekiah reigned over Judah and was the eighth king, including David, that did right before God.)

³ He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of Jehovah, and repaired them.

(In Hezekiah's first year, like some of the kings who did right before God, he reopened the temple and repaired the doors of the temple.)

⁴ And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the broad place on the east,
⁵ and said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites; now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of Jehovah, the God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.

(Hezekiah encouraged the cleansing of the temple.)

⁶ For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of Jehovah, and turned their backs.
⁷ Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt-offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel.
⁸ Wherefore the wrath of Jehovah was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to be tossed to and fro, to be an astonishment, and a hissing, as ye see with your eyes.
⁹ For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.
¹⁰ Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with Jehovah, the God of Israel, that his fierce anger may turn away from us.
¹¹ My sons, be not now negligent; for Jehovah hath chosen you to stand before him, to minister unto him, and that ye should be his ministers, and burn incense.

(It was in Hezekiah's heart to make a covenant with God so His wrath would turn away from them. Again, like other kings who did right before God, Hezekiah led the people towards God.)

(Verses 12-19: the cleansing of the temple.)

¹² Then the Levites arose, Mahath, the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah;
¹³ and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;
¹⁴ and of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel.
¹⁵ And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and went in, according to the commandment of the king by the words of Jehovah, to cleanse the house of Jehovah.

(The priests sanctified themselves and cleansed the temple as Hezekiah commanded by the words of God.)

¹⁶ And the priests went in unto the inner part of the house of Jehovah, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of Jehovah into the court of the house of Jehovah. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad to the brook Kidron.
¹⁷ Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of Jehovah; and they sanctified the house of Jehovah in eight days: and on the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end.
¹⁸ Then they went in to Hezekiah the king within the palace, and said, We have cleansed all the house of Jehovah, and the altar of burnt-offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the table of showbread, with all the vessels thereof.
¹⁹ Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away when he trespassed, have we prepared and sanctified; and, behold, they are before the altar of Jehovah.

(Notice, there was no mention of the Ark. The temple worship could now be fully restored.)

(Verses 20-27: sacrifice and worship was organized.)

²⁰ Then Hezekiah the king arose early, and gathered the princes of the city, and went up to the house of Jehovah.
²¹ And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he-goats, for a sin-offering for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah. And he commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on the altar of Jehovah.
²² So they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar: and they killed the rams, and sprinkled the blood upon the altar: they killed also the lambs, and sprinkled the blood upon the altar.
²³ And they brought near the he-goats for the sin-offering before the king and the assembly; and they laid their hands upon them:
²⁴ and the priests killed them, and they made a sin-offering with their blood upon the altar, to make atonement for all Israel; for the king commanded that the burnt-offering and the sin-offering should be made for all Israel.

(The priests were offering sacrifices again.)

²⁵ And he set the Levites in the house of Jehovah with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet; for the commandment was of Jehovah by his prophets.
²⁶ And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.

(The Levites prepared to play music.)

²⁷ And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt-offering upon the altar. And when the burnt-offering began, the song of Jehovah began also, and the trumpets, together with the instruments of David king of Israel.

(Verses 28-30: the assembly joined in the worship.)

²⁸ And all the assembly worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt-offering was finished.

(Music was played, including the "song of Jehovah," until the burnt-offering was finished.)

²⁹ And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves and worshipped.
³⁰ Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises unto Jehovah with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped.

(The "words of David" were psalms that were sung. The dedication sacrifices were completed. Now, Hezekiah could ask the people to bring their free will offerings...)

³¹ Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto Jehovah; come near and bring sacrifices and thank-offerings into the house of Jehovah. And 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 threescore and ten bullocks, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs: all these were for a burnt-offering to Jehovah.
³³ And the consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep.
³⁴ But the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt-offerings: wherefore their brethren the Levites did help them, till the work was ended, and until the priests had sanctified themselves; for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests.
³⁵ And 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 Jehovah was set in order.

(The people responded beyond what the priests could handle.)

³⁶ And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, because of that which God had prepared for the people: for the thing was done suddenly.




2 Chronicles 30

(This chapter covered Hezekiah's Passover.)

¹ And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto Jehovah, the God of Israel.

(Israel's last king before their captivity was Hosea. At this time, Israel was taken into captivity and Hezekiah sent to all those of Israel who did not go into captivity to come to Jerusalem to keep the Passover.)

² For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the assembly in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the second month.
³ For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves in sufficient number, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem.
⁴ And the thing was right in the eyes of the king and of all the assembly.
⁵ So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem: for they had not kept it in great numbers in such sort as it is written.

(A decree was set up to make a proclamation that all the people come to Jerusalem to keep the Passover because it had not been done in a long time.)

(Verses 6-9: the letters to the tribes.)

⁶ So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may return to the remnant that are escaped of you out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.
⁷ And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, who trespassed against Jehovah, the God of their fathers, so that he gave them up to desolation, as ye see.
⁸ Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were; but yield yourselves unto Jehovah, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever, and serve Jehovah your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you.
⁹ For if ye turn again unto Jehovah, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that led them captive, and shall come again into this land: for Jehovah your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him.

(Hezekiah’s decree covered what not to do (stiffnecked, trespass) and what to do (turn to God).)

¹⁰ So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them.
¹¹ Nevertheless certain men of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves, and came to Jerusalem.
¹² Also upon Judah came the hand of God to give them one heart, to do the commandment of the king and of the princes by the word of Jehovah.

(Many people laughed and mocked at the decree from Hezekiah. They remained stiffnecked. However, some men from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and joined Judah.)

¹³ And there assembled at Jerusalem much people to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great assembly.
¹⁴ And they arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for incense took they away, and cast them into the brook Kidron.
¹⁵ Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the second month: and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought burnt-offerings into the house of Jehovah.

(The Passover lamb was killed.)

¹⁶ And they stood in their place after their order, according to the law of Moses the man of God: the priests sprinkled the blood which they received of the hand of the Levites.
¹⁷ For there were many in the assembly that had not sanctified themselves: therefore the Levites had the charge of killing the passovers for every one that was not clean, to sanctify them unto Jehovah.
¹⁸ For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it is written. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, The good Jehovah pardon every one
¹⁹ that setteth his heart to seek God, Jehovah, the God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.
²⁰ And Jehovah hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.

(Many of the Israelites were in an unsanctified state, and yet they ate the Passover. This was an exceptional feature and one opposed to the Law ("otherwise than it is written" – Numbers 9:6). However, this exception was allowed because of Hezekiah's prayer.)

²¹ And the children of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised Jehovah day by day, singing with loud instruments unto Jehovah.
²² And Hezekiah spake comfortably unto all the Levites that had good understanding in the service of Jehovah. So they did eat throughout the feast for the seven days, offering sacrifices of peace-offerings, and making confession to Jehovah, the God of their fathers.
²³ And the whole assembly took counsel to keep other seven days; and they kept other seven days with gladness.
²⁴ For Hezekiah king of Judah did give to the assembly for offerings a thousand bullocks and seven thousand sheep; and the princes gave to the assembly a thousand bullocks and ten thousand sheep: and a great number of priests sanctified themselves.
²⁵ And all the assembly of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the assembly that came out of Israel, and the sojourners that came out of the land of Israel, and that dwelt in Judah, rejoiced.
²⁶ So there was great joy in Jerusalem; for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem.

(There was great joy in Jerusalem, more than since the time of Solomon. This implied the Passover had not been kept since Solomon's time. Clearly, Hezekiah was one of the few truly good kings.)

²⁷ Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy habitation, even unto heaven.

(This was such a momentous occasion, it was specifically stated their prayer made it all the way directly to God in heaven.)

(This post covered the reign of Ahaz and the beginning of Hezekiah's reign.)

Day 129