29 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah[a] daughter of Zechariah.
2 He did what was right in the Lord’s sight just as his ancestor David had done.
His Father did not obey God. Hezekiah chose to follow God's instructions. Others can show us the way but it is up to us to walk the path on our own. When the umbilical cord is cut, it is severed forever. We are individual created to make decisions for ourselves.
3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the Lord’s temple and repaired them.
Hezekiah made a decision to follow God. It was more than a mental decision, it was a decision with actions. Hezekiah knew that the path his father had taken according to the Word of God, would cause his father to have a life that would be short-lived. Imagine seeing your father in office as his father Ahaz. He perhaps tried to stop the chatter of the people, feared, and was found praying that all that was happening would come to an end. Now that he is in charge he took charge the very first day in office. Hezekiah started out "spring cleaning." His father's leadership left God's house in disarray. Hezekiah did not waste time. This is an example of how God wants us to take over everything in our lives the enemy attempts to destroy.
4 Then he brought in the priests and Levites and gathered them in the eastern public square.
Hezekiah brought in the priests and Levites and gathered them in a particular area that is specified according to scripture in the eastern part of the public square.
5 He said to them, “Hear me, Levites. Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove everything impure from the holy place.
Consecrate yourself, set your mind on the things of God. Let's focus on the Word and how God wants things to put in place. And after we get ourselves prepared, let us seek the word of God and put things in order according to the writing of Moses concerning the temple. In short, let us get ourselves together, then focus directly on the things of God.
6 For our ancestors were unfaithful and did what is evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They abandoned him, turned their faces away from the Lord’s dwelling place, and turned their backs on him.[b]
Hezekiah called a spade a spade. Our ancestors did not follow the instructions of God. Our relatives fully sinned against God. Hezekiah recognized the truth about his father's leadership and did not cover up concerning the damage his father's leadership caused. When we are clear about what went wrong and address the problem, it puts a halt or stops gossip. People follow leadership better when the integrity of the leader is clearly seen.
7 They also closed the doors of the portico, extinguished the lamps, did not burn incense, and did not offer burnt offerings in the holy place of the God of Israel.
Under the leadership of ungodly kings, the temple was left inoperable. Doors were closed, the lamp was not burning, and no offerings were given. As believers when we turn our backs on God's Word, we do not allow others to see us in the light of God, the light of the word working through us is gone out and we do not have anything to offer to others as an offering being given to our Father.
8 Therefore, the wrath of the Lord was on Judah and Jerusalem, and he made them an object of terror, horror, and mockery,[c] as you see with your own eyes. 9 Our fathers fell by the sword, and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity because of this.
The wages of the sins committed are being dispersed by God. God warned the children of Israel that he would bring a curse on them if they strayed away from listening and obeying his command. People who did not know God, shook their heads when they saw the people of God fall. People lost lives needlessly and families were torn apart and they were also led into captivity. When we turn our backs on God, all who are connected to us, are impacted by our decisions. If we walk away from God, all parties will suffer loss.
10 It is in my heart now to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel so that his burning anger may turn away from us.
11 My sons, don’t be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to serve him, and to be his ministers and burners of incense.”
Hezekiah admits what went wrong and now he makes the declaration of admonishing the leaders under him to turn back to God by making a covenant. He encourages those that will assist him, to prepare to go to work and fulfill the assignment at hand by putting things back in the order that God ordained.
Cleansing the Temple
12 Then the Levites stood up:
Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah from the Kohathites;
Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel from the Merarites;
Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah from the Gershonites;
13 Shimri and Jeuel from the Elizaphanites;
Zechariah and Mattaniah from the Asaphites;
14 Jehiel[d] and Shimei from the Hemanites;
Shemaiah and Uzziel from the Jeduthunites.
15 They gathered their brothers together, consecrated themselves, and went according to the king’s command by the words of the Lord to cleanse the Lord’s temple.
The helpers who were called Levites stood up. They took the stand and got together and did all that King Hezekiah commanded with a willing heart.
16 The priests went to the entrance of the Lord’s temple to cleanse it. They took all the unclean things they found in the Lord’s sanctuary to the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. Then the Levites received them and took them outside to the Kidron Valley.
17 They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they came to the portico of the Lord’s temple. They consecrated the Lord’s temple for eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.
The very day King Hezekiah spoke of renovating themselves and the temple, they began on that day. They did not put things off. They heard, understood, and obeyed. They started and worked until the work was completed.
18 Then they went inside to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed the whole temple of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table for the rows of the Bread of the Presence and all its utensils.
19 We have set up and consecrated all the utensils that King Ahaz rejected during his reign when he became unfaithful. They are in front of the altar of the Lord.”
Oh! what joy it is to hear that the people of God obeyed and completed the assignment God gave. To hear we have done the will of the Lord sounds good! Oh, how good and how pleasant it to for brothers to dwell together in unity! After such a long time of living in chaos, it felt good to see light again.
Renewal of Temple Worship
20 King Hezekiah got up early, gathered the city officials, and went to the Lord’s temple.
21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. Then he told the descendants of Aaron, the priests, to offer them on the altar of the Lord.
22 So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests received the blood and splattered it on the altar. They slaughtered the rams and splattered the blood on the altar. They slaughtered the lambs and splattered the blood on the altar. 23 Then they brought the goats for the sin offering right into the presence of the king and the congregation, who laid their hands on them. 24 The priests slaughtered the goats and put their blood on the altar for a sin offering, to make atonement for all Israel, for the king said that the burnt offering and sin offering were for all Israel.
King Hezekiah made sure that the priest was prepared to make the offering according to the laws of Moses given by God. Everything was properly prepared. The offerings were made for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. The kingdom represented the established place God set aside for those in leadership, the sanctuary was the place that God dwells and Judah represented everybody connected.
After cleaning ourselves and cleansing the temple, it is time to bring the Lord an Offering! The leaders were the first to show God that needed his approval. The priest offered their portion first. Leaders are helped by God to be the first to part-take in being cleansed by the sacrificing of blood. The people had to wait until all of the priest and Levites offering were offered and then they were prepared to follow them with their offerings.
25 Hezekiah stationed the Levites in the Lord’s temple with cymbals, harps, and lyres according to the command of David, Gad the king’s seer, and the prophet Nathan. For the command was from the Lord through his prophets.
26 The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.
27 Then Hezekiah ordered that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. When the burnt offerings began, the song of the Lord and the trumpets began, accompanied by the instruments of King David of Israel.
28 The whole assembly was worshiping, singing the song, and blowing the trumpets—all this continued until the burnt offering was completed.
29 When the burnt offerings were completed, the king and all those present with him bowed down and worshiped.
30 Then King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to sing praise to the Lord in the words of David and of the seer Asaph. So they sang praises with rejoicing and knelt low and worshiped.
Music comes naturally when things are put in place. The sound of music expresses itself when everything is fitly joined together after instructions have been followed and completed. People make melody and the soul wants to sing praises to the King. God made us like that. To be accepted by God accelerates a song.
31 Hezekiah concluded, “Now you are consecrated[e] to the Lord. Come near and bring sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings to the Lord’s temple.” So the congregation brought sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings, and all those with willing hearts brought burnt offerings.
32 The number of burnt offerings the congregation brought was seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the Lord. 33 Six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep and goats were consecrated.
34 However, since there were not enough priests, they weren’t able to skin all the burnt offerings, so their Levite brothers helped them until the work was finished and until the priests consecrated themselves. For the Levites were more conscientious[f] to consecrate themselves than the priests were.
35 Furthermore, the burnt offerings were abundant, along with the fat of the fellowship offerings and with the drink offerings for the burnt offering. So the service of the Lord’s temple was established.
The people brought their offerings when it was their turn. They brought so much until the priest was unable to prepare what they brought without the help of the Levites. God had specifications on who was to carry out specific duties. However, God does allow modifications if it is needed. God will make allowances when he knows we have maximized our human capacity to carry out his orders. This allowance shows how merciful God is. When he sees us trying to do what we can to bring Him glory, he makes provisions.
36 Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over how God had prepared the people, for it had come about suddenly.
God turned things around quickly. When we follow God's instructions, things begin to change immediately. We don't always see the change immediately, but, change is occurring and the manifestation of what is changed will be seen.
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