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Celebration of the Passover

30 Then Hezekiah sent word throughout all Israel and Judah, and he also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh to come to the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem to observe the Passover of the Lord, the God of Israel. 

Hezekiah as God sent a message to different people to go to Israel and ask them to come to Jerusalem and observe the Passover.  

Jesus spoke and invited all to come.  Jesus came himself and personally invited people to come.  But the Jews did not believe.

Today God is talking to his own church, the same as Hezekiah, the same as Jesus, come back home to the word of God.  God has not changed.  


For the king and his officials and the entire congregation in Jerusalem decided to observe the Passover of the Lord in the second month,

Hezekiah was a man that those who knew him knew that he lived a life and had demonstrated that he could be trusted and they agreed that what he wanted to do, they wanted to help him do it.


because they were not able to observe it at the appropriate time. Not enough of the priests had consecrated themselves, and the people hadn’t been gathered together in Jerusalem. 

In the writing of Moses, God instructed clearly the exact day they should celebrate the Pass Over.  Because the children of Israel were off the task for so many years, they neglected God's instructions.   Still, God was merciful and allowed them to deviate from what he said and still hold the feast a month later.


The proposal pleased the king and the congregation, 

The king understood the people and how far they were off because of the lack of the Word of God in them.  Yet he was pleased that they were willing to turn back to God and follow his plan to gather the people for the feast.

so they affirmed the proposal and spread the message throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, to come to observe the Passover of the Lord, the God of Israel in Jerusalem, for they hadn’t observed it often,[a] as prescribed.[b]

They set the date and began inviting people as proposed from the southern part of Israel to the northern part of Israel.

So the couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the hand of the king and his officials, and according to the king’s command, saying, “Israelites, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel so that he may return to those of you who remain, who have escaped the grasp of the kings of Assyria. 

The people took the message and said return unto the Lord.  Return to the Word of God.  You that are still alive return and come back to the Word of God and let us follow his plan the way he spoke when he spoke through Moses.

Don’t be like your ancestors and your brothers who were unfaithful to the Lord, the God of their ancestors so that he made them an object of horror as you yourselves see. 

Remember your relatives.  They refused God's Word and God turned his back on them as he wrote in the Book of Moses.

Don’t become obstinate[c] now like your ancestors did. Give your allegiance[d] to the Lord, and come to his sanctuary that he has consecrated forever. Serve the Lord your God so that he may turn his burning anger away from you, 

Israel turn back to God so that he will not destroy you.  Come now!  Let us go back to the Word of God and discover what he really said.

for when you return to the Lord, your brothers and your sons will receive mercy in the presence of their captors and will return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful; he will not turn his face away from you if you return to him.”

If you come back to me, I will release your brothers from the hand of the enemy.  Your brothers are locked up because of sin.  I will be so good to you until your enemies will release what he is holding back from you.  If we return to the Word of God, the Lord will draw men to him because he is merciful.

10 The couriers traveled from city to city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but the inhabitants[e]laughed at them and mocked them. 

The messengers went as instructed.  Some laughed and mocked them.  Jesus did the same exact thing.  Today, people that are church attendants but refuse to read God's Word, and God is saying read!  They laugh and mock as done in Hezekiah's day, and they did it when Jesus came with the same invitation.  

11 But some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 

If we have the invitation, keep telling people to come.  Somebody is coming.

12 Also, the power of God was at work in Judah to unite them[f] to carry out the command of the king and his officials by the word of the Lord.

God was behind this whole matter.  He gave the king the thought of inviting Israel to come back to him.

13 A very large assembly of people was gathered in Jerusalem to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month. 

God's Word does not return empty!  People came! People came!  A very large number responded!!!

14 They proceeded to take away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they took away the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley. 

All of the altars that had been used for idols, they got rid of them!

15 They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and Levites were ashamed, and they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the Lord’s temple. 

Because the priests were lost in what the Word of God said, they were ashamed.  After they saw what was needed, they made the adjustments and followed the orders of Passover.

If we continue in God's Word, we will have no need to be found unprepared.  Study so you won't be ashamed when you are called upon.

16 They stood at their prescribed posts, according to the law of Moses, the man of God. The priests splattered the blood received from the Levites,

The priest now knows what to do and did it.

 17 for there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves, and so the Levites were in charge of slaughtering the Passover lambs for every unclean person to consecrate the lambs to the Lord

Barnes Notes on the bible

After their manner - According to the Mishna, the custom was for the priests to stand in two rows extending from the altar to the outer court, where the people were assembled. As each offerer killed his lamb the blood was caught in a basin, which was handed to the nearest priest, who passed it on to his neighbor, and he to the next; the blood was thus conveyed to the altar, at the base of which it was thrown by the last priest in the row. While basins full of blood were thus passed up, empty basins were passed down in a constant succession, so that there was no pause or delay.

Which they received of the hand of the Levites - Ordinarily, the blood was received at the hand of the offerer. But the greater number of the Israelites 2 Chronicles 30:17 who had come to keep the feast were involved in some ceremonial or moral defilement, from which there had not been time for them to purify themselves. On account of this uncleanness, they did not slay their own lambs, but delegated the office to the Levites.

18 A large number of the people—many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun—were ritually unclean, yet they had eaten the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah had interceded for them, saying, “May the good Lord provide atonement on behalf of 

Hezekiah knew that the people did not study the Word of God and they were confused about what they were doing incorrectly, he asked God to have mercy on them because of their willingness to do what was right until they were taught correctly.

19 whoever sets his whole heart on seeking God, the Lord, the God of his ancestors, even though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.”

 20 So the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. 

21 The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread seven days with great joy, and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day after day with loud instruments. 

22 Then Hezekiah encouraged[g] all the Levites who performed skillfully before the Lord. They ate at the appointed festival for seven days, sacrificing fellowship offerings and giving thanks to the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

23 The whole congregation decided to observe seven more days, so they observed seven days with joy, 

24 for King Hezekiah of Judah contributed one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep for the congregation. Also, the officials contributed one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep for the congregation, and many priests consecrated themselves.

25 Then the whole assembly of Judah with the priests and Levites, the whole assembly that came from Israel, the resident aliens who came from the land of Israel, and those who were living in Judah, rejoiced. 

26 There was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for nothing like this was known since the days of Solomon son of David, the king of Israel.

27 Then the priests and the Levites stood to bless the people,and God heard them, and their prayer came into his holy dwelling place in heaven.

God was glad to see his people.  It had been several years since God saw his plan come together.  The people who excepted the invitation were so glad they did.  They stayed an extra week and God provided enough for them to carry on.  What Hezekiah wanted to be done for the people happened.  It was good!!  This chapter makes me want to continue in the Word!






 

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