II Kings 18:1-4
“Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.” (II Kings 18:1-2)
Judah had had only two rulers as bad as Ahaz since Israel had been divided, and that was Ahab’s grandson, Ahaziah, and his mother Athaliah. Although they had had several Good kings who served God, Ahaz’ son, Hezekiah would be the best they would ever have. Apparently his mother played a major part in his standards, but ultimately it was Hezekiah's decision..
“And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.” (II Kings 18:3-4)
More than any king since David, Hezekiah sought to serve God. Where other good kings had overlooked the nature worship and it’s influence, he destroyed their places of worship, cutting down the trees and destroying their idols.
For nine hundred years, they had kept the brazen serpent that Moses had so the people could be healed in Numbers 21. Originally, they had kept it as a reminder of their sin and God’s protection, but over time, as people so often do, they had begun to worship it. Hezekiah said it was just a piece of copper and destroyed it.
“He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them. And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street, And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.” (II Chronicles 29:3-5)
Hezekiah’s father, Ahaz, had boarded up the temple itself and had stopped the old sacrifices, replacing the brazen altar with one to the Syrian gods. He just used the brazen laver for a sort of backup where he could go to get a second opinion. The courtyard of the temple became the auditorium for worshipping the Syrian gods.
Less than a month after becoming king, Hezekiah had the temple reopened and started making repairs. He also regathered the priests and Levites, ordering them to clean out the temple and go through the sanctification processes to make both themselves and the temple acceptable to God again.
“For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs. 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.
Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes. For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.” (II Chronicles 29:6-9)
Hezekiah reminded the priests and Levites that because of Judah’s sin in Jotham’s and Ahaz’ day, God had caused the deaths of a hundred twenty thousand men and over two hundred thousand of the women and children to be carried off by Israel, besides a large group that was taken by the Syrians. While the group taken by Israel was later returned, the group taken by the Syrians never had been.
“Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us. My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense.” (II Chronicles 29:10-11)
Hezekiah wanted Judah to rededicate themselves to God, renewing their contract with God to obey him. He asked the priests and Levites, as God’s chosen people to take the lead in making the commitment, resuming their duties in offering the sacrifices and teaching the people. It was similar to what had Joash had done under Jehoiada’s guidance.
“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 Jehalelel: and of the Gershonites; Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah: And of the sons of Elizaphan; Shimri, and Jeiel: and of the sons of Asaph; Zechariah, and Mattaniah: And of the sons of Heman; Jehiel, and Shimei: and of the sons of Jeduthun; Shemaiah, and Uzziel.
And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and came, according to the commandment of the king, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD. And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad into the brook Kidron.
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 the LORD: so they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days; and in the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end.” (II Chronicles 29:12-17)
The Levites and priests immediately to Hezekiah’s challenge, with the priests cleaning the holy place and the levites cleaning he parts they were allowed to be in. It took eight days to cleanout all the accumulated debris and carry it out to the trash dump. Once the cleanup was accomplished, they followed the procedure described in Exodus 40 and Leviticus 8 for dedicating the temple and the priests and Levites, which required eight days.
“Then they went in to Hezekiah the king, and said, We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, and the altar of burnt offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the showbread table, with all the vessels thereof. Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away in his transgression, have we prepared and sanctified, and, behold, they are before the altar of the LORD.” (II Chronicles 29:18-19)
When the Levites had finished cleaning and dedicating the temple, they came to Hezekiah to tell him the job was finished and the temple was ready for use.
“Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Abi, the daughter of Zachariah.” (II Kings 18:1-2)
Judah had had only two rulers as bad as Ahaz since Israel had been divided, and that was Ahab’s grandson, Ahaziah, and his mother Athaliah. Although they had had several Good kings who served God, Ahaz’ son, Hezekiah would be the best they would ever have. Apparently his mother played a major part in his standards, but ultimately it was Hezekiah's decision..
“And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.” (II Kings 18:3-4)
More than any king since David, Hezekiah sought to serve God. Where other good kings had overlooked the nature worship and it’s influence, he destroyed their places of worship, cutting down the trees and destroying their idols.
For nine hundred years, they had kept the brazen serpent that Moses had so the people could be healed in Numbers 21. Originally, they had kept it as a reminder of their sin and God’s protection, but over time, as people so often do, they had begun to worship it. Hezekiah said it was just a piece of copper and destroyed it.
“He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them. And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street, And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.” (II Chronicles 29:3-5)
Hezekiah’s father, Ahaz, had boarded up the temple itself and had stopped the old sacrifices, replacing the brazen altar with one to the Syrian gods. He just used the brazen laver for a sort of backup where he could go to get a second opinion. The courtyard of the temple became the auditorium for worshipping the Syrian gods.
Less than a month after becoming king, Hezekiah had the temple reopened and started making repairs. He also regathered the priests and Levites, ordering them to clean out the temple and go through the sanctification processes to make both themselves and the temple acceptable to God again.
“For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs. 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.
Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes. For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this.” (II Chronicles 29:6-9)
Hezekiah reminded the priests and Levites that because of Judah’s sin in Jotham’s and Ahaz’ day, God had caused the deaths of a hundred twenty thousand men and over two hundred thousand of the women and children to be carried off by Israel, besides a large group that was taken by the Syrians. While the group taken by Israel was later returned, the group taken by the Syrians never had been.
“Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us. My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense.” (II Chronicles 29:10-11)
Hezekiah wanted Judah to rededicate themselves to God, renewing their contract with God to obey him. He asked the priests and Levites, as God’s chosen people to take the lead in making the commitment, resuming their duties in offering the sacrifices and teaching the people. It was similar to what had Joash had done under Jehoiada’s guidance.
“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 Jehalelel: and of the Gershonites; Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah: And of the sons of Elizaphan; Shimri, and Jeiel: and of the sons of Asaph; Zechariah, and Mattaniah: And of the sons of Heman; Jehiel, and Shimei: and of the sons of Jeduthun; Shemaiah, and Uzziel.
And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and came, according to the commandment of the king, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD. And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad into the brook Kidron.
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 the LORD: so they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days; and in the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end.” (II Chronicles 29:12-17)
The Levites and priests immediately to Hezekiah’s challenge, with the priests cleaning the holy place and the levites cleaning he parts they were allowed to be in. It took eight days to cleanout all the accumulated debris and carry it out to the trash dump. Once the cleanup was accomplished, they followed the procedure described in Exodus 40 and Leviticus 8 for dedicating the temple and the priests and Levites, which required eight days.
“Then they went in to Hezekiah the king, and said, We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, and the altar of burnt offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the showbread table, with all the vessels thereof. Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away in his transgression, have we prepared and sanctified, and, behold, they are before the altar of the LORD.” (II Chronicles 29:18-19)
When the Levites had finished cleaning and dedicating the temple, they came to Hezekiah to tell him the job was finished and the temple was ready for use.
No comments:
Post a Comment