2 Chronicles 30: 1 – 27
Revival
30 And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to the LORD God of Israel. 2 For the king and his leaders and all the assembly in Jerusalem had agreed to keep the Passover in the second month. 3 For they could not keep it at the regular time, because a sufficient number of priests had not consecrated themselves, nor had the people gathered together at Jerusalem. 4 And the matter pleased the king and all the assembly. 5 So they resolved to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem, since they had not done it for a long time in the prescribed manner. 6 Then the runners went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the king and his leaders, and spoke according to the command of the king: “Children of Israel, return to the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel; then He will return to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 And do not be like your fathers and your brethren, who trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, so that He gave them up to desolation, as you see. 8 Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD; and enter His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you. 9 For if you return to the LORD, your brethren and your children will be treated with compassion by those who lead them captive, so that they may come back to this land; for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him.” 10 So the runners passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun; but they laughed at them and mocked them. 11 Nevertheless some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 Also the hand of God was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king and the leaders, at the word of the LORD. 13 Now many people, a very great assembly, gathered at Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month. 14 They arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they took away all the incense altars and cast them into the Brook Kidron. 15 Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought the burnt offerings to the house of the LORD. 16 They stood in their place according to their custom, according to the Law of Moses the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood received from the hand of the Levites. 17 For there were many in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves; therefore the Levites had charge of the slaughter of the Passover lambs for everyone who was not clean, to sanctify them to the LORD. 18 For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good LORD provide atonement for everyone 19 who prepares his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.” 20 And the LORD listened to Hezekiah and healed the people. 21 So the children of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day, singing to the LORD, accompanied by loud instruments. 22 And Hezekiah gave encouragement to all the Levites who taught the good knowledge of the LORD; and they ate throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings and making confession to the LORD God of their fathers. 23 Then the whole assembly agreed to keep the feast another seven days, and they kept it another seven days with gladness. 24 For Hezekiah king of Judah gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep, and the leaders gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep; and a great number of priests sanctified themselves. 25 The whole assembly of Judah rejoiced, also the priests and Levites, all the assembly that came from Israel, the sojourners who came from the land of Israel, and those who dwelt in Judah. 26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. 27 Then the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard; and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, to heaven.
Revivalism is increased spiritual interest or renewal in the life of a church congregation or society, with a local, national or global effect. This should be distinguished from the use of the term "revival" to refer to an evangelistic meeting or series of meetings.
Revivals are the restoration of the church itself to a vital and fervent relationship with God after a period of moral decline. Mass conversions of non-believers are viewed by church leaders as having positive moral effects.
Within Christian studies the concept of revival is derived from biblical narratives of national decline and restoration during the history of the Israelites. Narrative accounts of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah emphasize periods of national decline and revival associated with the rule of various righteous and wicked kings. Hezekiah is notable within this biblical narrative as a figure who reinstituted temple worship of our Great God Yahweh while destroying pagan worship.
Within modern Church history, church historians have identified and debated the effects of various national revivals within the history of the USA and other countries. During the 18th and 19th centuries American society experienced a number of "Awakenings" around the years 1727, 1792, 1830, 1857 and 1882. More recent revivals in the 20th century include those of the 1904–1905 Welsh Revival, 1906 (Azusa Street Revival), 1930s (Balokole), 1970s Jesus Movement), 1971 Bario Revival and 1909 Chile Revival which spread in the Americas, Africa, and Asia among Protestants and Catholics.
In His Great Mercy our Precious Holy Spirit allowed me to be His son during The Jesus movement. It was an Evangelical Christian movement beginning on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s and spreading primarily throughout North America, Europe, and Central America, before subsiding by the late 1980s. Members of the movement were called Jesus people, or Jesus freaks.
Its predecessor, the Charismatic Movement, had already been in full swing for about a decade. It involved mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics who testified to supernatural experiences similar to those recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, especially speaking in tongues. Both of these movements held that they were calling the church back to a closer Biblical picture of Christianity, in which the gifts of the Spirit would be restored to the Church.
The Jesus movement left a legacy of various denominations and other Christian organizations, and influenced both the development of the contemporary Christian right and the Christian left. Jesus music, which grew out of the movement, helped influence and create various musical subgenres under the late 20th and early 21st century contemporary Christian music. This also led to new instruments such as the guitar and drums to be included throughout churches all over the world, in addition to the traditional pianos and organs. Music in other parts of the world were also greatly influenced by the Jesus Movement, such as Central America and the UK. In Central America, Pentecostal churches under the Charismatic Movement began to compose spiritual music called "coros" (fast-paced hymns).
Today we are going to review a spiritual revival during the reign of Hezekiah.
Because of the condition of the Temple it had proved impossible to observe the Passover at the usual time of the year, Nisan (Abib). Thus, Hezekiah now called Israel to observe it on the second moon period. This is the first actual mention of the Passover since the time of Joshua 5.10-11, although 30.26 may indicate that it was observed in the time of Solomon, and 2 Kings 23.22 refers to its observance in the days of the Judges. However, that may be, it is clear here that Passover was now centralized on the Temple rather than being observed in people’s homes, and probably had been for some time as Hezekiah clearly never considered the fact that it could be celebrated away from the Temple. This was in conformity with Deuteronomy 16.1-8.
It is true that 2 Kings 23.22 tells us concerning the Passover in the time of Josiah that ‘no such Passover had been kept since the days of the Judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of Judah’. But this could reflect, firstly that Hezekiah’s Passover was irregular, which Josiah’s was not.
The effort to involve all Israel from Dan to Beersheba, an indication that Hezekiah’s influence, if not his reign, extended far beyond Judah’s borders.
30 And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover to the LORD God of Israel.
Hezekiah sent out messengers to all Israel and Judah, and additionally sent letters to Ephraim and Manasseh. This may suggest that ‘all Israel’ meant all the Israelites living in Judah, the letters to Ephraim and Manasseh being extra. Sending by letter may have been giving extra force to his call. Those outside ‘Judah’ may have required more persuasion, and more official notification. The call was for them to come to the house of YHWH in Jerusalem to keep the Passover to YHWH, the God of Israel. This last may reflect some of the content of the letters. YHWH was the God, not only of Judah, but of all Israel.
2 For the king and his leaders and all the assembly in Jerusalem had agreed to keep the Passover in the second month.
The Passover should have been observed in the first moon period of the year, the moon period of Nisan (ancient name Abib). But this had clearly not been possible, mainly because the Temple was still ‘unclean’. This demonstrates how bad things had become under Ahaz, for otherwise we might have expected some attempt having been made to hold what should have been seen as an important Feast. Love and devotion to the God of Israel, Yahweh, had reached rock bottom. Indeed, the fact that Hezekiah as co-regent had presumably not dared to try to have the Feast observed while his father was alive, demonstrated his father’s hatred of Yahweh.
But now that Hezekiah was on the throne the situation had altered. Yet even he had been unable to get things ready in time for the Feast. Since his accession there had not been enough time. But he considered it so important that he had called together the leaders of Judah to see what could be done. And they had concluded that what they should do was delay the Feast for a month so that it would be held in the second month. There was precedent for this in the fact that in Numbers 9.9-12 provision had been made for those who were unclean at the time of the Passover, or were on a long journey, to observe the Passover in the second moon period instead. As the priests themselves had clearly been unclean in the first month (and many still were) this was presumably seen by the counsel as sufficient grounds for their decision.
3 For they could not keep it at the regular time, because a sufficient number of priests had not consecrated themselves, nor had the people gathered together at Jerusalem.
We are now given further reasons why the Passover had had to be delayed. It was not only because the Temple had not been cleansed, but because the priests had not sanctified themselves in sufficient number, and because the people had got so used to the fact that there would be no Feast that they had not assembled at Jerusalem, as according to the Torah (the Law of Moses) they should have done..
4 And the matter pleased the king and all the assembly.
Both the king and the assembly (no doubt made up of those of the leaders who dwelt in and around Jerusalem, especially those at the king’s court) agreed that the action that they had decided on was the right one. It is an indication of Hezekiah’s determination that things had turned around so quickly.
5 So they resolved to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem, since they had not done it for a long time in the prescribed manner.
Consequently a decree was made that proclamation be made throughout ‘all Israel’ from Beersheba in the extreme South, in the Negev, to Dan in the north. These were the old boundaries of the tribal lands and it brings out the extent of Hezekiah’s influence.
Hezekiah foresaw no difficulty in summoning such Israelites as were still within the old boundaries to Jerusalem to observe the Passover ‘to YHWH the God of Israel at Jerusalem’.
‘For they had not kept it in great numbers in such sort as it is written.’ This rather enigmatic phrase may simply refer to the fact that the Passover had not previously been observed with such large numbers. Or it may indicate that its observance had in the past been relatively poor. Hezekiah was thus to be the one who brought the Passover back into its rightful place as a major Feast.
6 Then the runners went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the king and his leaders, and spoke according to the command of the king: “Children of Israel, return to the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel; then He will return to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria.
We have here an indication of how kings of Judah proclaimed announcements to the people by sending men on horseback with letters addressed to the local leaders as sent from ‘the king and princes’, the latter probably the heads of the tribes and sub-tribes who would be at court. In this case the words were in accordance with the direct authority of the king.
They called on ‘the children of Israel’ (i.e. both Judah and Israel as the posts went throughout both) to turn again to YHWH from Whom they had cut themselves off by idol worship. It will be noted that YHWH is named as ‘the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel (Jacob)’, the God Who had made His promises to their forefathers.
And he assured them that in response YHWH would turn to them as the remnant who had escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria, that is, as those who had not been removed from the land. It is apparent from what is said above that this message went to all the people of both Judah and Israel, although presumably not many men of Judah had been removed from Judah by Assyria at this time, even though they had turned from YHWH. There had not been a mass invasion of Judah by Assyria, although both Edom and Philistia had taken their people captive. But the taking of captives by Assyria was yet to come later in Hezekiah’s reign when he entered into association with others and withheld tribute.
7 And do not be like your fathers and your brethren, who trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, so that He gave them up to desolation, as you see.
They were called on not to be like their fathers and brothers, who had trespassed against the God of their fathers (of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). Could they not see for themselves the consequence of that trespass in that He had given them up to desolation? It was something that they could see simply by looking around them.
8 Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD; and enter His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you.
So they were not to be stiff-necked as their fathers had been, but were to yield to YHWH and join with their brothers in entering into the Sanctuary of YHWH, that Sanctuary which He had sanctified (set apart for His worship) ‘forever’ (. There they were to ‘serve’ YHWH their God by fulfilling all that He required of them in the Torah, so that His fierce anger may turn away from them. To ‘serve’ YHWH included to fulfil the ritual requirements of the Torah.
9 For if you return to the LORD, your brethren and your children will be treated with compassion by those who lead them captive, so that they may come back to this land; for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him.”
Furthermore he promised that if they turned again to YHWH their brothers and their children who had been taken into captivity would find compassion in the eyes of those who had taken them captive, so that they would allow them to return to their own land. This included those who had been taken captive from Judah by Edom and Philistia. And this would happen because YHWH their God was full of unmerited love and favor, and was merciful, and, if they returned to Him, would not turn away His face from them.
It was, of course, a reminder to his readers of what YHWH had done for them in returning them from captivity in the days of Cyrus of Persia. They would be able to join with such captives with a feeling of deep sympathy, and with a sense of joy at what YHWH had done for them.
10 So the runners passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun; but they laughed at them and mocked them.
Hezekiah’s letters, with this message in it, was carried from city to city through the Israelite territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, and even as far as Zebulun. But many in what had once been Israel laughed them to scorn and mocked them. They had lost the fear of YHWH and were content with their idolatry. What was YHWH to them? It was a sad picture of how Israel had fallen.
11 Nevertheless some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.
But it was not true of all. Some men of Asher and Manasseh and Zebulun, now living in Assyrian provinces, humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. Their hearts were hungry after YHWH. They remembered what once had been.
Taking the whole passage, it is apparent that people came from Asher, Zebulun, Issachar (verse 18), Ephraim and Manasseh. The Transjordanian tribes do not appear to have been represented, possibly because the Assyrian province established there was not willing to release any who remained, or possibly because they were no longer seen as Israel. They had never been strictly part of the land. It also must be taken into account that many had been deported from there by earlier kings of Assyria (1 Chronicles 5.26; 2 Kings 15.29).
12 Also the hand of God was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king and the leaders, at the word of the LORD.
But in Judah the response was wholehearted. The hand of God came on them to make them all willing and determined to obey the command of their king and their tribal leaders which was given by the word of YHWH. It might, of course, have been expected that this would be so. They had a deeper sense of loyalty towards Hezekiah their king and were much more likely to be called to account for any failure to respond.
13 Now many people, a very great assembly, gathered at Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month.
As a consequence a great number of people assembled at Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second moon period of the year. And they formed ‘a very great assembly’. Note how the Feast of Passover and the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread were clearly seen as one Feast.
14 They arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they took away all the incense altars and cast them into the Brook Kidron.
Then prior to observing the Feast, they cleansed Jerusalem of its foreign altars of sacrifice, and its altars of incense, which had been used for the worship of false gods. They took them away and cast them into the River Kidron, possibly having ground them to pieces so as to make them more easily disposed of.
The Wadi Kidron (now named the Wadi-en-nar) is a torrent bed which commences north of Jerusalem and passes the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives on its way to the Dead Sea, which it reaches by way of the wilderness of Judea. For much of the year it is dry and sunbaked, being filled with water only in the rainy season.
15 Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought the burnt offerings to the house of the LORD.
The passage ends with the triumphant statement that their purpose was accomplished. On the fourteenth day of the second moon period they killed the Passover, the Passover that should normally have been killed on the fourteenth day of the first moon period. But it was a triumph none-the-less. For as long as most of them could remember the Passover, the celebration of the great delivery from Egypt, had probably not been observed, except possibly by individual godly households.
There now follows a detailed account of the killing of the Passover and of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Normally the Passover lambs would have been slain by the offeror, but due to the fact that many of them had not ‘cleansed’ themselves some of the killing was carried out by the Levites, with the blood then passed in basins to the priests so that they could sprinkle it on the altar. Indeed, it was due to a dispensation from YHWH, at the request of Hezekiah, that those who were ‘unclean’ were able to participate at all.
It is stressed that the Feast was kept with great gladness, to the accompaniment of joyous music by the instrumentalists among the Levites, whilst King Hezekiah himself, together with the leaders of the people, provided the necessary offerings and sacrifices. It was a time of great joy for all.
This may indicate a sanctifying of the priests and Levites previously mentioned as sanctifying themselves, in readiness for the Feast, or it may indicate that further priests and Levites who now came in from the towns also sanctified themselves. The reason the priests and Levites were ashamed was probably because they had not been in a fit state to kill the Passover at the appropriate time, which they should have been. Thus, they now set about sanctifying themselves and as a consequence were able again to bring burnt offerings into the House of YHWH. Things were getting back to normal after the apostasy in the time of Ahaz. It may be that the burnt offerings were a necessary part of their sanctification.
16 They stood in their place according to their custom, according to the Law of Moses the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood received from the hand of the Levites.
Then the priests and the Levites each stood in their appointed places ‘after their order’, that is in the places allotted for them by Moses. The Levites stood ready to receive the blood of the Passover sacrifices in basins, when the sacrifices were offered by the people, and these would then be handed to the priests who would sprinkle it on the altar.
17 For there were many in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves; therefore the Levites had charge of the slaughter of the Passover lambs for everyone who was not clean, to sanctify them to the LORD.
But because in this instance many who had brought Passover sacrifices had not sanctified themselves (usually they would not have been allowed to partake of the Passover in such a state) the Levites slew their sacrifices on their behalf, so that the sacrifices would be sanctified. In the case of those who were sanctified, they killed their sacrifices themselves. By this means all the Passover sacrifices were sanctified.
18 For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good LORD provide atonement for everyone 19 who prepares his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.”
We are here provided with the reason for this departure from the norm. It was because many the people from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not had the opportunity of cleansing themselves (washing their clothes and avoiding anything that was seen as unclean) prior to the Passover due to the speed at which they had had to come to Jerusalem.
We know that later great care was taken over these preparations for Passover, with people arriving early for Passover to ensure that they were ‘clean’ in time for the Passover, and graves being painted white so that no one would inadvertently become unclean by contact with a grave.
Nevertheless, although they had not had opportunity to ensure that they were ‘clean’, these people from Israel did eat the Passover contrary to the instructions in the Torah about the necessity for being ‘clean’. But the situation was made possible by Hezekiah praying for them and asking ‘the good YHWH’ to pardon them for the failing to be cleansed according to the purification of the Sanctuary, because they had set their hearts to seek YHWH, the God of their fathers, after a long time away from Him.
20 And the LORD listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.
And YHWH heard Hezekiah’s prayer ‘and healed the people’. This probably means that He acted to make them ‘clean’ by divine fiat, and thus spared them from the need for chastening. There is no suggestion that any kind of plague had broken out on them.
21 So the children of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day, singing to the LORD, accompanied by loud instruments.
The gladness with which the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Brad was celebrated is now stressed, and will continue to be stressed. It was a time of great joy and rejoicing. YHWH was again their God. The phrase ‘the children of Israel’ includes both Israel and Judah all seen as one. And along with their rejoicing the priests and Levites praised YHWH day by day, singing and loudly playing their instruments.
22 And Hezekiah gave encouragement to all the Levites who taught the good knowledge of the LORD; and they ate throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings and making confession to the LORD God of their fathers.
That Hezekiah was deeply moved at the singing and playing of instruments comes out in that he now spoke in a heartfelt way to these musicians, that is, all the Levites who had good understanding in the service of YHWH. His heart was opened to YHWH, and he commended those who were leading the worship. There was nothing nominal about his participation.
So, all who were present ate throughout the Feast for the seven days, offering peace-offerings (which would be the source of the food as well as being offered in worship to YHWH), and ‘making confession’ to the God of their fathers, that is, honoring Him and confessing Him as their Lord and their God.
23 Then the whole assembly agreed to keep the feast another seven days, and they kept it another seven days with gladness.
When the end of the seven days was approaching so enthusiastic were the participants that they gathered together and determined to continue for another seven days. This was in line with the way in which a similar thing had happened at the original consecration of the Temple. Rather than hurrying back to their farms they wanted to be involved in further worship. Revival was in the air, and they observed another seven days with gladness. The whole of Israel was being carried along on a wave of exhilaration.
24 For Hezekiah king of Judah gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep, and the leaders gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep; and a great number of priests sanctified themselves.
This extension was made possible because Hezekiah and his ‘princes’ contributed further bullocks and sheep over and above what had already been offered. And these too were offered and participated of by the whole assembly, a process requiring the sanctifying of a great number of priests.
The numbers probably indicate a large herd of bullocks and seven large flocks of sheep supplied by Hezekiah himself, and a further large herd of bullocks and ten large flocks of sheep contributed by the princes. It is doubtful if they were specifically counted, and ‘a thousand’ regularly indicates a large indefinite number (i.e. ‘the cattle on a thousand hills’).
25 The whole assembly of Judah rejoiced, also the priests and Levites, all the assembly that came from Israel, the sojourners who came from the land of Israel, and those who dwelt in Judah.
The whole assembly rejoiced together. They included the people of Judah, the priests and Levites, all who had gathered out of Israel, and all those of Israel who had previously settled in Judah in the days of Rehoboam (11.13-17) and Asa (15.9).
26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.
So Jerusalem was filled with joy because of what had occurred, for nothing like it had previously occurred in Jerusalem since the days of Solomon, the son of David, the King of Israel. This may have in mind the celebrations at the inauguration of the Temple, or it may contain memories of hat life was like in Solomon’s time. There seems to be some attempt in this to compare Hezekiah with Solomon. The great days were here again.
27 Then the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard; and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, to heaven.
This would appear to refer to the end of the Feast. At this point the priests and Levites arose and blessed the people, probably in the words of the blessing in Numbers 6.22-27. And YHWH heard their voice, for their prayer came up to His holy habitation, even to Heaven. YHWH’s seal was clearly on what had happened resulting in His blessing falling on all Israel.
