2 Crônicas 30
Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
2 Crônicas 30
Spurgeon - To those who feel unfit for the communion ‘A multitude … had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every one that prepareth his heart to seek God … though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.’ 2 Chronicles 30:18–20 If Hezekiah and his people won the blessing and ‘praised the LORD day by day, singing with loud instruments unto the LORD’, we may look for the same joy and holy exultation. They ‘kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness’. If there is any place where we are bound to be glad, it is at the Lord’s Supper. This is no funeral feast, no memorial of one who lies rotting in the grave. Here we remember that Jesus died, but also hear those prophetic words, ‘till he come.’ He lives and shall come with all the glory and majesty of heaven to claim the kingdoms as his own and to judge the nations in equity. Therefore have we joy as we come to the table. It is a memorial of a death by which the life of myriads was purchased, the memorial of a great struggle which ended in the most glorious of victories. ‘It is finished’ is the banner which waves over us. Such a victory is a joy for ever; let it be gladly commemorated. Here we celebrate the feast of pardoning love delighting itself in being enabled justly to spare the guilty. Here is the feast of redeemed bondsmen, the jubilee of emancipation from everlasting slavery. We come as those that are alive from the dead to feast with him who was slain, but has risen again and become our life and joy. Bring ‘an instrument of ten strings’ and the psaltery; let every string be awakened to ecstasy on behalf of Jesus, to set forth in worthy notes his passion and triumph. SUMMARY - The passage presents worship—especially at the Lord’s Supper—not as a somber funeral but as a joyful celebration of Christ’s finished work and living triumph. Just as Hezekiah and Israel rejoiced with praise and glad feasting, believers come to the Table remembering Christ’s death and proclaiming His resurrection and return. The Supper celebrates a decisive victory—sin forgiven, slavery broken, life secured—marked by jubilation, gratitude, and wholehearted praise to the risen Lord. 2 Chronicles 30:19 everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.” everyone who prepares his heart to seek God: 2Ch 19:3 20:33 1Sa 7:3 1Ch 29:18 Ezr 7:10 Job 11:13 Ps 10:17 Pr 23:26 though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary Lev 12:4 15:31-33 21:17-23 22:3-6 Nu 9:6 19:13-20 Related Passages: 2 Chronicles 19:3+ “But there is some good in you (JEHOSHAPHAT) for you have removed the Asheroth from the land and you have set your heart to seek God.” 1 Samuel 7:3+ Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, (CONDITIONAL PROMISE) “If you return to the LORD with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him alone; and (THE PROMISE - DELIVERANCE) He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” HEARTS PREPARED TO SEEK GOD GOD FORGIVES SEEKING HEART This verse completes the sentence in Hezekiah's prayer which began "May the good LORD pardon" everyone who prepares his heart to seek (darash) God, the LORD God of his fathers - To “prepare the heart” means to intentionally turn one’s inner life toward God, to repent, humble oneself, and commit to knowing and obeying Him. Preparing the heart describes genuine spiritual readiness, grounded in faith and repentance, the inward condition God values most. God, the LORD God of his fathers - Yahweh, the eternal covenant God Who revealed Himself to the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In context, this title, “the Lord God of his fathers,” intentionally connects the repentant worshipers from the Northern Kingdom the faith of their ancestors. Stated another way, by invoking “the Lord God of his fathers,” Hezekiah is appealing to the continuity of covenant mercy, so that the same God Who redeemed Israel from Egypt, brought them through the wilderness, and gave them the Law now hears the prayer of those who return to Him in repentance. God esteems inner devotion above outward conformity. Prepares his heart to seek God describes a person who intentionally turns the very center of his being—his thoughts, will, and affections—toward the Lord in humility and sincerity. In the Hebrew language, the idea of “preparing the heart” (הֵכִין לֵב - hekin lev) implies purpose, effort, and determination. It suggests that seeking God is not a passive response but an act of deliberate commitment. The heart must be “made firm” or “established” toward the Lord, rejecting all idols, distractions, and competing loyalties. This same concept appears throughout Scripture. In 1Sa 7:3+, the prophet Samuel told Israel, “Direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone, and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines”. Likewise, 2Ch 12:14+ describes Rehoboam’s failure when it says, “He did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.” The difference between obedience and sin in those stories is not mainly about ceremony or ritual but about whether the heart is fixed on God in faith and repentance. When Hezekiah prayed for those who “prepared their hearts,” he recognized a truth that runs through all of Scripture, that God esteems inner devotion above outward conformity. The prophet Joel conveyed this divine priority when he called Israel to repentance, saying, “Rend your heart and not your garments. Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness, and relenting of evil” (Joel 2:13+). The same truth is echoed in the New Testament. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for outward ritualism without inward repentance, quoting Isaiah: “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me” (Mt 15:8+). THOUGHT - To “prepare one’s heart to seek God” today means to approach Him with repentance, faith, and love, trusting not in one’s own works but in the righteousness of Christ. It is an invitation to realign the whole self—mind, will, and emotions—toward the living God. The Lord still honors this kind of devotion, forgiving those who come to Him sincerely, even when their practical obedience is incomplete. Thus, this verse beautifully portrays the gospel in miniature: a holy God pardons the sinner who sets his heart to seek Him, because the grace of God always meets the soul that genuinely turns toward Him. Though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary - Under the Mosaic Law, anyone participating in sacred ceremonies had to undergo ritual purification (washing, abstaining from defilement, waiting certain days, etc.) before entering the temple or eating of holy things (see Leviticus 11–15; Numbers 9:6–14). But many of those present at Hezekiah’s Passover had not followed these procedures. Their neglect was not open rebellion but ignorance and limitation — they wanted to obey but did not know or have time to perform all the prescribed rites. Thus, Hezekiah prayed that God’s grace would cover these deficiencies since their hearts were right: they prepared their hearts to seek Him even if their outward purification was incomplete. Bob Utley "everyone who prepares his heart to seek God" This will become the reality of the gospel message! The heart is the key (see note at 2 Chr. 7:14; John 4). 2 Chronicles 30:20 So the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people. healed: Ex 15:26 Ps 103:3 Jas 5:15,16 YAHWEH HEARD AND HEALED So the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people - God accepted Hezekiah's prayer because the people’s hearts were genuinely turned toward Him, even though their external observance was imperfect. God looks at the internal, not the external! In His mercy, God pardoned (forgave) them instead of judging them. God graciously looked beyond ritual deficiency and responded to sincere faith. God’s mercy met their imperfection and healed them, showing that His grace is extended not to those who perform flawlessly but to those who sincerely desire Him. 🙏 THOUGHT - To prepare your heart, you must humble yourself before God, acknowledging your sin and your inability to cleanse yourself. In Ps 51:10+ David asks “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” This prayer from David reveals that true God pleasing heart-preparation is something God Himself accomplishes within us when we turn to Him in repentance and ask Him for a clean heart! In a prophetic passage Moses says to Israel in Dt 4:29+ “But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.” Seeking God calls for a whole hearted approach, not a half-hearted approach! This calls for a Spirit enabled whole-hearted act, giving Him the highest place in our life, above every competing desire or distraction. Preparing your heart also involves cleansing it from divided loyalties. The prophet Samuel told Israel, “Direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him alone” (1Sa 7:3+). This requires turning away from sin and idols, anything that competes with God’s rightful place in your life. Proverbs echoes this calling us to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Pr 3:5–6+). In other words, to prepare your heart means choosing to jettison self-reliance and rely fully on God, aligning your life and motives with His Word. This process of preparing your heart or directing your heart is both deliberate and ongoing. The psalmist said, “I will run in the way of Your commandments, for You will enlarge my heart” (Ps 119:32+). When you yield to God’s Word and seek His truth through prayer and obedience, He expands your heart’s capacity to love and follow Him. The act of preparation is not about perfection but direction—putting your heart on a path that leads toward God, trusting Him to transform you along the way. Therefore, preparing your heart to seek God means coming before Him with sincerity, humility, and desire, letting His Word of truth guide your mind, His Spirit to cleanse your conscience, and His love to direct your will. When you do this, you will find that God meets you with grace and reveals Himself to you (Jn 14:21+). As Jeremiah 29:13 promises, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Finally, since we live in a world that seeks to continually defile our hearts, we need to daily, enabled by God's Spirit determine to "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." (Pr 4:23+). 2 Chronicles 30:21 The sons of Israel present in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy, and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day after day with loud instruments to the LORD. celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days Ex 12:15 13:6 Lev 23:6 Lu 22:1,7 1Co 5:7,8 with great joy,: 2Ch 30:26 7:10 De 12:7,12 16:14 Ne 8:10 Ac 2:46 Php 4:4 the priests praised the LORD day after day: 2Ch 20:21 29:25-27 with loud instruments: Heb. instruments of strength, Ps 150:3-5 OBEDIENCE OVERFLOWS IN GREAT JOY The sons of Israel present in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great joy, and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day after day with loud instruments to the LORD. This statement describes a sustained period of joyful, obedient worship in which the people of Israel fully observed God’s appointed feast, while the Levites and priests led continual, exuberant praise, showing that true obedience to God’s Word produced both communal gladness and ongoing, God-centered worship rather than a momentary religious enthusiasm. John Walton - Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was established to memorialize the deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt (see comment on Ex 12:14–20). It was one of three annual festivals and was normally observed on the fourteenth day of the first month. For seven days unleavened bread was eaten and no manual labor was done. Sacrifices were offered on the first and last days of the month (Num 28:16–25; Deut 16:1–8). 2 Chronicles 31:21 He did it with all his heart and prospered. The man who does his business with all his heart, is sure to prosper. To put your heart into your work is like genius manipulating common materials, till their worth becomes priceless, just because of what has been put into it. The heart stands for the emotions and affections. What the furnace is to the factory or steamship, that the heart is in the economy of our nature. It is a great thing to love our life-work, to have an aim that kindles us whenever we think of it. Those who are so happily circumstanced, cannot be sufficiently thankful. But what of those who are bound to a work which they did not choose and do not like, who find their daily toil irksome and distasteful— is there any help for them? Can they possibly learn to do such work from their hearts? Certainly: because of Him who set it, and for whom it may be done. Love performs the most onerous duties with all its heart, if they conduce to the comfort and help of those whom it loves more than itself. Does not a mother or wife perform tasks from which the hireling would shrink? She does them with all her heart, not considering for a moment the loathesomeness and hardness of the demand. So if we look at our life-work as God-appointed; if we realize that He has fixed it for us, who determined the orbits of the stars; if we can hear the voice of Jesus saying, “Do this for Me”— there is no further thought of hardship or distaste. Remember to do all your life-work for Jesus; do all in His name and for His glory; ask Him to fill your. heart with submissive, loyal obedience, and you will find that when you introduce the personal element of Christ-service into the meanest acts, they will glisten like a piece of gold-tapestry. When every task is embraced as God-appointed and done wholeheartedly for Christ’s glory, even the humblest work is transformed into priceless service that prospers because the heart, energized by love and obedience, gives it eternal worth. Matthew Henry Notes: 2Ch 30:21-27 SUMMARY - After the Passover, Hezekiah led Israel in a seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread marked by extraordinary joy, generosity, worship, and spiritual renewal: abundant peace offerings—lavishly supplied by the king and princes—enabled communal feasting as a sign of reconciliation and communion with God; earnest prayers and confessions accompanied the sacrifices; Levites faithfully taught the Scriptures, restoring the Word after years of neglect; daily psalms and music filled the temple with praise; and such delight attended the worship that the people willingly extended the celebration another seven days, setting aside ordinary concerns out of zeal for God. The entire assembly, including many from afar, rejoiced as Jerusalem had not since Solomon’s day, and the festival concluded with the priests’ solemn blessing—ratified by God Himself—sending the people home crowned with joy and assurance that prayers offered in worship return as showers of divine blessing. After the passover followed the feast of unleavened bread, which continued seven days. How that was observed we are here told, and every thing in this account looks pleasant and lively. 1. Abundance of sacrifices were offered to God in peace-offerings, by which they both acknowledged and implored the favour of God, and on part of which the offerers feasted with their friends during these seven days (2Ch 30:22), in token of their communion with God and the comfort they took in his favour and their reconciliation to him. To keep up this part of the service, that God's altar might be abundantly regaled with the fat and blood and his priests and people with the flesh of the peace-offerings, Hezekiah gave out of his own stock 1000 bullocks and 7000 sheep, and the princes, excited by his pious example, gave the same number of bullocks and a greater number of sheep, and all for peace-offerings, 2Ch 30:24. By this God was honoured, the joy of the festival was kept up, and the strangers were encouraged to come again to Jerusalem. It was generously done of the king and the princes thus plentifully to entertain the whole congregation; but what is a great estate good for but that it puts men into a capacity of doing so much the more good? Christ feasted those that followed him. I believe neither Hezekiah nor his princes were the poorer at the year's end for this their pious liberality. 2. Many good prayers were put up to God with the peace-offerings, 2Ch 30:22. They made confession to the Lord God of their fathers, in which the intent and meaning of the peace-offerings were directed and explained. When the priests sprinkled the blood and burnt the fat they made confession, so did the people when they feasted on their part. They made a religious confession of their relation to God and dependence upon him, a penitent confession of their sins and infirmities, a thankful confession of God's mercies to them, and a supplicatory confession of their wants and desires; and, in all these, they had an eye to God as the God of their fathers, a God in covenant with them. 3. There was a great deal of good preaching. The Levites (whose office it was, Deu. 33:10) taught the people the good knowledge of the Lord, read and opened the scriptures, and instructed the congregation concerning God and their duty to him; and great need there was of this, after so long a famine of the word as there had been in the last reign. Hezekiah did not himself preach, but he spoke comfortably to the Levites that did, attended their preaching, commended their diligence, and assured them of his protection and countenance. Hereby he encouraged them to study hard and take pains, and put a reputation upon them, that the people might respect and regard them the more. Princes and magistrates, by owning and encouraging faithful and laborious preachers, greatly serve the interest of God's kingdom among men. 4. They sang psalms every day (2Ch 30:21): The Levites and priests praised the Lord day by day, both with songs and musical instruments, thus expressing their own and exciting one another's joy in God and thankfulness to him. Praising God should be much of our work in our religious assemblies. 5. Having kept the seven days of the feast in this religious manner, they had so much comfort in the service that they kept other seven days, 2Ch 30:23. They did not institute any new modes of worship, but repeated and continued the old. The case was extraordinary: they had been long without the ordinance; guilt had been contracted by the neglect of it; they had now got a very great congregation together, and were in a devout serious frame; they knew not when they might have such another opportunity, and therefore could not now find in their hearts to separate till they had doubled the time. Many of them were a great way from home, and had business in the country to look after, for, this being the second month, they were in the midst of their harvest; yet they were in no haste to return: the zeal of God's house made them forget their secular affairs. How unlike those who snuffed at God's service, and said, What a weariness is it! Or those who asked, When will the sabbath be gone? The servants of God should abound in his work. 6. All this they did with gladness (2Ch 30:23); they all rejoiced, and particularly the strangers, 2Ch 30:25. So there was great joy in Jerusalem, v. 26. Never was the like since the dedication of the temple in Solomon's time. Note, Holy duties should be performed with holy gladness; we should be forward to them, and take pleasure in them, relish the sweetness of communion with God, and look upon it as matter of unspeakable joy and comfort that we are thus favoured and have such earnests of everlasting joy. 7. The congregation was at length dismissed with a solemn blessing,2Ch 30:27. (1.) The priests pronounced it; for it was part of their office to bless the people (Num. 6:22, 23), in which they were both the people's mouth to God by way of prayer and God's mouth to the people by way of promise; for their blessing included both. In it they testified both their desire of the people's welfare and their dependence upon God and that word of his grace to which they commended them. What a comfort is it to a congregation to be sent home thus crowned! (2.) God said Amen to it. The voice of the priests, when they blessed the people, was heard in heaven and came up to the habitation of God's holiness. When they pronounced the blessing God commanded it, and perhaps gave some sensible token of the ratification of it. The prayer that comes up to heaven in a cloud of incense will come down again to this earth in showers of blessings. 2 Chronicles 30:22 Then Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good insight in the things of the LORD. So they ate for the appointed seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the LORD God of their fathers. KJV And Hezekiah spake comfortably unto all the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the LORD: and they did eat throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings, and making confession to the LORD God of their fathers. NET Hezekiah expressed his appreciation to all the Levites, who demonstrated great skill in serving the LORD. They feasted for the seven days of the festival, and were making peace offerings and giving thanks to the LORD God of their ancestors. NIV Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites, who showed good understanding of the service of the LORD. For the seven days they ate their assigned portion and offered fellowship offerings and praised the LORD, the God of their fathers. NLT Hezekiah encouraged all the Levites regarding the skill they displayed as they served the LORD. The celebration continued for seven days. Peace offerings were sacrificed, and the people gave thanks to the LORD, the God of their ancestors. Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites: Heb. to the heart of all, 2Ch 32:6 Isa 40:1,2 Ho 2:14 who showed good insight : 2Ch 15:3 17:9 35:3 De 33:10 Ezr 7:10,25 Ne 8:7,8,18 9:3 2Ti 4:2 the good: Pr 2:6,7 8:6 Joh 17:3 2Co 4:6 Php 3:8 giving thanks to the LORD God De 26:3-11 Ezr 10:11 Ne 9:3 HEZEKIAH ENCOURAGED THE SERVANTS OF THE LORD Then Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good insight in the things of the LORD - Hebrew literally reads “Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites,” thus to “speak encouragingly” means to speak words that strengthen, comfort, and inspire the heart. Levites who showed good insight in the things of the LORD - The Levites were not just performing rituals but were demonstrating spiritual understanding in how they led worship and applied God’s law. They grasped both the outer form and inner meaning of the sacrifices, music, and ceremonies, knowing that worship must flow from hearts aligned with truth (Deut 6:5; John 4:24). Hezekiah recognized this kind of deep understanding and honored it So they ate for the appointed seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the LORD God of their fathers - In Hebrew worship, eating at a festival was part of worship itself. Meals were not ordinary suppers but fellowship feasts before God, marking participation in His covenant. During this feast, they ate unleavened bread (symbolizing purity) and portions of the peace offerings that were now being offered in abundance. The peace offering was a voluntary sacrifice expressing thanksgiving, fellowship, and reconciliation with God (Leviticus 3; 7:11‑15). A portion of the animal was burned on the altar to God. A portion went to the priests. The rest was eaten by the worshiper and his family in a joyful meal near the sanctuary. It symbolized peace with God (from shalom, meaning wholeness or reconciliation). Because the Passover had brought atonement, they could now enjoy peace offerings — signs that they were reconciled and restored. Their repentance was met with forgiveness, and forgiveness produced peace — expressed through shared meals of worship. So peace offerings were fitting — they were not to remove sin (that was what sin offerings were for) but to celebrate forgiveness received. EXCUSUS ON PEACE OFFERING (CF THANK OFFERING) - In Scripture, the peace offering (also called the fellowship offering) was not a propitiatory gift meant to placate God but a voluntary covenant sacrifice expressing thanksgiving, fulfilled vows, or joyful communion after reconciliation had already been established (Lev. 7:11–21; 3:1–17). Offered as a concluding sacrifice following offerings that addressed sin and consecration, it celebrated restored fellowship with God, family, and community, highlighting joy rather than appeasement (Lev. 9:18–21). The offering could be male or female from the herd or flock, without blemish, with hands laid on the animal, its blood sprinkled around the altar, and the choicest parts—fat, kidneys, and the lobe of the liver—burned to the LORD as His portion (Lev. 3:2–5; 7:3–5), while the breast and right thigh were given to the priests as wave and heave offerings (Lev. 7:28–34). Uniquely, the remaining portion was eaten by the worshiper within a prescribed time, symbolizing shared fellowship with God and affirming that He provides sustenance rather than extracting payment (Lev. 7:15–18). Thus the peace offering testified that God’s favor is rooted in grace, not human appeasement (Eph. 2:8–9), anticipating the New Covenant reality in which believers offer spiritual sacrifices of praise and living devotion through Christ, whose sacrifice alone secures true peace with God (Rom. 12:1; Heb. 13:15; Rom. 5:1). 2 Chronicles 30:23 Then the whole assembly decided to celebrate the feast another seven days, so they celebrated the seven days with joy. Then the whole assembly decided 2Ch 30:2 to celebrate the feast another seven days: 2Ch 7:9 1Ki 8:65 Related Passages: 1 Kings 8:65 So Solomon observed the feast at that time, and all Israel with him, a great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt, before the LORD our God, for seven days and seven more days, even fourteen days. EXTENDING THE FEAST NOT SATISFIED TO CEASE Then the whole assembly decided to celebrate the feast another seven days, so they celebrated the seven days with joy - So delighted were the people in the LORD’s presence that the whole assembly resolved to extend the feast another seven days, continuing their celebration with overflowing joy. Bob Utley "another seven days" One wonders if this is a purposeful link to Solomon's two-week dedication of the temple in 2 Chr. 7:8-10. 2 Chronicles 30:24 For Hezekiah king of Judah had contributed to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep, and the princes had contributed to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep; and a large number of priests consecrated themselves. had contributed to the assembly: Heb. lifted up, or offered, 2Ch 35:7,8 1Ch 29:3-9 Eze 45:17 Eph 4:8 a large number of priests consecrated themselves. 2Ch 29:34 HEZEKIAH'S GENEROSITY FUELS WORSHIP For Hezekiah king of Judah had contributed to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep, and the princes had contributed to the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep; and a large number of priests consecrated (qadash; LXX - hagiazo) themselves - Hezekiah and the princes underwrote the celebration with extraordinary generosity, supplying thousands of sacrifices, while many priests consecrated themselves, ensuring that worship was both abundant in provision and holy in preparation. John Walton - Hezekiah’s provision of animals. It appears that the king is providing much of the meat for a religious communal feast for those in attendance. These numbers are large but are not out of proportion with some of the other figures found in ancient Near Eastern literature. When King Ashurnasirpal II throws a dedication party for his palace in the Assyrian capital city of Calah, he provides 5,000 sheep, 1,000 lambs and cattle, 500 deer, 500 gazelles, 34,000 fowl, and 10,000 fish (879 B.C.). 2 Chronicles 30:25 All the assembly of Judah rejoiced, with the priests and the Levites and all the assembly that came from Israel, both the sojourners who came from the land of Israel and those living in Judah. both the sojourners: 2Ch 30:11,18 Ex 12:43-49 rejoiced: 1Ch 16:10,11 Ps 92:4 104:34 WORSHIP UNITED THE NATION All the assembly of Judah rejoiced, with the priests and the Levites and all the assembly that came from Israel, both the sojourners who came from the land of Israel and those living in Judah - The entire assembly rejoiced together—Judah, the priests and Levites, Israelites from the north, and even resident sojourners—showing that shared obedience to the LORD dissolved old divisions and united all who came into one joyful worshiping community. Bob
2 Crônicas 30
Spurgeon - Morning and Evening - Their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place, even unto heaven.” —2 Chronicles 30:27 Prayer is the never-failing resort of the Christian in any case, in every plight. When you cannot use your sword you may take to the weapon of all-prayer. Your powder may be damp, your bow-string may be relaxed, but the weapon of all-prayer need never be out of order. Leviathan laughs at the javelin, but he trembles at prayer. Sword and spear need furbishing, but prayer never rusts, and when we think it most blunt it cuts the best. Prayer is an open door which none can shut. Devils may surround you on all sides, but the way upward is always open, and as long as that road is unobstructed, you will not fall into the enemy’s hand. We can never be taken by blockade, escalade, mine, or storm, so long as heavenly succours can come down to us by Jacob’s ladder to relieve us in the time of our necessities. Prayer is never out of season: in summer and in winter its merchandise is precious. Prayer gains audience with heaven in the dead of night, in the midst of business, in the heat of noonday, in the shades of evening. In every condition, whether of poverty, or sickness, or obscurity, or slander, or doubt, your covenant God will welcome your prayer and answer it from his holy place. Nor is prayer ever futile. True prayer is evermore true power. You may not always get what you ask, but you shall always have your real wants supplied. When God does not answer his children according to the letter, he does so according to the spirit. If thou askest for coarse meal, wilt thou be angered because he gives thee the finest flour? If thou seekest bodily health, shouldst thou complain if instead thereof he makes thy sickness turn to the healing of spiritual maladies? Is it not better to have the cross sanctified than removed? This evening, my soul, forget not to offer thy petition and request, for the Lord is ready to grant thee thy desires. The Miracle Goes On Their voice was heard; and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, to heaven. —2 Chronicles 30:27 Did you ever think of a prayer meeting as a miracle? That thought came to my mind one evening at church after we divided into small prayer groups. As someone in each group prayed, I heard several people talking to God at the same time. It sounded like a jumble of words. But that’s the miracle. God was hearing each prayer—along with millions of others being lifted to Him around the world in many different languages. For those of us who reach frustration levels when two children are talking to us at the same time, it is indeed a miracle that God can hear so many of His children simultaneously. Consider the story of Hezekiah’s Passover celebration. He called for the Israelites to join him in Jerusalem for praise and prayer (2 Chronicles 30:1). Multitudes came for what turned into a 2-week-long worship service. Huge numbers of people rejoiced and praised God at the same time (v.25). As the religious leaders prayed, “their voice was heard; and their prayer came up . . . to heaven” (v.27). God hears us when we call to Him, He does not miss one voice; The knowledge that He always hears Should cause us to rejoice. —Sper You'll never get a busy signal on the prayer line to heaven. QUOTES FOR REFLECTION: PAUL APPLE - DEVOTIONAL QUESTIONS: 1) Why is it sometimes necessary to be flexible in light of exceptional circumstances? 2) What steps did Hezekiah take to pursue the unity of all of God’s people? 3) Do we place enough importance on the priority of purification and consecration? 4) How does God show His gracious and compassionate character to those who seem far removed from His presence and favor? Raymond Dillard: This chapter functions on a number of levels for the Chronicler as he seeks to address the needs of his contemporaries. (1) It raises once again the theme of exile and restoration. The path to a restored kingdom is the path of cultic fidelity. This message is pressed home through the observance of Passover, itself a commemoration of redemption and release from bondage to a foreign power. (2) The Chronicler never tires of portraying the validity of his theology of immediate retribution. Particularly in this chapter he seeks to show the efficacy and validity of Solomon’s prayer and God’s promise, an efficacy he understood as relevant for his own generation as well. (3) Hezekiah is presented as an embodiment of the ideal Davidic successor. He is another David/Solomon ruling over a united kingdom with the support of the populace. It is hard to escape the conclusion that the Chronicler held out this portrayal also in speaking of future possibilities and hopes for his own generation. (SEE 2 Chronicles, Volume 15 - Page 244) Andrew Konkel: The motif of spiritual preparedness through repentance is a development found in the postexilic prophets, in Zechariah in particular. The Chronicler cites couriers who, at the king’s command, give a message throughout Israel and Judah employing the word sub (turn) successively, first in an appeal for a return to the Lord of the covenant (2Ch 30:6a), so that (second) the Lord might return to the remnant that had escaped from Assyria (2Ch 30:6b). Third, God will then turn away the anger of his judgment (2Ch 30:8b) if (fourth) they return to the Lord (2Ch 30:9a), because he is a compassionate God, who (fifth) will allow them to return to their land (9b), and (sixth) will not abandon them if they will return to him (2Ch 30:9c). The Chronicler is deliberately extending the words of Zechariah 1:3: “’Turn to me,’ utterance of the Lord of hosts, ‘and I will turn to you’” says the Lord of hosts” (AT). Zechariah continues with the exhortation not to be as their ancestors, who balked when the prophets appealed to them to turn (sub) from their evil ways (2Ch 30:4; cf. 2 Chron 30:7). The fierce anger of God against the former generation was nothing other than the curse of the covenant (Zech 1:5-6; cf. 2 Chron 30:8). They had no other recourse but to repent (sub), for God had acted exactly as he said he would (Zech 1:6b). The wordplay on sub, as adopted by the Chronicler to point the way toward restoration, continues a significant theological development. (Believers Church Bible Commentary – 1 & 2 Chronicles.) Peter Wallace: I would suggest that there is a transformation of the Passover from the original event to the celebration of that event. Think of the Lord’s Supper. We don’t do exactly what Jesus did at the Last Supper. Rather, that Supper has taken on a ritual form, as Paul describes it in 1 Corinthians 11. (In other words, within a generation, the ritual meal displaced the original) The same thing happened to the Passover 1400 years earlier! The people of Israel did not try to “replay” the original Passover – rather, following the clear teaching of Moses, they commemorated it. Likewise, we do not try to “replicate” the original “Last Supper,” rather, following the clear teaching of the apostles, we commemorate it. Clearly, by Deuteronomy, the Passover is no longer just a family celebration. Here in 2 Chronicles, it goes a step further, and now it is the priests and Levites who slaughter the Passover lambs on behalf of the unclean (suggesting that those who were clean slaughtered their own lambs); in Ezra 6:20, after the exile, we hear that the priests and Levites slaughtered all of the Passover lambs. Some people have been perplexed at the variety of directions given regarding Passover. Usually, they are the same people who tend to be “statute-oriented” and who think that God should always be very precise in saying exactly what we need to do, so that everything is cut and dried, and there is no ambiguity in our duty. So when they hear that at one time God commanded that you should not boil the lamb, and then later they hear a command to boil the lamb, they insist on translating the words differently. When they hear that at one time the head of household was to slaughter the lamb, and then they hear that the priests slaughtered all the lambs, they insist that the priests were violating the law of God! I would suggest that they are missing the point. The point is what the Reformed tradition has articulated as the “Regulative Principle of Worship.” The Regulative Principle says that we should only do in worship what God has said we should do. But the Regulative Principle also distinguishes between the “elements” of worship and the circumstances. The elements of worship are the basic things: the Word, sacraments, and prayer. The circumstances are pretty much everything else! Even many of the detailed regulations in the OT were “circumstantial.” Think about our text here in 2 Chronicles 30. Two of the basic actions of the Passover are very clear from the Pentateuch: - the Passover lamb should be slaughtered on the 14th day of the first month; and - only those who are both circumcised and ceremonially clean may partake of the Passover. Neither of those basic rules are observed in this case! Hezekiah and the priests were convinced that the fundamental principle of the Passover was the celebration of God’s saving Israel from Egypt – and that everyone who desired to remember that great salvation should be admitted to the Passover, regardless of ceremonial status. (Sure, in future years, you should make sure that you are ceremonially clean – but if we wait until we are clean before we do this, it’ll never happen!) And notice God’s response: 2Ch 30:20 And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people. In other words, the LORD entirely approved of Hezekiah’s distinction between the essential actions of the Passover, and the circumstantial regulations that were designed to promote the holiness of the Passover. Chronicles is not saying that we can play fast and loose with God’s law – but Chronicles is saying what Jesus will say about the Sabbath: “Passover was made for man, not man for the Passover.” If you are so strict in your adherence to the law that you destroy the point of the law, then you have not truly kept the law! There is an important lesson here. Some have used this text to say that outward actions aren’t that important: the heart is what really matters. But that’s not the point at all. After all, if you think about what is happening here, the whole point of the story is that Israel (all Israel – not just Judah) is doing something outward together! It’s true that they are setting aside certain regulations regarding clean/unclean. But they are setting aside the sanctuary’s rules of cleanness – in other words, they are relaxing some of the purity laws so that the heart can be properly expressed in the outward actions of worship. . . The rigid and heartless application of God’s law leads to legalism and sterility. The loose and lax neglect of God’s law leads to license and rebellion. The equitable and prudent application of God’s law leads to great joy and gladness – with Levites and priests singing with all their might, the King encouraging those who are skilled in the service of the LORD, and all the people rejoicing and giving thanks. https://media-cloud.sermonaudio.com/text/112012211396.pdf F.B.