Subscribe to BBC on Apple, Spotify , or Amazon.
What does “zeal for your house will consume me” look like today?
In 2 Chronicles 29, zeal for God’s house consumes Hezekiah as it did Jesus in John 2. Paul says now we’re God’s temple in 1 Corinthians 3. So purifying God’s temple begins with purifying ourselves. What we look at and fill our minds with. How we use our time.
Hezekiah’s Blueprint for Comeback: 2 Chronicles 29
The story of Hezekiah and his passion for worship in 2 Chronicles 29-31 is a ray of hope in a long line of lukewarm kings. The Chronicler is using this story from the returned exiles’ past to give them hope for the future.
And nothing is more important to our Chronicler (who we suspect is a priest) than instilling in the exiles a desire to rebuild the Temple and worship. When their people were exiled, it was the ultimate divine discipline. The Temple is their only chance for relational restoration.
The key phrase about Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 29:1-2 is “just as his father David had done.” Hezekiah is considered to be in the top five most faithful kings of the Old Testament. In fact, he is often listed as number two.
Hezekiah’s success can be attributed to doing what was right in God’s eyes. Such a seemingly simple objective…to do what is right. The clincher is that it must be right in God’s eyes, not just in our own eyes.
Like David, Hezekiah locked eyes on God and stuck with Him for the most part. He wasn’t perfect. However, after five kings who failed to be faithful in our last episode, it is a relief to read that it can be done.
Hezekiah begins by doing five things to right Judah’s relationship with God. The first, in 2 Chronicles 29:3, is to reopen and repair the Temple. Then, in 2 Chronicles 29:4-9, he commands the priests and Levites to sanctify themselves and the Temple.
This is what sets Hezekiah apart from the other kings. He learned from the divine discipline his father faced for his unfaithfulness in our last chapters.
Learning from Failure
In verse six Hezekiah says, “Our parents were unfaithful.” And in verse eight he goes on, “Therefore, the anger of the Lord has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem. This is why our fathers have fallen by the sword and why our sons and daughters and our wives are in captivity.”
Hezekiah realizes he has a chance to learn from the past and seek relational restoration with the one true God of Israel. To do that, he takes the people back to their roots in Moses. He reinstates all the tenets of a right relationship with God: Temple purification, worship, and sacrifice.
He isn’t the only king with such a passion. There will be another King to come from the line of David who is passionate about Temple cleansing in John 2:13-17.
Hezekiah Gets Down to Business
Hezekiah’s third action in 2 Chronicles 29:10-14 is to make public his intention to seal the relationship with a covenant. But before they can have a covenantal ceremony, the Temple must be purified in 2 Chronicles 29:15-19.
Once the temple is purified, Hezekiah follows the laws of Moses with covenantal sacrifices in 2 Chronicles 29:20-24. With the sacrifices underway, Hezekiah does the right thing by following David’s prescription for worship with music in 2 Chronicles 29:25-36.
Hezekiah is often considered second only to David. Like David, his passion for worship, his humility, and his get-it-done leadership demonstrate a heart for the Lord.
Hezekiah didn’t mess around. He pursued right and clearly made it his business to know for sure what was right.
Nowhere does it say he relied on advisors or friends to figure it out, which is remarkable considering his father was the foolish King Ahaz. Hezekiah is no fool. He is reading the Lord loud and clear.
Hezekiah watched the nation suffer divine discipline, and he learned his leadership is a chance for relational restoration. He will make it happen.
From Egypt to Eternity: The Power of Passover
Hezekiah does what is right and invites all Israel to remember and renew their faith. His invitation is to the combined celebration of two major religious feasts.
Passover commemorates God’s deliverance of Israel out of Egypt where Moses commanded each Israelite family in Exodus 12 to slaughter a lamb and paint its blood over the door so the angel of death would “pass over” their house.
The Festival of Unleavened Bread commemorates God’s deliverance of Israel out of Egypt in haste. For seven days this bread made in a hurry without yeast is the only bread they eat. Today it is called Matzah bread. It’s like a cracker.
It is important for us to remember God delivered Israel from Egypt and God delivered us from sin. The Last Supper was a Passover Meal in Luke 22:7-20 when Jesus explained He is the “Passover Lamb.”
The Passover is the Israelites’ celebration of the blood of the lamb that saved them that night. Our Easter is the celebration of God’s provision of a lamb, His Son, whose blood saved us from our sin for eternity.
Nobody Is Left Out: 2 Chronicles 30
At this time, the Northern Kingdom has already fallen to Assyria. Thousands of Israelites have been deported, but there are still some Israelites left in the land.
King Hezekiah has not forgotten them. They are tribes of the sons of Jacob and therefore heirs to the promise if they return to God.
So in 2 Chronicles 30:1 Hezekiah sends out his invitation for all of Judah and Israel to join him in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread.
This is another key way Hezekiah has a mind and heart for the Lord. Like David, Hezekiah still holds on to God’s vision for all of Israel. Not just Judah in the south.
This is an interesting thought for us to ponder. We live in a time when isolation and loneliness are on the rise. Many people are living in a depressing darkness.
What can we invite them into? How can we cast the light of Christ into their loneliness?
How to Share Your Faith
Some scorned the invitation in 2 Chronicles 30:2-12. Others remembered God, humbled themselves, and accepted the invitation. There is always a remnant.
It’s much the same today. The invitation to believe in Jesus is available to all if we make it available. King Hezekiah, like the Apostle Paul in Romans 10:1-17, wanted every Israelite to have the chance for a relationship with God.
God desires that we all will be saved and have a relationship with Him. Christ is the culmination of the law, making that relationship possible.
If you declare with your mouth “Jesus is Lord,” believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, and you are baptized, you will be saved. Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word about Christ.
We must carry that message and invite others into the light of the Word of God. Invite them to dinner. Invite them to church. If they won’t go to church, invite them to listen and discuss the Bible Book Club podcast with you.
Go on a walk together. Listen, pause at any point, answer their questions. Share your journey of faith and what God has done for you.
In Hezekiah’s day, as today, some will decline the invitation. But as in 2 Chronicles 30:13-20 some will humble themselves and accept the invitation to listen and believe.
Hezekiah’s Pastoral Heart
Hezekiah is a rare example of love for the law and love for the people. His treatment of the people reminds us of how Jesus treated the people. He cares about the laws, but He also sees the heart of the people.
Hezekiah prays for the people to receive God’s grace even when, in their ignorance, they don’t do everything right. God is pleased with Hezekiah’s love for his sheep, and He honors his prayer by healing the people.
This is a special moment in Israel’s history. Nothing like it has happened since the days of Solomon, and our Chronicler paints a heavenly picture for the exiles.
Imagine a national gathering where every hotel, home, and street is packed with people all there for one reason…to worship. And the worship is so beautiful that despite the crowded circumstances no one is complaining.
No one is fighting for a table or frustrated with the service. In fact, everyone just wants it to continue.
So in 2 Chronicles 30:21-27 they stay seven more days, and the result is precious. God hears them because their prayers reached His holy dwelling place in heaven.
The Ripple Effect of Faithfulness: 2 Chronicles 31
Because of Hezekiah’s leadership, the people’s relationship with God is restored. They respond by following his example and ridding the nation of idols in 2 Chronicles 31:1.
This one man’s willingness to learn from past divine discipline gave an entire nation the opportunity for relational restoration in 2 Chronicles 31:2-21. And because this one man made it his mission to seek the Lord, the nation is blessed.
You may not lead a nation, but where do you have influence in your life? With your family, friends, coworkers or neighbors? How will you use your influence today?
🎧 Ready to dive deeper? Listen to episodes of the Bible Book Club Podcast here.
