2 Chronicles 29
by Pastor Mark Hudson
The coverage of Hezekiah’s reign begins in 2 Chronicles 29 and goes through chapter 32. Hezekiah is given a large portion of this book. One observation we will make is that Hezekiah’s father was Ahaz, who was not a godly king, rather Ahaz provoked “to anger the Lord, the God of his fathers” (28:25). Yet, Hezekiah was a godly king, for the most part. In fact Hezekiah reversed some of the things his father did. So we see that a godly child can come from ungodly parents.
But sadly, Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son took after his grandfather. “He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” (33:2). We may be puzzled by this if we think our child’s salvation is a given if we are believers. We may take pride in that fact that our children are believers when we see other believing parents who have an unbeliever or more in their immediate family. But if salvation is of God’s grace, we may see what we observe here. Sometimes ungodly parents have godly children and vice versa.
In verse 3, we read that Hezekiah starts off his reign with a bang. He opened the doors of the temple that his father had shut (28:24). Ahaz was given over to idolatry but Hezekiah led a renewal. His work in the first month harkens back to Solomon who immediately began to work on the temple after he received wisdom from God.
Hezekiah gathers the priests and the Levites and tells them that they will lead the way. He commands them to clean up the temple and consecrate themselves. He tells the truth about “our fathers” (his Dad is certainly part of this group – actually the leader). Hezekiah tells them because their fathers did this, “the wrath of the Lord came on Judah and Jerusalem” (v. 8). He personally covenants with God to restore rightful worship by following God’s commands. Hezekiah tells the Levites and priests to lead this nation back to God.
The Levites get to work. After that exhortation, a small group of leaders then organize the rest of the Levites. One name might look familiar if you just read Leviticus. In Lev 10 Elizaphan carried out Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu. Now his sons are “carry(ing) the filth from the Holy Place” in verse 5. Each Levitical family is represented: Kohathites, Merarites, and Gershonites. As there are two from these families, there are 2 from Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun to lead singing (I Chr. 25). This took 16 days when they reported their completion to the King.
Hezekiah is just getting started. In verse 20 and following Hezekiah gathers the officials of the city and they all go up to the house of the Lord. He commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer animals on the altar of the Lord. All these phrases refer to Hezekiah’s adherence to God’s Word: 7 of the animals, sin offering, for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah, the house of the Lord, priests, sons of Aaron, etc. Hezekiah is not just doing his own thing. He is following God’s Word and putting worship front and center in this revival.
Notice all you who favor books, theology, and study (looking at people like me), Hezekiah institutes singers and musicians according to the commandment . . . from the Lord through His prophets. Music and sacrifice belong together. Music and the Word of God always belong together. We ought to value all the work, preparation, coordination, and nurture of people that go into our corporate worship. The effect? “They sang praises with gladness, and the bowed down and worshipped.” What the Chronicler writes in v. 30 is why people lead worship: they want you to worship with gladness.
In the last verse, 36, everyone is rejoicing in God for what God had done. It had to be God, “for the thing came about suddenly.” Don’t think Hezekiah wasn’t planning because he obviously was gathering, commanding, instructing, leading, etc. But Hezekiah could not make people glad nor could any one person bring about such renewal.
For any group of Christians to experience God’s richest blessing, we must follow God’s Word. If there is an earnestness, a serious commitment to obey Him, we might see His unusual blessings. We need constant teaching, regular worship, heartfelt obedience, and a prayerful approach to all we do. We need to stir up our longings for God with the means of grace so we are constantly filled with the Spirit.
Our dear, caring, loving, heavenly Father, direct us to Your Word so that we humble ourselves before You and listen to what You want to say. Pour out Your Holy Spirit and draw us to adore, cherish, and love Your Son. Help us to turn away from the sin that so easily entangles us. We need and want to experience more of You. We want to know You in a deeper, more genuine, more intimate way. Draw us to You, we pray. Draw others to You so we experience Your love in ways we never have before. We pray this for Your glory alone. In Christ’s name. Amen.