~
The Restoration of Temple Worship and the Feast of Passover ~
Introduction ~ King
Hezekiah was raised up by God to rule at a crucial time in history. He began his reign at the age of 25 and
reigned until he was 54. He did right in
the sight of the Lord.
Great
Cleansing ~ “And they gathered
their brethren, sanctified themselves,
and went according to the commandment of the king, at the words of the Lord, to cleanse the house of the Lord. Then the priests went into the inner part of
the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and brought out all the debris that they found in the temple of the Lord to the court of the house of the Lord. And the Levites took it out and carried it to
the Brook Kidron. Now they began to sanctify
on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they
came to the vestibule of the Lord.
So they
sanctified the house of the Lord
in eight days, and on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished. Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said,
‘We have cleansed all the house of the Lord, the altar of burnt offerings
with all its articles, and the table of the showbread with all its articles. Moreover all the articles which King Ahaz in
his reign had cast aside in his transgression we have prepared and sanctified; and there they are, before the
altar of the Lord’” (2 Chronicles 29:15-19). …
Great
Sacrifices ~ … “Then King
Hezekiah rose early, gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house
of the Lord. And they brought seven bulls, seven rams,
seven lambs, and seven male goats for a
sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. Then he commanded the priests, the sons of
Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord. So they killed the bulls, and the priests
received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. Likewise they killed the rams and sprinkled
the blood on the altar. They also killed
the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar.
Then they brought out the male goats for
the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and they laid their
hands on them. And the priests killed
them; and they presented their blood on the altar as a sin offering to make an atonement for all Israel, for the king commanded that the burnt offering
and the sin offering be made for all Israel” (2 Chronicles 29:20-24).
Great
Hindrances ~ “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. Nevertheless some from
Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem” (2
Chronicles 30:10-11). …
Great
Unity ~ … “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. Now many
people, a very great assembly, gathered at Jerusalem to keep the Feast of
Unleavened Bread in the second month” (2 Chronicles 30:12-13).
Great
Joy ~ “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. 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” (2
Chronicles 30:26).
Great
Blessing ~ “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” (2 Chronicles 30:27).
~
Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT
LIFE NOW
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