2 Chronicles 30

2 Chronicles 30:1

FEAST OF PASSOVER RESTOREDHere is another wonderful thing this man did. Remember that his father had carried on warfare against the northern kingdom, and many of those from Judah had been taken captive. You might think that Hezekiah would have come to the throne with a spirit of vengeance in his heart and with a spirit of getting even. But notice that after he had opened up the temple of God, restoring the worship of God and giving his own public testimony, he sends an invitation to the northern kingdom to come and worship God. What a wonderful, marvelous spirit this is!

2 Chronicles 30:2

Authority for observing the Passover in the second month, instead of the first, is given in Num_9:10-11. Although the invitation, which Hezekiah sent into the northern kingdom, was rejected and ridiculed by some, many responded and came to keep the Passover with their brethren.

2 Chronicles 30:15

The people had come from all over Israel, and some of them were not sanctified.

2 Chronicles 30:18

This, I think, is one of the loveliest things Hezekiah did. When he sent invitations to the people of Israel in the north, many came down out of the different tribes to Jerusalem to worship. But, you see, these people have been without the Word of God all their lives. They had been living in the northern kingdom, in the place of idolatry, and yet they had a hunger and a desire to serve God and to obey Him. When they came down for the feast, they were supposed to have been cleansed, to have prepared their hearts for the Passover, and they hadn’t done that. They went ahead and ate the Passover without knowing that they should have been cleansed.

When it was told to Hezekiah, he prayed for them: “The good Lord pardon every one.” Isn’t that a lovely thing which he did for them? It was ignorance on their part. Their hearts had been seeking the Lord, but they didn’t understand that they had to be purified. The Lord listened to the prayer of Hezekiah and healed the people. This reveals that the form and the ceremony are not the important things. God is interested in the condition of the hearts of the people.

What a wonderful, glorious lesson this is here.

2 Chronicles 30:21

They were having such a wonderful time, that they decided to extend the feast for another week.

2 Chronicles 30:23

This was a joyous return to the Lord and to His Word.

2 Chronicles 30:26

Now I want you to notice this man Hezekiah. His father, old Ahaz, had made idolatry the state religion in Judah. Now Hezekiah begins to rid the land of idols.