2 Chronicles 30:13-27 - Homilies By T. Whitelaw

A national Passover at Jerusalem.

I. THE CELEBRATING CONGREGATION .

1 . Large. "Much people; … a very great congregation" ( 2 Chronicles 30:13 ). Though this was usual at the chief religious festivals of the nation, probably so vast a concourse of people as assembled at Jerusalem in answer to the king's invitation, in the second month of the first or seventh year of his reign (see preceding homily), had not been witnessed since the days of Jehoiada ( 2 Chronicles 23:2 ) or of Asa ( 2 Chronicles 15:9 , 2 Chronicles 15:10 ). Something stimulating and impressive in the sight of a crowded city, even when its seething population drifts aimlessly about, much more when all are swayed by a common feeling and moved by a common impulse.

2 . Mixed. Composed of

3 . United. All actuated by one purpose—that of keeping the Feast of Unleavened Bread (verse 13), which probably none of them in their lifetime had ever done. It was such a festival as could be rightly celebrated only by a united people, and such as was fitted to draw closer the bonds of union between the celebrants.

4 . Resolute. Prepared to undergo any sacrifices and attempt any labours necessary to carry the feast through with success, determined to be hindered by nothing and no one from their great act of religious homage to the Lord God of their fathers (verses 19, 22).

5 . Joyous. Inspired with feelings of gladness (verse 23), even "great gladness" (verse 21), and "great joy" (verse 26), which found expression in peace offerings and penitential confessions (verse 22), accompanied by vocal and instrumental strains, and abated not during the seven days of the feast proper (verse 21), but sustained the people throughout seven superadded days (verse 23). Indeed, so high ran the enthusiasm, and so overflowing became the joy, that nothing like it had been witnessed since the days of Solomon, when the dedication of the temple had been celebrated by a double period of rejoicing ( 2 Chronicles 7:1-10 ). The occasion certainly was fitted to excite gladness—the return of the nation to its allegiance to Jehovah. So is the soul's return to God in penitence, faith, and holy obedience a cause of jubilation not only in heaven ( Luke 15:7 , Luke 15:10 ), but also on earth ( Acts 8:8 ); and not among spectators merely, but also in the souls of them who return ( Luke 24:52 ; Acts 8:39 ; Romans 5:11 ). Moreover, the service of God and Christ should always be accompanied with gladness, as in gladness it will invariably result ( Psalms 64:10 ; Isaiah 48:18 ; Isaiah 51:11 ; Romans 14:17 ; 1 Thessalonians 5:16 ).

II. THE CELEBRATED FESTIVAL .

1 . The zeal of the people.

2 . The behaviour of the priests and Levites.

3 . The piety of the king.

(a) To whom addressed. "The good Lord." Goodness an attribute of the Divine nature ( Psalms 25:8 ; Psalms 34:8 ; Nahum 1:7 ), in its ideal character belonging only to him ( Matthew 19:17 ), infinite in its measure ( Exodus 34:6 ) and excellence ( Psalms 36:7 ), unwearied in its operation ( Psalms 33:5 ; James 1:5 ), ever-during in its continuance ( Psalms 52:1 ).

(b) For whom presented? "Every one that prepareth [Authorized Version, or 'setteth' Revised Version] his heart to seek the Lord God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary;" i.e. for every one who approached God with earnestness and resolution, "preparing and setting his heart"—in the margin, "his whole heart" ( 2 Chronicles 15:12 ; Psalms 119:2 ); with humility and faith, seeking "the Lord God of his fathers" thereby acknowledging he believed in Jehovah as his rightful Lord, and had sinned in turning aside to idolatry ( 10:10 ; 1 Samuel 12:10 ; 2 Chronicles 6:37 ; Psalms 106:6 ; Jeremiah 14:7 ); with obedience and submission, embracing the right way of seeking God, in Jerusalem ( Deuteronomy 12:5 ), at his temple ( Exodus 25:8 ), through the sacrificial worship by him appointed ( Hebrews 9:13 )—as under the New Testament dispensation no one can approach God acceptably except through Christ ( John 14:6 ), though with imperfection and defect in external ceremonial—which showed that the be, t spirits in the Hebrew Church had some conception of the spirituality of all true worship of God, of the value of real heart-adoration even when accompanied by errors in form, and of the worthlessness of the most externally correct, complete, aesthetically beautiful, and perfect performance when divorced from the inner homage of the heart.

(c) What it sought. The pardon of every one who had approached the Divine altar without complying with the Divine prescription as to self-purification. A sin of ignorance in case of some, in that of others a sin of involuntary disability, it was nevertheless a violation of the divinely appointed order, as real though not as heinous as that of Uzziah ( 2 Chronicles 26:18 ), and as such fitted to evoke a display of Divine anger similar to that which fell on Uzziah.

(d) How it fared. "The Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people" (verse 20); which may signify either that symptoms of bodily malady had begun to appear among the people, or that Hezekiah feared they would. In either case Hezekiah's prayer was successful for his people, as afterwards was his supplication for himself ( 2 Chronicles 32:24 ). Cf. the intercession of Abraham for the cities of the plain ( Genesis 18:23-32 ), of Moses for Israel ( Exodus 32:31 , Exodus 32:32 ), of David for his people ( 2 Samuel 24:17 ), of Daniel for Jerusalem ( Daniel 9:17-19 ), of Paul for his converts ( Ephesians 3:14 19; Philippians 1:3-9 ).

(a) The recipients of it. "All the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the Lord" (Authorized Version), i.e. "who were more skilled and able to instruct" others in the proper method of worshipping Jehovah (Piscator); or, more accurately, "all the Levites that were well skilled in the service of Jehovah" (Revised Version), or as regards Jehovah; i.e. "who had distinguished themselves by intelligent playing to the honour of the Lord" (Keil).

(b) The spirit of it. He spake comfortably, or to the heart, of all. No doubt there were degrees of excellence amongst the players and their music, but the king made no distinction in his treatment of them; he spake to the hearts of all His words of encouragement and good cheer were needed by all, perhaps most by those least skilled who yet were doing their best. Leaders of men, pastors of Churches, and such-like, sometimes forget this, and, by making distinctions between the more gifted and the less, do injury to both—inflate the former with pride, and cast down the latter with discouragement.

(a) Munificent. Hezekiah presented to the congregation a thousand bullocks and seven thousand sheep.

(b) Catching. "The princes gave to the congregation a thousand bullocks and ten thousand sheep."

(c) Timely. It enabled the people to carry out their good resolution to prolong the feast for seven more days.

(d) Appreciated. It filled the people's hearts with gladness, and doubtless contributed largely to entwine their affections round the person and the throne of the king.

Learn:

1 . The duty of not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together for Divine worship ( Hebrews 10:25 ).

2 . The excellence of unity among the people of God ( Psalms 132:1 ; Acts 4:32 ; 1 Corinthians 1:10 ).

3 . The joyous character of all true worship ( 1 Chronicles 16:27 ; Psalms 32:11 ; c. 1, 2; Luke 24:52 ; Ephesians 5:18 , Ephesians 5:19 ).

4 . The acceptableness of sincere worship even when mingled with imperfection ( Acts 10:35 ).

5 . The beauty as well as propriety of Christian liberality ( Exodus 23:15 ; 2 Corinthians 8:9 ).—W.