February 29: 2 Chronicles 30

Joyful Celebration!

NOTE: This is the last entry for the 60 Days of Praying for Revival. I will continue to post entries two or three times a week, but if you want to follow them, please subscribe to this blog. I will not be flooding The Southern Methodist Church FB page or Prayer for The Southern Methodist FB page with posts. If you have found that thinking with me about Scripture has been helpful, I will be glad to have you on this journey with me. I will continue to pray for revival until it comes.

What a wonderful way to end the 60 Days of Praying for Revival. This is how we would want our journey to end, just as they did in the days of Hezekiah.

The Backdrop for Celebration (30:1-12)

The occasion for the celebration was the preparation to host a grand Passover celebration in Jerusalem. King Hezekiah sent letters to all Israel and Judah to come there  to the celebration. Passover was one of the most important of the Feasts of the LORD. These were, as Leviticus 23 points out, what God calls “My feasts” and were to be celebrated “as a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places” (Leviticus 23:14). This was one of the three feasts that the men of Israel were required to attend. We have lost the significance of these feasts, not only for Israel, but for all the children of Abraham, who by faith in Jesus Christ, inherit the promises and enjoy the fulfillment of many of these feasts.

They quickly realized that they could not celebrate the feast at the appointed time, for the priests had not consecrated themselves and the people had not had sufficient time to arrive. Hezekiah circulated a proclamation and sent letters and couriers to deliver them and they would celebrate the Passover in the second month rather than the first as prescribed.

The invitation went thus:

“The couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with the letters from the hand of the king and his princes, even according to the command of the king, saying, “Sons of Israel, return to the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that He may return to those of you who escaped and are left from the hand of the kings of Assyria. “Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were untrue to the LORD God of their fathers, so that He made them an object of horror, just as you see. “Now do not stiffen your neck like your fathers, but yield to the LORD and enter His sanctuary which He has consecrated forever, and serve the LORD your God, that His burning anger may turn away from you. “For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and your sons will find compassion in the presence of those who led them captive, and will return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.”” (2 Chronicles 30:6-9, NASB)

We should not be surprised that there were many who laughed at the invitation and mocked the couriers. These hard-hearted souls had forgotten the faith that had sustained them throughout their history, but there were some who “humbled themselves” and came to Jerusalem.

“The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the LORD.” (2 Chronicles 30:12, NASB)

When a large number of people had gathered in Jerusalem, they immediately began to remove what remained of idolatrous worship. The priests and Levites had consecrated themselves, because they were ashamed of their laxity. They faced many in the assembly who were not consecrated to participate in the celebration, so they worked hard to prepare the people for the feast.

“For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim and Manasseh, and Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good LORD pardon everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.” So the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people.” (2 Chronicles 30:18-20, NASB)

They had not followed the prescribed rules concerning the Passover celebration, but they were sincere in their desire to worship their God and He forgave them and accepted their worship.

The rest of the passage is marked by the joy the people experienced in the celebration. They celebrated “with great joy” and “praised the LORD day after day with loud instruments to the LORD” (verse 21). They decided to celebrate another seven days, “so they celebrated the seven days with joy” (verse 23). “And all the assembly of Judah rejoiced” (verse 25).

“So there was great joy in Jerusalem, because there was nothing like this in Jerusalem since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. Then the Levitical priests stood and blessed the people; and their voice was heard and their prayer came to His holy dwelling place, to heaven.” (2 Chronicles 30:26-27, NASB)

I want to close my comments on these 60 Days of Prayer for Revival by noting that a missing ingredient in our times of celebration and worship is this kind of and level of joy. Rejoicing and joy should characterize our times of meeting and fellowship. People need to see that there really is “joy in serving Jesus!” May God help us to experience a revival that fills our hearts with joy and rejoicing.