2 Kings 18 Hezekiah Pt 1

King Hezekiah of Judah takes the throne. Hezekiah’s first act after taking the throne is to restore the Temple of the Lord.

Hezekiah’s story is spread out in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. I’m going to try putting them together into one story. It is a LONG story, so I’m breaking it up into bite sized pieces. It will be one big piece when it goes into the Bible Stories for Adults collection. Today, we get our main story from 2 Chronicles 29.

Judah has not always been faithful to the Lord. Ahaz, Hezekiah’s father, boarded up the Temple and brought in altars to other gods. Hezekiah will right ALL of his wrongs. He starts with the Temple, then moves out from there. Let’s rejoin our journey as we watch Judah’s heart turn back to the Lord.

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Hezekiah stands tall, wearing his abba’s crown. He is NOTHING like his abba, and he quietly rebels against calling him “abba” but that is the custom and it shows respect. Ahaz was as far from the Lord God as possible. That is NOT how Hezekiah lives. He stays as close to the Lord as possible. And he is determined to draw the people back to the Lord as well. He has seen the damage that distance has caused.

Hezekiah’s first act is to reopen the Temple and CLEAN IT OUT of EVERYTHING that is not of the Lord. He doesn’t even wait until the days of mourning are completed for his abba. His first full day on the throne has him issuing commands. “Summon the priests and the Levites. They are to assemble in the square on the east by noon this day.”

Hezekiah would have liked an earlier time, but he decided to give the priests and Levites time to come together. It has been some time since they had any true work to do for the Lord. What they had done under his abba, was NOT ‘true’ work. It was filth.

As the priests and Levites assemble in the place proclaimed by Hezekiah, he watches their faces. Some are curious, some are bored, and some are expectant. He prays that, after he speaks with them, they will all be excited. Once everyone is assembled and giving him their undivided attention, Hezekiah sets out the order of things to come in Judah, and most importantly, why.

“Hear me, Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the Holy Place. For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They have forsaken him and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord and turned their backs. They also shut the doors of the vestibule and put out the lamps and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the Holy Place to the God of Israel. Therefore the wrath of the Lord came on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has made them an object of horror, of astonishment, and of hissing, as you see with your own eyes. For behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, in order that his fierce anger may turn away from us. My sons, do not now be negligent, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him and to be his ministers and make offerings to him” (2 Chronicles 29:5-11).

As Hezekiah hoped, each face now shows an excitement and readiness to do exactly as Hezekiah is commanding. A zeal for the Lord was rebirthed in the hearts of the Levites. “Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah; and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; and of the sons of Heman, Jehuel and Shimei; and of the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel” (2 Chronicles 29:12-14) are the first to embrace the king’s directive. They begin that day consecrating themselves to the Lord.

After a seven-day purification period, the work on the Temple begins. The priests throw open the doors of the vestibule and go into the Holy place for the first time in years. They start with removing everything that is not of the Lord. They remove the moldy bread along with the items brought into the Holy place to honor other gods. Many tears are shed as they find piece after piece of desecrating items and signs of neglect.

Once these are gathered, they are taken out to the center of the courtyard and put into a growing pile. The Levites gather these items and take them to the brook Kidron. Just beyond the brook Kidron lay the Valley of the Son of Hinnom. This was the place where Ahaz had burnt his son on the altar. It was a despicable place. The despicable things were broken into pieces at the brook Kidron, then flung into the refuse where they belonged.

While some of the Levites were destroying the things of other gods, MANY more were removing the largest apostacy from the Temple of the Lord. That item was the altar that Oded built to Ahaz’s specifications.

As no tool was to be used within the House of the Lord, the Levites had to carry it beyond the gates and dismantle it in the city streets before they could take it to join the rest of the refuse near the brook Kidron.

When the despicable altar was out of the way, the Levites moved the bronze altar back into its place. They replaced the bronze basin back onto the backs of the twelve bulls, and repaired as many of the stands as they could.

As this is taking place in the courtyard, the priests are cleaning away the dust and cobwebs in the holy place. Debate began over how to handle the Holy of Holies.

“Do we go in and clean it?”

“The Lord is strong enough to keep the place where His presence rests clean.”

“How do we know though? And if it isn’t clean, what will that do to His mercy on Judah?”

“The high priest should go in and do an inspection. If it needs cleaning, he will be the one to clean it.”

This arrangement sounded right to all the priests. The high priest put the customary bells and rope around his ankle. He also said a prayer before moving through the veil. “Lord God of all creation, of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. Please pardon my intrusion into Your holy place. I mean only to render aid, to clean what has been made unclean. Grant me mercy to perform this task in Your honor.”

Taking a deep breath, the high priest moves through the veil, not knowing what to expect. When he entered the Holy of Holies, he feels the presence of the Lord envelop him; welcoming him. The high priest reverently looks around the Holy of Holies for any defiling items. Seeing none, he breathes a sigh of relief. Then he begins to inspect for cobwebs and dust. There is not even a speck of dust on the ark of the Lord or on the large cherubim that stand over it. There are no cobwebs, even in the highest corners, but there is a ring of light dust on the floor. It extends from the corners up to a circular space the holds the cherubim and the Ark. The high priest quickly takes a rag and wiped the dust away, singing quiet praises to the Lord the whole time. When all is clean, he walks back over in front of the veil. He bows his body and walks backwards until he is through the veil and it resettles in front of him.

The priests who kept watch outside the veil want so much to question him as to what he found. But their spirits restrain them. “IF the high priest wants to share with us, we will listen” they decide.

As the Temple of the Lord is being cleaned, oil for the lamps is also undergoing its purification process. The lamps cannot be relit until there is proper oil for them. When everything is ready, inside and outside of the Temple, the priests and Levites choose five among themselves to go to the king.

The small group is ushered into the throne room and Hezekiah looks to them with excitement and anticipation. It has only been 16 days since he called them to consecrate themselves and do the work.

“We have cleansed all the house of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the table for the showbread and all its utensils. All the utensils that King Ahaz discarded in his reign when he was faithless, we have made ready and consecrated, and behold, they are before the altar of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 29:18-19).

Hezekiah is overjoyed! He leaps to his feet and begins praising the Lord right there in his throne room! “Lord God of our fathers, THANK YOU for allowing us the honor of restoring Your house to You. Thank You for blessing the work of the hands of Your servants. We look forward to worshiping You within Your Temple the way You ordained in Your statutes.”

After a moment of silent reflection, Hezekiah looks to the Levites and priests. “We will consecrate the Temple again to the Lord tomorrow morning. We will wait no longer.” He turns to his scribe. “Take a message to all the city officials. ‘Tomorrow we will meet together as one and come before the Lord. Be ready first thing in the morning. Have the Levites whom David charged with making music and singing praises to the Lord at their posts.’ Let the people know as well. ALL are invited, and encouraged, to come before the Lord.”

The group of priests and Levites bow before the king, then quickly make their way back to the Temple to make preparations for the next day. The instruments are set out, the robes hung to ensure no wrinkles, and each man is assigned his place.

Hezekiah has to work hard this night to settle his mind so he will be fresh in the morning. He is excited about all that is to come. He finally goes over the psalms of David that have served him throughout his years for comfort and rest.

Before the sun even breaks above the mountains, Hezekiah is up and getting ready for the day. He hurries out the door and toward the Temple. He is looking around, trying to find anyone who is as excited about this day as he is. He spots seven or eight growing groups standing by the gates, as more people join them in their wait. His heart soars with the knowledge that the people are seeking the Lord as well.

As the sun leading edge of the sun barely peeks over the top of the lowest hills, the people have gathered for what is to come. Hezekiah hears the sounds of the animals as well as spots several within the crowd. The people are prepared to make their sacrifices to the Lord.

Before retiring to bed last night, Hezekiah instructs his herdsmen to have the appropriate sacrifice ready this morning. Waiting for him are seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats. The goats will be used for the sin offering; for the people, the Temple, and the kingdom.

Everyone is ready. The musicians are in place, the priests wait at the entrance to the courtyard, the Levites stand ready for whatever task is assigned, the animals wait with their tenders, and the people wait for the ceremony to begin. Hezekiah motions to the priests to begin.

The priest beckons the animal tenders forward with the sacrifice. The groups of animals are led to the Levites. The bulls are first. Their throats are slit all at the same time. Their blood is drained out into seven bowls, which are given to the priests. The priests take the blood and throw it against the sides of the altar. All four sides receive the blood. The rams are next and then the sheep. While one group is being slaughtered, the previous group is being skinned and cut into the appropriate portions for the altar. Once the bulls’, rams’, and sheep’ blood has been applied to the altar, the process waits for the last of the animals to be prepared for the altar. This next offering to the Lord requires all the people to partake in it. The goats are the sin offering prescribed in the Law.

The goats are first brought before the king. He places his hand upon the head of one of the animals. The officials of the city do likewise, each choosing whichever goat approaches him. The goats are then brought out into the crowd. The people press in around the seven goats, laying their hands on the animal’s head. The procession of goats does not return to the entrance to the Temple until everyone present has had the opportunity to place their hand on the head of one of the goats.

After everyone has placed their sin upon the goats, they are led back to the entrance of the Temple. The Levites slaughter the goats and collect their blood. The priests receive the blood and it is thrown against the altar as well. The goats are quickly cleaned and prepared for the altar.

“Place the burnt offering on the altar” commands Hezekiah.

As soon as the offering touches the grates, the Levites with the instruments begin to play. Those assigned to sing raise a praise song to the Lord. The torch is touched to the coals of the altar and the people join in the song of praise. The worship is spontaneous and filled with sweet praise to the Lord. It rings through the city and reverberates off the nearby hills. It fills the hills and valleys around Jerusalem. And it fills the heart of the Lord.

The song of praise continues throughout the entire time the burnt offering is being consumed by the fire. Once it is completely burnt up, Hezekiah commands the Levites to sing another song of worship. When this song begins to rise from the lips and hearts of the Levites, the king and the entire congregation bow themselves in worship.

Once the song ends. The people all rise. Hezekiah addresses the people. “You have now consecrated yourselves to the Lord. Come near; bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 29:31).

The people begin brining their offerings to the Lord. There were so many offerings made that day that the priests could not do all the work alone. The Levites, who had consecrated themselves to the Lord helped the priests. The priests who had not consecrated themselves to the Lord begin their purification ritual that same day. It won’t help their brothers this day, but it will set right what was made wrong.

“The number of the burnt offerings that the assembly brought was 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the Lord. And the consecrated offerings were 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep” (2 Chronicles 29:32-33). “Besides the great number of burnt offerings, there was the fat of the peace offerings, and there were the drink offerings for the burnt offerings. Thus the service of the house of the Lord was restored” (2 Chronicles 29:35).

(to be continued)

I have to break here for our story. I’m excited and wanted to go on, especially since I remembered that I have a portion of Hezekiah’s story already written. But that portion of his story isn’t until a bit later. I don’t want to overwhelm anyone with the size of Hezekiah’s story on this blog. Needless to say, stay tuned for more of his story!

I LOVE Hezekiah’s story! He is such a contrast to his father AND his son. In the normal course of heredity, one would expect him to follow in his father’s footsteps. Or his son to walk somewhere near his. But Hezekiah is like a mountain peak between to deep valleys. I don’t understand how that happens. Maybe it was the mothers who raised the children. Was Hezekiah the only one with a godly mother? Did the fathers interact with the children, enough to influence their development? This makes me wonder who their role models were.

Having godly role models is not a guarantee for raising godly children, but it is the BEST place to start. Even in a ‘broken home’ it is still possible to have godly role models in the children’s lives. You have to seek them out though.

I failed to do this with my children. I tried to be both ‘father’ and mother to them. I purposefully did not date while they were growing up. When their father left us, I swore to myself that I would not bring a string of men (daddy of the month) into their lives. I did not even date for the first time until my last child was in high school. I wanted to protect my children from harm that might come. Did my ‘protecting them’ actually harm them? Is this maybe the reason they are struggling with their relationship with the Lord now?

Father God, repair the damage I did in my children’s lives please. I didn’t see this side of things until now. I can’t go back and fix things. I also know that the way their father treated them after leaving us did a lot of damage. Heal those holes please Father God. Bind up their broken pieces. Fill the empty places in their hearts with your Love. And show them that YOU are the one their hearts have been searching for all their lives. I leave them again in Your hands.