Day 240 Reading Schedule: 2 Chronicles 29-31

2 Chronicles 29: Hezekiah Cleanses the Temple

[Contents Overview]

Hezekiah was one of the three great saints of southern Judah and is known for his religious reforms. This chapter begins with Hezekiah's command to cleanse the temple (vv. 1-11), followed by an account of the temple being cleansed (vv. 12-19). It then records Hezekiah's sin offering (vv. 20-24), the congregation's worship of the Lord (vv. 25-30), and the congregation's thanksgiving (vv. 31-36). Thus began Hezekiah's reign by cleansing the temple and restoring their relationship with God.

2 Chronicles 30: King Hezekiah's Passover Observance

[Overview]

This chapter records Hezekiah's reinstatement of the Passover feast and its nationwide observance. The cleansing of the temple and restoration of the sacrificial rituals mentioned in the previous chapter were primary efforts to restore the relationship with God. The Passover ritual in this chapter, on the other hand, is a reminder of God's redemption so that we can be conscious of Yahweh as our savior. This section of the book records Hezekiah's command to observe the Passover (vv. 1-5), the king's army of auxiliaries (vv. 6-9), and the people's conflicting responses (vv. 10-12). This is followed by the observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (vv. 13-22) and the people's rejoicing (vv. 23-27). Hezekiah's reinstatement of the Passover was a way of promoting national unity in southern Judah and restoring God's relationship with the people of Israel in a covenantal sense.

2 Chronicles 31: Hezekiah's Revival of Faith

[Overview]

In this chapter, Hezekiah cleanses the temple of God and returns the people to the observance of the Passover before embarking on more specific reforms. Hezekiah restores the positions of the priests and Levites, the men who worked in the temple, and initiates a series of religious reforms. In summary, this section of the book records the destruction of the people's idols and the reorganization of the priesthood (vv. 1-3), the provision of the priests and Levites and the distribution of the sacred objects (vv. 4-19), and the reward of Hezekiah (vv. 20-21). This chapter shows Hezekiah's efforts to ensure that the people would no longer provoke the Lord's wrath by worshipping idols like their rebellious forefathers and would continue in the true faith.