2 Chronicles 29
This chapter and those that follow bring out the character of Chronicles, compared to that of the book of Kings. Indeed, Kings does not speak of the re-establishment of the worship, of the purification of the temple, or of the reorganization of the Levitical priesthood; Chronicles, by contrast, presents these measures as the only condition by which the kingdom of the son of David, and Judah itself, as a people, could subsist. Also, in Chronicles judgment is stayed or suspended each time the worship is reestablished, even after the reign of Ahaz appeared to have deprived grace of any possibility of going on with its ways toward Judah and the house of David.
We do not find a single word in the book of Kings concerning that which is contained in 2 Chronicles 29:3-31:19. Kings elaborates much more than Chronicles on the king of Assyria's attacks, which in Kings have a significant bearing from the prophetic point of view. An even more impressive feature is that Chronicles does not say a single word about the capture of Samaria by Shalmaneser or the transportation of the ten tribes to Halah; in a word, it does not mention the final rejection of Ephraim. Indeed, what could be said about it here? From its beginning the history of the ten tribes had been characterized by their abandoning their relationship with God and His worship and substituting idols for it; according to the principle of Chronicles this state of things was from its origin condemned unremittingly. Not for one moment could God have said of Israel what He said of Judah: "There were good things found in Judah."
Thus the reign of Hezekiah is not contrasted with the state of the kingdom of Israel here, so much the more since during the reign of Ahaz, as we have seen in the preceding chapter, more faith and obedience was found in Israel than in Judah. Here God brings out the contrast between Hezekiah's reign and that of Ahaz. If God's grace had not had in view His promises and their fulfillment in the future, Judah would have been undone at that very moment. The fact that the worship of Jehovah had been abolished and that the doors of the temple had been closed took away from Judah any reason for subsisting as the people of God. Hezekiah is raised up: immediately everything changes. Deep darkness is suddenly followed by light radiating from the sanctuary through its opened doors: "[Hezekiah], in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of Jehovah, and repaired them" (2 Chron. 29:3). Then he assembled the priests and the Levites, and he whose father had committed these abominations, without breaking the commandment "Honor thy father," openly confesses the sin committed: "Our fathers have transgressed, and done evil in the sight of Jehovah our God, and have forsaken Him and turned away their faces from the habitation of Jehovah, and have turned their backs" (2 Chron. 29:6). This denial of God had had as a consequence wrath, destruction, the sword, and captivity (2 Chron. 29:8-9), but how terrible must have been the condition which called for such judgments! "They have shut up the doors of the porch": no more entrance into God's presence to worship Him! "[They have] put out the lamps": deepest night there where the Spirit's seven lamps ought to have shed their full light. "[They] have not burned incense": no more intercession before the golden altar or before the mercy seat. "[They have not] offered up burnt-offerings in the sanctuary to the God of Israel": no more offering on the brazen altar to make the one approaching God acceptable. In a word, it was the abolition of all worship in Israel!
And there was yet more: The sanctuary itself, God's dwelling place in the midst of His people, was defiled (2 Chron. 29:15-17). Thus, the Lord who was still waiting patiently before His glory should leave all these abominations had dwelt in the midst of this defilement! Oh! how cleverly Satan had succeeded in his plans! To banish God from before the eyes of the people — to suppress the people from before the eyes of God, who could not tolerate an unclean, idolatrous nation — to remove the altar of atonement: the only means of renewing relations with Jehovah — to take away His glory as the Son of David from the future Messiah — the enemy seemed to have conclusively achieved all this. But the enemy is fooled once again in his expectations, as he always will be. The Creator of all things shows that He can also create hearts for His glory. His grace goes to work and produces Hezekiah. What zeal the Holy Spirit kindles in the heart of this man of God! Without losing a single day he undertakes the work of purification and finishes it on the sixteenth day of the month. The first condition of this work was to sanctify themselves. This is what the Levites, the priests, and those engaged in the service of the sanctuary did. Indeed, how could they purify anything at all if they were defiled themselves? This work demanded meticulous care: no uncleanness, not even the least, could be tolerated: the priests must be able to say: "We have cleansed all the house of Jehovah." All the vessels must be in proper condition, and everything which Ahaz had profaned during his guilty reign must be sanctified and placed before the altar, for water was not sufficient, although it was inseparable from the blood of the victim; that is, purification was inseparable from expiation.
After the purification of the sanctuary we find the sin offering (2 Chron. 29:20-30). It is offered: 1) for the kingdom; 2) for the sanctuary; 3) for Judah. The essence of this purification was the sprinkling of blood, and it is the same for us: "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." This sprinkling is done on the brazen altar, the only place where God and the sinner meet, where God can in the same stroke judge and abolish sin. According to the desire and mind of the king, the work of purification extends far beyond the limits of Judah, "because for all Israel, said the king, is the burnt-offering and the sin-offering" (2 Chron. 29:24). Hezekiah was the first king since the division of the kingdom who desired that all Israel, purified, should come up to Jerusalem to worship there. If the deportation of the ten tribes had taken place at that moment, their poor remnant would have drawn out the same sympathy from Hezekiah's heart. He desired to see Israel reformed and united around the sanctuary so that they might come and worship God at Jerusalem; and in this he represents the character of the future King according to God's counsels.
After propitiation is accomplished it is possible to offer praise to the Lord. It is rendered "according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and of Nathan the prophet"; only there is added that "the commandment was of Jehovah through His prophets" (2 Chron. 29:25). Always in this period of Israel's history prophecy takes the first place in directing the people. Then "the instruments of David" are employed and the "trumpets of the priests," announcing a new era, resound from the moment the burnt offering begins. The burnt offering was the offering whose sweet savor rendered one acceptable and well-pleasing before God.
How could the instruments of praise refrain from ringing out all together at that very moment? The king and those with him bow themselves, full of joy, and command the Levites "to sing praise to Jehovah with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer." In every detail we see a strict returning to the inspired Word of God.
The sanctuary, the kingdom, the priesthood, Judah, and all Israel having been cleansed by the blood of the sacrifice, and henceforth consecrated to Jehovah (2 Chron. 29:31; cf. Ex. 28:41), Hezekiah invites them to draw near. We are almost present at a scene approaching the one described in Hebrews 10:19-22: a scene which is the happy consummation of the whole Epistle. All the worshippers are accepted by God according to the value of the burnt offering; only here one sees how this service was defective and defective exactly in that aspect where one had a right to expect completion. The priests were too few and the Levites had to replace them in order to flay the burnt offerings, "for the Levites were more upright in heart to hallow themselves than the priests" (2 Chron. 29:34). Exactly the opposite occurred in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah; there, there were too few Levites. In any case, that which both the one and the other did was a great evil which can easily apply to present day Christianity. Either the worshippers — the priests — are too few, resulting in the ministers — the Levites — occupying their place and carrying out functions which properly do not belong to them; or on the other hand, when there is some intelligence in worship worshippers are numerous, whereas ministers show much indifference about discharging their task.
"And the service of the house of Jehovah was set in order. And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people; for the thing was done suddenly" (2 Chron. 29:36). Thus, according to the precious teaching of Chronicles, grace alone, by the powerful action of the Holy Spirit, had prepared the king and acted in the heart of the people to produce this restoration.