Stefanie, our dear sister from Indonesia, is currently doing her Masters in Civil Engineering at NUS. She's full of life and also full of child-like wisdom!
just wanna share my QT from II Chronicles 29-30, now that I have the time to write a proper email to u. Since the passage is quite long to attach here, I'll go
straight to what I got.
I read about Hezekiah and how he purified the Temple and planned to have a Passover which hadn't been done for centuries, since the time Solomon died. In this passage there're some characters who responded differently to the reformation Hezekiah did.
1. Hezekiah himself
I appreciate his heart. He did what was right as soon as he knew the truth, not wasting time. It takes courage to do something that hadn't been done for a long time, and insisted to have the Passover though they couldn't make it on the designated time. He even invited people from Israel to join the celebration, because he knew despite of the separation that happened, Israel was still their brother. He prepared everything he could, divided responsibilities to his leaders and people, and his key of success was said in ch 31.
II Chr 31:21 In everything that he undertook in the service of God's temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.
2. The Priests
Priests supposed to have more honored position than the Levites, they're in charge of everything in the temple and that honor had not been kept by themselves. They were unprepared during the time Hezekiah purified the temple because they're not wholehearted. They supposed to lead and give examples but they failed to do that.
29:34 The priests, however, were too few to skin all the burnt offerings; so their kinsmen the Levites helped them until the task was finished and until other priests had been consecrated, for the Levites had been more conscientious in consecrating themselves than the priests had been.
One of the reason why the Passover was postponed was also because of the unreadiness of the priests.
30:3 They had not been able to celebrate it at the regular time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem.
But then when they saw how the people of Judah and Israel were moved by God and the celebration, they were ashamed and change.
30: 15 They slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed and consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings to the temple of the LORD.Maybe they half believe that the people would believe in God anymore, after forsook him for so long. They didn't even have the faith to keep themselves pure for God. But there is always time to change,and God will still accept it.
3. The wholehearted Levites
Their job is to maintain the temple, helping the priests, but they were more conscientious (in NKJV: more diligent) than the priests. We may not have a big role or have a great position in a reformation, but it makes a difference when we work hard for it, even more than others. Though their priests didn't set a good example, they still did it for God.
4. The unprepared Israelites
They might be unprepared by the normal standard God set, but at least they had the heart to come, and Hezekiah tried the best to made everyone eligible for the celebration, either by giving offering and the most powerful one was his prayer. God knew their hearts, so they didn't die when they ate the Passover meal.
30:17 Since many in the crowd had not consecrated themselves, the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for all those who were not ceremonially clean and could not consecrate their lambs to the LORD. 18 Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "May the LORD, who is good, pardon everyone 19 who sets his heart on seeking God—the LORD, the God of his fathers—even if he is not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary." 20 And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people.
5. The people who mocked them
A lot of Israelites mocked that idea, I think the messenger to Israel must have felt very discouraged. They ran through the whole country and found a lot of rejection.
30:6 At the king's command, couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and from his officials, which read:
"People of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that he may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your fathers and brothers, who were unfaithful to the LORD, the God of their fathers, so that he made them an object of horror, as you see. 8 Do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were; submit to the LORD. Come to the sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you. 9 If you return to the LORD, then your brothers and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will come back to this land, for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him." 10
The couriers went from town to town in Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun, but the people scorned and ridiculed them.
They were the one who missed all the celebration, the joy, and the relationship with God.
Well, reformation can start from one person, inspires the others and God will bless it if the goal is to glorify Him. Obstacles and rejection is a part of it, but not to let us give up.
Whatever you want to change, have faith in it.
Luv y'all
Stefanie C.
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