2 Chronicles 30:1-27--Passover Celebrated

2 Chronicles 30
English Standard Version

Passover Celebrated
30 Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem to keep the Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel. 2 For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the Passover in the second month-- 3 for they could not keep it at that time because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient number, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem-- 4 and the plan seemed right to the king and all the assembly. 5 So they decreed to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come and keep the Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem, for they had not kept it as often as prescribed. 6 So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying, “O people of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7 Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the LORD God of their fathers, so that he made them a desolation, as you see. 8 Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the LORD your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. 9 For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.”

10 So the couriers went from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. 11 However, some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. 12 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.

13 And many people came together in Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very great assembly. 14 They set to work and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for burning incense they took away and threw into the brook Kidron. 15 And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed, so that they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings into the house of the LORD. 16 They took their accustomed posts according to the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests threw the blood that they received from the hand of the Levites. 17 For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate it to the LORD. 18 For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good LORD pardon everyone 19 who sets his heart to seek God, the LORD, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary's rules of cleanness.” 20 And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people. 21 And the people of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness, and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day, singing with all their might to the LORD. 22 And Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good skill in the service of the LORD. So they ate the food of the festival for seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the LORD, the God of their fathers.

23 Then the whole assembly agreed together to keep the feast for another seven days. So they kept it for another seven days with gladness. 24 For Hezekiah king of Judah gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for offerings, and the princes gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. And the priests consecrated themselves in great numbers. 25 The whole assembly of Judah, and the priests and the Levites, and the whole assembly that came out of Israel, and the sojourners who came out of the land of Israel, and the sojourners who lived in Judah, rejoiced. 26 So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. 27 Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy habitation in heaven.

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We've seen Hezekiah order the Temple to be cleansed and for the priest and Levites to consecrate themselves to the LORD service and the regular sacrifices restored.  Now it is time for the holy day of Passover to be celebrated again--the day in which the children of Israel celebrate not only their independence from their slavery in Egypt, but the LORD as their Deliverer and Redeemer.  By the blood of the Passover Lamb, they were "marked safe" from the tenth plague when the angel of death killed the firstborn of people and animals except for the houses which were marked by the blood of the Passover Lamb.  This day was so important, it was the day that established a new calendar for the Israelites with the moth in which Passover occurred was the first month of the year for them (months being decided by the cycle of the moon--a new month started when there was a New Moon).

Now the priests were not yet consecrated on the day of Passover in the first month, but the LORD had provided a "back up" date a month later for anyone who couldn't celebrate the Passover because they were unclean at the appointed time.  That "back up" date was exactly one month after Passover, and since no one could celebrate it at the proper time, the whole nation used the "back up" date this year and celebrated it during the second month of the year.  From then on, Israel was to keep the Passover on its regular date and the "back up" date was only for individuals who were ceremonially unclean and couldn't come to the Temple on the day of Passover on its regular date in the first month.  They would then come to the Temple to celebrate Passover a month later in the second month.

The LORD had commanded that any of the Israelites that would not keep the Passover at the appointed time(s) should be excommunicated.  It was that important to the LORD that every year they tell the story of their salvation as a people and that they understand that salvation was something in the past and something ongoing.  The LORD continued to deliver them "with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm."  It was a call for them to not be like the pagan nations, nor to be like their fathers who were stubborn and stiff-necked and rebellious against the LORD who died in the wilderness and never entered His "rest" of the Promised Land He had prepared for them (there are people who appear to have had a salvation experience that wasn't real as their hearts were never transformed and they live among the true converts, but the LORD knows the difference and they do not receive the inheritance and blessings that are only for those that belong to the LORD).  How do we know that we belong to the LORD?  While we are not saved by our works, the fact that we are saved will change our works and it is by our "fruit" of obedience to the LORD and His Word (His Law) and our love for Him and His commandments that we demonstrate that we belong to Him.

The king's command was sent out not only to the people of Judah, but also to all the people of the northern ten tribes of Israel who had forsaken travelling to the Temple in Jerusalem to worship.  Most of those from the northern ten tribes laughed when they heard the message, however, there were a few men of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulan that humbled themselves and came to the Temple in Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Passover.  The LORD moved the hearts of all the people of Judah to listen to the king and all of Judah came to Jerusalem to celebrate and worship together for this time of holy convocation.

During the time of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover kicked off this week-long feast), the people set their hearts, minds, and hands to cleansing Jerusalem of any altar to a false god or any place where incense was improperly offered.  There would no longer be places other than the Temple that people could go to and worship other gods or offer false fire to the LORD because they did not approach Him in the way He commanded.  The people would need to come by way of blood sacrifice on the Bronze Altar offered by the Levitical priesthood.

The priests and the Levites were ashamed that they had forsaken the Passover and let the culture turn to idolatry and open rebellion like this--it was a time of celebration, but also of conviction that broke the hearts of those that knew better and were responsible for the spiritual well-being of the nation.  Along those lines, there were people that came to the feast that had not consecrated themselves and were ceremonially unclean, but this was already the "back up" day.  What was to be done?  The Levites decided that in this instance, they would step in for the heads of the families who were still ceremonially unclean and would offer the sacrifice in their place.  In this case, the priests and Levites prayed that the LORD pardon everyone who was unclean who entered the Temple (normally that would be an offense punishable by death), and the LORD seemed to grant their request as He did not bring down judgment on those who worshiped with unclean hands and unclean hearts that day.  The people celebrated the feast of Passover together and everyone knew from that day forward that they were to consecrate themselves and come to Jerusalem on the appointed day of the first month for Passover, and there were serious consequences for anyone who rebelliously refused to come to the LORD's holy convocation on that day.

The people wanted to continue in their worship and what was supposed to be a seven-day feast turned into a fourteen-day feast, for they extended the feast for an additional week.  Hezekiah donated 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for the people to make their offerings and the princes of the people likewise donated 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep (collectively) so that no one approached the LORD without a blood sacrifice--no one came empty-handed to the altar.  Many of the people didn't know to bring an animal with them and others came from so far away that it wasn't feasible to bring their sacrifice with them, so these donated animals made sure that everyone had an acceptable sacrifice (notice the difference between this and the religious leaders of Jesus' time that set up a marketplace in the Court of the Gentile to price gouge everyone who came to the Temple to make a sacrifice--even if they had brought their own--so that they had to buy an animal that the priests had inspected and approved).  The king and the leaders of the people gave generously and without expecting reward or repayment.

The text says that nothing like this had happened since the days of Solomon and the praises and prayers of the people were heard by the LORD in heaven.  This is the text's way of telling us that the LORD accepted the sacrifices and the prayers and praise of His people (and called them His people once again).  The LORD was gracious in seeing that the intent of the people was to try to obey here, but we must be careful to approach the LORD when and how He has commanded.  There was good reason behind all this, and we'll see that it will be at the time of this feast in the future that all Israel was gathered together in Jerusalem for the time when Jesus would be lifted up to die on a cross for the sins of the nation and the whole world.  Fifty days later, the nation would be gathered together again for another feast known as Pentecost, and it would be then that the Holy Spirit would fall on the disciples and apostles and the Church age would officially begin.  There is a third day of holy convocation to the LORD in the Fall, and I have no idea what it is that the LORD intends on doing on that day that He wants all His people to see and experience, but it seems like it's going to be something big.  God wants His people Israel to keep these feasts so they remember the past but also because they were prophetic and revealed their need for the Messiah and helped them to look forward to that time (now we look back on Passover and Pentecost, but we still look forward to the Fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles when we will ultimately dwell with the Father and the Son forever and ever).