2 Chronicles 29
Hezekiah is one of the two greatest kings after David, rivaled only by Josiah. There are many parallels between these two men. Both served after their fathers almost destroyed Judah. Both launch revivals. Both hold Passovers that are so genuine that they are commented on as going back to the early days of Israel, like back in the day. Both kings faced the destruction of Judah and the people of God. Of the two, Josiah faces the greatest darkness, but Hezekiah sees the greatest deliverance.
V. 2 Note that Hezekiah's devotion is compared to David's.
V. 3 He opened the house of the Lord immediately.
What is interesting here is that it shows that the kings began their "first year" on the first of the first full year of their reign.
Also, the Passover was to have been celebrated on the 14th day of the first month, but Hezekiah realized that the temple was defiled and the priests were not consecrated or pure to lead worship. He took the leadership to get the temple cleansed and to get those who were to lead worship consecrated to the Lord.
Vs. 4-19 Ezra has shown that the legacy of the kings in the Davidic line of promise organized the priest and Levites. As you read, notice how often it mentions Hezekiah commanding things to be done.
By this time, the northern kingdom had already fallen to Assyria and most of the people had been lost to deportation and exile. Most of these people would have been lost to Israel forever, being absorbed into other peoples with no sense of their genealogy or heritage. Deportation usually meant the "extermination" of an ethnic group.
V. 10 Notice that Hezekiah wanted to make a covenant with the Lord. Only he and Josiah did this.
Vs. 20-24 Once the temple was cleansed, Hezekiah led the priests, Levites and people of Jerusalem and made sin offerings for everyone and everything, cleansing the sin of the land and people.
Vs. 25-36 And now it was time to worship. Although the priests and Levites did what only the priests and Levites were allowed to do, these kings, like David and Hezekiah, personally worshiped and led the people in worshipping God.
V. 34 This is an interesting note that the Levites were more dedicated to the temple worship than the priests, who were also Levites but in the family line of Aaron. When God saw that the hearts of the king and the Levites were set to worship Him, He allowed them to make exception. Somewhere in the background, they have Isaiah to ask questions to and get answers from the Lord.
V. 36 They perceived that this had come from the Lord.
And there's more to come!
Romans 14
So, why would this be a huge issue? In a mixed church it is very likely that the Jews were the "weaker" brothers. There was more for them to stumble over, coming from the restrictive code of Judaism. As anyone can tell you, "culture" creates incredible disunity in a church and keeps a church from being able to reach lost people. A church with unresolved conflicts does not reach the harvest, makes no healthy disciples and usually becomes a bad testimony in the area.
There appear to be two issues here. One is that the conservative people in the congregation were judging the less conservative people. Then, the more open people were publicly engaging in their "eating and drinking" without care, not for the strong judgmental conservatives, but for the weak who would violate their own consciences if they were to indulge.
Now, without reading too much of my own experience with this into these notes, I have a few observations.
Vs. 1-4 While "despising" and "passing judgment" seem like the same thing, I don't think they are. The despising comes from those open to everything. The passing judgment comes from the conservative side of things. In most churches the real problem comes from the conservative side judging that the others are wrong. Usually the "open" people really don't care that the conservative people don't, for example, drink wine. But the conservative people do care that the others drink wine and judgment follows.
Vs. 5-12 So there shouldn't be any judgment toward one another for what the other prefers.
Vs. 13-23 But what about the weak. To really understand the issues here, read 1 Corinthians 8, which is a very clear description of a part of the problem faced by believers in that pagan world. The fact that there were also Jews coming into Christianity was a problem too. They had many cultural traditions that could be held on to, but were not necessary in following Christ. Some Jews could shed these traditions in a moment and dive into the ribs and bacon, but others, while understanding the freedom, were still bound in conscience.
V. 22 I think that Paul and the Spirit are talking about public display. Again, if you look at 1 Cor. 8 and 10 you can see that the real violation occurred publicly…."for if anyone sees you, a man of knowledge, at table in an idol's temple…." And "if any of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, and someone sitting by says…."
Paul isn't done here. This "command" continues into chapter 15 where it ends at the unified testimony in the harvest. Keeping in mind God's redemptive purpose and respecting the mercy we have been shown so we can follow Christ in the harvest, is supposed to help us over our "cultural" preferences. But today we still have churches fighting over "insider" cultural preferences, and although they say the harvest is important, they deny that by what they desire instead of what God desires, the lost reached and disciples made.
1 Corinthians 9:19-23 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews; to those under the law I became as one under the law -- though not being myself under the law -- that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law -- not being without law toward God but under the law of Christ -- that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
Psalm 24
When you read this, you can see why David's devotion and love for God became the measure of all things. Many of the songs we sing today in worship use words and ideas from the psalms he wrote. Also, since these are Scripture and given by the Spirit, David was one of those people who the Spirit used to inspire the worship of Israel back then, and he still inspires the worship of the church today.
This is a great song and video. The author of the video says it was the sons of Korah, but our note says David. If Psalm 24 sounded anything like this when it was sung in Jerusalem I'll bet it inspired the people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO77-m4SS3M
Proverbs 20:12
I read this morning Jesus saying to His disciples, "Do you not yet perceive or understand?" We need to spend more time than we do straining ourselves to understand the Word, and to perceive what the Spirit is doing around us. And just like He gave us eyes and ears, He is willing to give to those who ask, show to those who seek and open to those who knock. These should be the past-time of disciples in the harvest.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.
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