And Hezekiah the king arose early, and gathered the princes of the city, and went up to the house of Jehovah.
The Levites have just finished cleansing the temple, and now the king himself acts. Two things stand out in this short verse: the hour he chose, and the company he took with him — and both raise the question of what he was going up to do.
The timing matters. The Levites worked sixteen days to cleanse the house. The moment they reported back, the king was on his feet.
What eagerness! They started to cleanse the house on the first day of the first month, and on the sixteenth day of that month they finished. Then they went to Hezekiah the king and told him. So Hezekiah prepares: he rises early, gathers the rulers of the city and goes up to the house of the Lord. It is all the same stamp. Here was a man filled with a sense of the glory of God, and there was no moment to lose. If I want to obey, why should I not begin at once? What am I waiting for?
The building was ready. Sacrifice was the point of going up.
With the temple prepared, Hezekiah gathered the rulers of Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the Lord at once. They brought seven (a complete number) of each of four different animals to offer. The bulls speak of the strength of the offering of the Lord Jesus. The rams symbolise the devotion of that one offering. The lambs picture the submission of His offering. The male goats show that His offering took the place of others. Indeed, all of these together cannot fully picture the wonder of the one sacrifice of Christ.
A cleaned house was not enough to put Judah back in a right standing with God. What came next was blood on the altar.
But what was the next step in Judah's restoration? The king rose early, gathered the rulers of the city and went up to the house of the Lord. They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs and seven male goats as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary and for Judah, and he commanded the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord. It was not three, five or six, but the Hebrew number of perfection, seven, of each kind, that they killed, sprinkling their blood on the altar. How much depends on our receiving the testimony of God to the perfect value of the one offering pictured by these sacrifices. This is the only ground of restoration and worship. The moment I believe it my soul is restored.
The order of the offerings matters.
The burnt offerings came first, and they mean much more than the sin offerings. They speak of the glory that God receives from the offering of Christ, and that matters far more than the blessing we receive. The sin offering side of that sacrifice is still vital too. Without it our sins could never be forgiven, and we could never be freed from the power of sin.
Hezekiah ruled Judah, yet what he ordered that day covered far more people than his own kingdom.
Notice what it says here — the offering was made for all Israel, and the next verse says it was for the kingdom, for the sanctuary and for Judah. Not for Judah only, but for the whole nation, Israel and Judah. This is a fine action of Hezekiah's faith. He was pure and devoted in his own sphere, and his heart went out toward all that belonged to God. They might be idolaters, but he makes an atonement. So the more they needed the atonement, the more they needed others to feel for them, if they did not feel for themselves and for God.
- Early — A heart gripped by God's glory loses no time. The house was ready, so the king was up and moving.
- Upward — He went up to the house of the Lord, and he took the city's rulers with him to the place of sacrifice.
- Blood — A cleaned temple still needed an altar. Blood on the altar was the only ground of restoration and worship, and believing God's testimony about it restores the soul.
- God first — The burnt offering came before the sin offering. God's glory in the sacrifice of Christ outranks the blessing that sacrifice brings us, though our forgiveness rests on it.
- All Israel — Hezekiah's atonement reached past his own borders to a people given to idols. Those who do not feel their need most need others to feel it for them.
And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he-goats for a sin-offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And he commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer [them] upon the altar of Jehovah.
The temple has just been cleansed, and Hezekiah's first public act is not a celebration but a sacrifice. He brings four sets of seven animals, and names three things the sin offering is for: the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. The king gives the command, but the priests make the offering.
Why did Hezekiah move so fast? One writer finds the answer in what filled the king's heart.
It all shows the same character. Here was a man filled with a sense of the glory of God, and he had not a moment to lose. If I want to obey, why should I not begin at once? What am I waiting for?
Why seven, and not some other number? The count itself is a message, and receiving that message is what restores a soul.
They did not kill three, five or six of each kind, but seven — the Hebrew number of perfection. They sprinkled the blood of each one on the altar. How much depends on our receiving God's testimony to the perfect value of the one offering these sacrifices pictured! This is the only ground of restoration and worship. The moment I believe it my soul is restored.
Why four different animals, and not one? Each one says something the others do not — and four still are not enough.
They brought seven (a complete number) of each of four different animals to be offered. The bulls speak of the strength of the offering of the Lord Jesus. The rams symbolize the devotion of that one offering. The lambs picture the submission of His offering. The male goats show that His offering took the place of others. Indeed, all of these together cannot fully picture the wonder of the one sacrifice of Christ.
This verse names a sin offering, and the chapter has burnt offerings too. The two are not equal in weight or in purpose.
The burnt offerings came first, and they mean much more than the sin offerings. They speak of the glory that God receives from the offering of Christ. That is a far more important matter than the blessing we receive. Still, the sin offering side of that sacrifice matters greatly too. Without it our sins could never be forgiven, and we could not be set free from the power of sin. Notice that they laid their hands on the sin offerings first. By that act they identified themselves with the value of Christ's sacrifice to atone for their guilt.
The sin offering covers the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. Later the chapter widens it to all Israel. One writer calls that widening an act of faith.
Notice what is said here — "for all Israel." Verse 21 says the same: "for the kingdom and for the sanctuary and for Judah." Not for Judah only, but for the whole nation, Israel and Judah. This is a fine action of Hezekiah's faith. Personally pure and devoted in his own sphere, his heart went out toward all that belonged to God. They might be idolaters, but he makes an atonement. So the more they needed the atonement, the more they needed others to feel for them, when they felt nothing for themselves or for God.
Hezekiah ruled two tribes, yet looked wider. One writer traces that to God's own thought, and finds in the offerings the ground of every real recovery.
He did this in view of "all Israel," although he was king of only two tribes. God's original thought filled his heart and mind… Seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering! They all speak of the perfection of Christ in His work of putting away sin. This lies at the foundation of all true recovery, and we must come to know it in our own experience.
- Promptly. A heart gripped by God's glory does not put obedience off. The offerings followed the cleansing at once.
- Perfectly. Seven of each kind, not three or five. The number of completeness testified to the perfect value of the one offering these shadows pictured.
- Fully. Bulls, rams, lambs and goats speak of strength, devotion, submission and substitution. Four pictures still fall short of Christ's one sacrifice.
- Personally. Hands laid on the sin offering claimed that sacrifice as their own. The burnt offering speaks of the glory God Himself receives.
- Widely. Kingdom, sanctuary, Judah — and then all Israel. Those furthest gone needed the atonement most. Someone had to feel for them, because they felt nothing for themselves.
And they slaughtered the bullocks, and the priests received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar; and they slaughtered the rams, and sprinkled the blood on the altar; and they slaughtered the lambs, and sprinkled the blood on the altar.
King Hezekiah had just cleared the temple after years of neglect. The first act of worship in the restored house is a killing. Bulls, then rams, then lambs — and each time the priests catch the blood and throw it against the altar. Why must recovery begin here, and what does the blood in the priests' hands teach?
Hezekiah's offering uses four kinds of animal, seven of each. Commentators read each kind as a different side of one sacrifice.
They brought seven (a complete number) of each of four different animals to be offered. The bulls speak of the strength of the offering of the Lord Jesus. The rams symbolize the devotion of that one offering. The lambs picture the submission of His offering. The male goats show that His offering took the place of others. Indeed, all of these together cannot fully picture the wonder of the one sacrifice of Christ.
This verse names three animals. The goats that follow are classed differently, and the order matters.
They killed the bulls, then the rams and the lambs, and the priests sprinkled the blood of these on the altar. These three were clearly burnt offerings, though the goats are called sin offerings. The burnt offerings came first, and they mean much more than the sin offerings. They speak of the glory that God receives from the offering of Christ, and that matters far more than the blessing we receive. The sin offering side of that sacrifice is still vital too. Without it our sins could never be forgiven, and we could never be freed from the power of sin.
Killing the animal was one act. Carrying its blood to the altar was another, and that fell to the priests.
It is said that the priests, the sons of Aaron (not the high priest), shall bring the blood and sprinkle it all around... The priests have the blood in their hands, pointing out the way of participating in what had been done.
The blood is not put on the worshipper here. It goes on the altar, which tells us who it is for.
This sprinkling of the blood is a witness to a finished work, and it is for the eye of God. The Passover blood was the same, the blood of which He said, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you." If it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul, then that blood must be presented to God, because the atonement was made to Him. Here it is not put on the person, and we are not yet considering that. But wherever it is put, the blood is for God. The certainty of that is what gives the blood its power, as the apostle says in Hebrews, to "purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God." So the heart is "sprinkled clean from an evil conscience." This is faith taking in how effective that perfect work is.
This blood belongs to the burnt offering, not the sin offering. That shapes how the priests handling it stand before God.
Here we have a picture of the Church, bringing the memorial of a finished sacrifice and presenting it, rather than one person approaching God on his own. But we must remember, it is the blood of the burnt offering, and not of the sin offering... "Aaron's sons" do not stand for sinners awakened to their guilt, but for worshipping saints... In himself the believer is "nothing at all." But in Christ he is a cleansed worshipper. He does not stand in the sanctuary as a guilty sinner. He stands as a worshipping priest, clothed in "garments of glory and beauty." Being taken up with my guilt in God's presence is not humility about myself. It is unbelief about the sacrifice.
Hezekiah cleansed the house first. What he offered next is the point.
What sanctification and cleansing followed Hezekiah's action! And how rich was the offering made to the Lord! Seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering. All of them speak of the perfection of Christ in His work of putting away sin. This lies at the foundation of all true recovery, and we must come to know it by experience. Reconciliation and atonement were made for all His own in the blood of that offering.
- Cleansed, then blood. Hezekiah put the house right first. But nothing rose to God until the blood reached the altar. Recovery rests on Christ's work of putting away sin.
- Complete. Four kinds of animal, seven of each: strength, devotion, submission, and taking the sinner's place. Even so, no set of pictures holds the whole worth of the one sacrifice.
- God first. The burnt offering came before the sin offering. The glory God receives from Christ's offering outweighs even the blessing we receive.
- For His eye. The blood goes on the altar, not on the worshipper. It is presented to God, because the atonement was made to God. Faith resting on it clears the conscience.
- Hands on the blood. The priests carried it, not the high priest. That is how we share in a work already finished. So a believer stands at the altar as a worshipper, not as a guilty man.
And they brought near the he-goats of the sin-offering before the king and the congregation; and they laid their hands upon them.
Hezekiah had just reopened and cleaned out the temple. The first thing to happen in the restored house was a death, and two details carry the weight — why goats, and why the people laid hands on them in public.
The sacrifice comes after the clean-up, not before it.
And what was the effect when the doors were open, the rubbish taken out, and the lamps burning brightly? "They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah." They killed all these and sprinkled the blood on the altar. They laid hands on the sin offering, and reconciliation was made for all Israel.
They bring four kinds of animal, seven of each. Each kind says something different about the one sacrifice.
They brought seven (a complete number) of each of four different animals to be offered. The bulls speak of the strength of the offering of the Lord Jesus. The rams symbolize the devotion of that one offering. The lambs picture the submission of His offering. The male goats show the substitutionary character of His offering. Indeed, all of these together cannot fully picture the wonder of the one sacrifice of Christ.
The goats come last, after the bulls, rams and lambs of the previous verse. That order matters, and neither offering can be dropped.
These three were evidently burnt offerings, though the goats are designated as sin offerings. The burnt offerings came first, and they mean much more than the sin offerings. They speak of the glory that God receives from the offering of Christ. That is a much more important matter than the blessing we receive. Still, the sin offering side of that sacrifice is vital too. Without it our sins could never be forgiven, and we could never be delivered from the power of sin.
The same gesture appears with both kinds of offering, but it does opposite work in each.
Now consider the symbolic act of "laying on of hands." This act belonged to both the burnt offering and the sin offering. With the burnt offering, it identified the offerer with a spotless offering. With the sin offering, it transferred the sin of the offerer to the head of the offering.
Pressing a hand on the animal's head is itself a confession.
He is to lay — "lean" — his hand on its head, so expressing his identity with his victim; it is an act which says, I and the goat are one. I am a sinner, and I have forfeited my life. I bring a living thing to die instead of me. This goat is my substitute.
The goats come before the king and the whole assembly. Verse 21 says who the offering is for.
Notice what it says here — "for all Israel." We have it in verse 21 too — "for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah." Not for Judah only, but for the whole nation, Israel and Judah. This is a fine action of Hezekiah's faith. Personally pure and devoted in his own sphere, his heart went out toward all that belonged to God. They might be idolaters, but he makes an atonement.
Kelly turns the reach of that sacrifice into a test for us.
We ought not to care merely for the Christians that we know. Surely we ought to love them; but our hearts ought always, in private and in public, to take in the whole Church of God. We are never right if we do not. There is sectarian leaven in our hearts if we do not go out toward all that are of God. So with Hezekiah. It was for all Israel — for the king commanded. It was the king, you see. The priests, no doubt, did not think about it. They were so used to offering sacrifices for Judah only that no doubt they never thought about "all Israel." But the king did.
- Cleansed first. The doors opened, the rubbish carried out, the lamps lit — and then they brought the offerings. Order in the house comes first.
- Substitute brought. Of the four animals, the male goats stand for the substitutionary side of Christ's offering. Without it, there is no forgiveness.
- Hands laid on. On a burnt offering, the hand ties the offerer to a spotless victim. On a sin offering, it moves his sin onto the victim's head. The gesture says: this one dies instead of me.
- All Israel included. Hezekiah's atonement covered the whole nation, not Judah only. They might be idolaters, but he still made atonement for them.
- Hearts widened. The priests thought only of Judah; the king thought of everyone who belonged to God. Narrow affection for only the believers we know is the leaven this chapter exposes.
And the priests slaughtered them, and they made purification for sin with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel; because for all Israel, said the king, is the burnt-offering and the sin-offering.
Hezekiah has just reopened the temple, and the first thing the restored altar receives is blood. What stands out here is the scope. The king's order covers not only Judah but "all Israel" — including tribes that had broken away from him and turned to idols.
Verse 21 named a narrower circle; this verse widens it. One commentator reads the two together and points to the heart behind the wider one:
Notice what is said here — "for all Israel" — as we also have it in verse 21: "for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah." Not for Judah only, but for the whole nation, Israel and Judah. This is a fine action of Hezekiah's faith. He was pure and devoted in his own place, and his heart went out to everyone who belonged to God. They might be idolaters, but he makes an atonement. So the more they needed the atonement, the more they needed others to feel for them, if they would not feel for themselves and for God.
The verse turns on one word: atonement. In the Old Testament that word has a plain, concrete meaning:
The word atonement is the word found in the Old Testament, just as propitiation is found in the New, and it means to cover. Its first use is in Genesis 6:14, where Noah had to cover the ark inside and out with pitch. It comes again in Genesis 32:20, where Jacob said he would appease Esau with a present; his fault would be covered by the present... These verses make the meaning of the word in the Old Testament clear. The offering puts the offence out of sight. It gives the wronged party something of equal value, and that covers the cause of the offence.
Hezekiah's command names two offerings, not one. One commentator weighs what each of them speaks of:
The burnt offerings came first, and they mean much more than the sin offerings. They speak of the glory that God receives from the offering of Christ, and that matters far more than the blessing we receive. The sin offering side of that sacrifice is still deeply important too. Without it our sins could never be forgiven, and we could never be delivered from the power of sin. Notice that they laid their hands on the sin offerings before they offered them (v. 23). That showed they identified themselves with the value of Christ's sacrifice to atone for their guilt. But Hezekiah knew that both the burnt offering and the sin offering were needed (v. 24).
Israel was split, and the united nation Hezekiah made this offering for could not be seen. One commentator explains what faith does with facts like that:
All through the dark night of the nation's history the twelve tribes are before the eye of God in their perfect unity, untouched by all the upheavals and turmoil of the nations. The blasphemer may have to be stoned outside the camp. God may show His government in all its stern reality. But faith sees the twelve loaves on the golden table... In a word, faith knows God, and can trust Him for everything — the same faith that enabled Hezekiah to command that the burnt offering and the sin offering be offered for "all Israel." That is, the sacrifice which was to be the foundation of all the nation's hopes, the sacrifice whose scope was to take in the whole Israel of God.
Hezekiah did not shrink the offering to fit what was left of the nation. One commentator shows where its value really lay:
These offerings had no power in themselves (Hebrews 10:4), but the sacrifice they were pictures of has power that lasts for ever... So we can understand Hezekiah offering a sin offering for all Israel (2 Chronicles 29:23-24). Part of the nation had already gone into captivity, and the rest of the ten tribes were only waiting for the word of the prophet Ahijah to Jeroboam's wife to come true (1 Kings 14:15-16). Great as their sin had been, the true sin offering can atone for it.
- Command. The king ordered the offerings, and the verse repeats the phrase that decides everything: not for Judah alone, but for all Israel.
- Offerings. Two offerings, not one. The burnt offering speaks of the glory God receives from Christ; on the sin offering they laid their hands, identifying themselves with a sacrifice that answers for their guilt.
- Covering. "Atonement" means to cover. The offering puts the offence out of sight and gives the wronged party something of equal value.
- Reach. The sacrifice outreached the ruin. Tribes already captive, already worshipping idols, still fell inside what that blood could cover.
- Response. Hezekiah's heart went out to everyone who belonged to God. Faith still acts on what God says about His people, not on what the eye can see.
And he set the Levites in the house of Jehovah with cymbals, with lutes, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for the commandment was of Jehovah through his prophets.
Hezekiah reopened a temple that had been shut and neglected. This verse records the moment the music of worship returned — not invented fresh, but restored by the commandment of David, Gad and Nathan, and behind them the LORD Himself.
The revival did not produce new ideas about worship. It recovered old ones, and the name of David runs through the whole chapter.
Hezekiah came to the throne when the house of God had been closed and neglected and the holy vessels destroyed (2 Chr. 28:24). With energy and wisdom Hezekiah in his love for God's house began the task of restoration... Note how David's influence pervaded the revival. We read of "the commandment of David" (Verse 25) and "the instruments of David" (Verses 26-27). The Levites were commanded to sing praise to Jehovah with "the words (Psalms) of David and of Asaph the seer" (Verse 30). Hezekiah's work of restoration resulted in worship (Verse 30), and it also set the service of the house of Jehovah in order.
The same writer turns this into a warning:
In assemblies and in the lives of individual believers there can be closed doors to the Spirit's voice. Rubbish can accumulate easily after that. Sin, worldliness and fleshly activities can take over and dominate. These things must be judged and put away, so that true worship and godly order can prevail in the house of God. Judgment before blessing is a divine principle from Genesis to Revelation.
David did not design temple worship as a gifted organiser. The whole structure came to him the way the tabernacle pattern came to Moses.
The whole religious order was reconstructed. Everything depends on the authority and regulations of David, even down to the age at which the Levites served, just as it once rested on the regulations of Moses. God gave him the whole pattern of the temple and its vessels by inspiration, just as He had given Moses the pattern of the tabernacle and everything belonging to it. He also introduced singing and various musical instruments. These are even called "the musical instruments of God." Before this, neither the instruments nor the singing had formed any part of the public service.
Another writer adds what this rules out:
David received these details (they were in him, in his mind) through the Spirit. Nothing depended upon his gift of organization or upon his natural intelligence. Everything came directly from God. "All this said David, in writing, by Jehovah's hand upon me" (v. 19).
Gad and Nathan are named alongside David. The verse calls Gad the king's seer, and then says the commandment came from the LORD through His prophets. Gad had walked with David since his days as a fugitive.
He was with David when he fled from Saul, and gave him counsel. 1 Sam. 22:5... He was with him at the end of his reign, and the painful duty of announcing God's judgements on David for numbering the people fell to him. He is called David's 'seer,' which would seem to imply that he had been with him all along.
The instruments had a meaning. One writer asks how far they carry over into Christian worship today.
This music speaks of the joy of the Lord, which is to be a very real accompaniment to worship. In the Church of God today there are those who are anxious to make use of musical instruments in worship also... But this instrumental music is only a symbol of the joy of believers in worshiping God "in spirit and in truth" (Jn. 4:23), just as all the sacrifices of Israel pictured the one great sacrifice of the Lord Jesus.
One writer looks for the reason behind the reason.
The temple service was certainly restored because Hezekiah was good. But I think there is a deeper truth to grasp. The Lord made Hezekiah a good king because He was going to give a little sample of His grace and power, which He will display in full in His own time.
- Commandment, not custom. The chain runs David → Gad and Nathan → the LORD. The king's order was God's order, given through His prophets.
- Inspired, not invented. David received the temple arrangements by the Spirit, as Moses received the tabernacle. The singing and instruments were new to the public service, but not new to God.
- Recovery, not innovation. Hezekiah's revival went back to what God first commanded: open the doors, clear the rubbish, then worship in the appointed way.
- Joy, not machinery. The cymbals, harps and lyres stand for the gladness that belongs with worship. What they picture now is the joy of worship "in spirit and in truth."
- Sample, not summit. The restored service was a small taste of a grace and power God intends to display in full.
And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.
Hezekiah has reopened the temple, and here the musicians take their places with instruments that came from an earlier generation. The verse raises two questions every revival must answer: where does the pattern come from, and who may sound the note?
Nothing here was invented on the day. One writer shows how David's name runs right through the chapter.
Hezekiah came to the throne when the house of God had been closed and neglected and the holy vessels destroyed. He loved God's house, so with energy and wisdom he began the work of restoration. He had the doors opened. He ordered that all the piled-up rubbish, the evidence of neglect, be cleared out of the holy area of God's house at once. Once that was done, everything needed for the worship of God was set up again. Notice how David's influence ran through the whole revival. We read of "the commandment of David" (verse 25), "the instruments of David" (verses 26-27), and the Levites were commanded to sing praise to Jehovah with "the words (Psalms) of David and of Asaph the seer" (verse 30).
The same writer turns this into a warning for today.
In assemblies and in the lives of individual believers there can be closed doors to the Spirit's voice. Rubbish piles up easily after that. Sin, worldliness and the activity of the flesh can take over and dominate. These things must be judged and put away, so that true worship and godly order can prevail in the house of God. Judgment before blessing is a divine principle from Genesis to Revelation.
Israel had no such instruments in the wilderness. One writer explains where they came from.
They offered praise with instruments made by David. David alone planned everything to do with the future temple, including the music of the worship. Nothing like it existed under the tabernacle in the wilderness. David invented the instruments themselves when Solomon came to the throne in glory — a picture of the coming reign of Christ on earth. Today praise is tied to His heavenly glory, and so it is completely spiritual in character.
The verse keeps the two groups apart. Writing on the same arrangement when the temple was rebuilt years later, one writer explains why the trumpets belonged to the priests alone.
Only the priests were allowed to blow the sacred trumpets. It needs someone in the holy place, in the presence of God, in communion with His mind, to discern when to sound the notes of testimony and praise. In the same way, only the sons of Asaph — Levites, "according to the king's order" — must use the sacred cymbals.
Why record a restoration in a temple that would soon burn? One writer sees a pledge in it.
This chapter may be called the account of the re-consecration of the temple and of the priests and Levites; the trumpets and the instruments of David were there. What can these be but pledges from God of what is still to come? The temple then standing was soon to be burnt by the Chaldeans, and the tribe of Judah scattered, as Israel was. The temple service was certainly restored because Hezekiah was good. But I think a deeper truth is to be grasped: Hezekiah was made a good king because the Lord was going to give a little sample of His grace and power, to be shown in full in His time.
Some read verses like this as a warrant for instruments in Christian worship today. One writer answers that directly.
This music speaks of the joy of the Lord, which should truly accompany worship. In the Church of God today there are those who are eager to use musical instruments in worship too... But this instrumental music is only a symbol of the joy of believers in worshipping God "in spirit and in truth", just as all the sacrifices of Israel were pictures of the one great sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. How wrong it would be for us today to sacrifice animals to God!
Another writer says what has taken their place.
The instruments of the old order had no life. But a new creation in Christ has provided living instruments, with the life-filled melodies of redemption rising up in the heart... they are both the priests of God and the instruments of God through the redemption work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Clear first. Hezekiah's order was doors opened, rubbish removed, then worship restored — judgment before blessing.
- Copy, don't create. David's commandment, David's instruments, David's psalms. The revival added nothing new; it brought back what was already given.
- Stand in place. Levites held David's instruments, priests alone the trumpets. To sound the note of praise you must be in communion with God's mind.
- Sample, not summit. God restored a temple that would soon burn. It was a small preview of grace He will display in full later.
- Living instruments. The old instruments pictured joy. The writers here say the real instruments today are redeemed people, praising in spirit and truth.
And Hezekiah commanded to offer up the burnt-offering on the altar. And at the moment the burnt-offering began, the song of Jehovah began, and the trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel.
Hezekiah reopened the temple his father had shut, cleaned it out, and brought the nation back to the altar. The moment the burnt offering began, the music began with it — which raises the question of why praise waits for a sacrifice, and what song this is.
The verse does not describe two events but one. One writer explains why the song waits for the offering.
When God is honoured by the sacrifice of Christ (which the burnt offering pictures), the saints have reason to respond with the song of the Lord. There is far more joy in the burnt offering side of Christ's sacrifice than in the sin offering side. We may be deeply thankful that Christ's sacrifice has forgiven our sins. But our hearts only truly open up with joy when we realise that this sacrifice has glorified God.
This was not the sin offering. What it pictured is what started the singing.
The burnt offering shows how perfect His spotless person was, and how devoted His heart was in offering Himself up to God of His own free will. And as soon as we see this, the song of the Lord begins and continues. The result is a heart that bows in worship. What is there to hinder joy and worship, when I see that He loved me and gave Himself for me? He has met all my sins perfectly — not some of them, but all of them.
The song came at the end of a clean-up. One writer says we should copy the order.
Hezekiah came to the throne when the house of God stood closed and neglected and its holy vessels destroyed. He loved God's house, so with energy and wisdom he began the work of restoring it. He had the doors opened. He ordered that all the rubbish piled up there, the evidence of neglect, be taken at once out of the holy place of God's house. Once that was done, everything needed for the worship of God was in place again… In assemblies and in the lives of individual believers there can be closed doors to the Spirit's voice. Rubbish piles up easily after that. Sin, worldliness and the activities of the flesh can take over and dominate. These things must be judged and put away, so that true worship and godly order may prevail in the house of God. Judgment before blessing is a divine principle from Genesis to Revelation.
The verse calls it the song of the Lord. One writer asks what song that is.
They were to sing. Sing what? The song of redemption? No! You cannot serve until you can sing that song. You have no right to be a servant until you are in the liberty of grace. God would lead us to the highest point, and what is that? Fellowship with God… Now you can go on to fellowship with God in that side of the death of Jesus where He devotes Himself to death for the glory of God.
The verse names trumpets and the instruments David appointed. One writer explains what that music stands for.
This music speaks of the joy of the Lord, and that joy should be a very real part of worship. In the Church of God today some are eager to use musical instruments in worship as well. They reason that Israel used instruments in its worship, so New Testament saints ought to use them too. But this instrumental music is only a symbol of the joy of believers as they worship God "in spirit and truth"… When the Lord Jesus set up the Lord's supper with His disciples, we read of no musical instruments, but they did sing a hymn.
The music lasted only as long as the offering. One writer weighs the picture against the reality.
The burnt offering was a picture of our Lord offering Himself without spot to God. It came to an end, and when it ended the song ended too. But the reality it pictured is the atoning death of our Lord, and its power will never end. So the singing will never end. It must be eternal, for ever and ever, never dying down.
- Cleansing — Hezekiah opened the doors and cleared out the rubbish before any music began; judgment comes before blessing.
- Sacrifice — the burnt offering pictures a spotless Person giving Himself up to God; that is the foundation of the day.
- Song — praise begins where the sacrifice honours God, not just where it forgives our sins.
- Fellowship — this is the Lord's own song, sung by people already at liberty, now sharing God's delight in His Son.
- Endless — the offering ended and the singing stopped with it; what it pictured never loses its power, so that song never ends.
And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded, all [the time] until the burnt-offering was finished.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
And when they had ended offering the burnt-offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves and worshipped.
Hezekiah became king when the house of God stood closed and neglected. This verse is where the long work of clearing rubbish and offering sacrifice lands: the king face down. Why does the bowing come after the offering, and what put a whole nation on the floor?
It is easy to read this chapter as a repair project. One writer traces the line it actually draws: from owning up to sin, to worship, to a house that works again.
Hezekiah acknowledges the sinful state of Israel, and he invites the people to cleanse themselves. True worship, deeply moving in character, comes back (2 Chron. 29:25-29), and the service of the Lord's house is set in order.
The song began when the burnt offering began. The bowing comes when that offering is finished. One writer explains why this offering, and not the sin offering, opens the way to joy:
"And when the burnt offering began, the song to the LORD began also." The burnt offering speaks of the sacrifice of Christ. Surely this tells us that when God is honored by that sacrifice, believers have reason to answer with the song of the Lord. The burnt offering side of Christ's sacrifice holds far more joy than the sin offering side. We may be deeply thankful that His sacrifice has forgiven our sins. Yet our hearts only open wide with rejoicing when we realize that God has been glorified in that sacrifice.
The change did not come from trying harder. One writer applies this to anyone who has wandered far from God:
What a change! This is how the deep need of the soul is met — not by looking at self, and not by improving self. But God sets before us the one offering of Christ. The burnt offering shows the perfection of His spotless person, and the devotion of His heart as He freely offered Himself up to God. The moment we see this, the song of the Lord begins and keeps going. The result is a heart that bows in worship... My fellow believer, however far you may have wandered, the precious blood surely has the power to bring you into the very presence of God as a cleansed worshipper.
The worship in this chapter does not stay standing. It ends with the whole crowd face down, and one writer explains what put them there.
2 Chronicles 29 records a scene where "the whole assembly worshiped". It ends with the whole company falling on their faces and worshipping. They were filled with a sense of the glory of God.
The verse describes a body position. The Bible's own word for worship comes from that same position:
The Greek word usually translated worship is 'proskuneo'. Strong's defines it as 'to … crouch to, that is, (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage'. Sometimes it refers to the body position only. But usually the word describes bowing before God... The bodily act of bowing down, which the word 'proskuneo' carries, pictures the inward attitude that worship must have.
Verse 29 ends a chain. Trace it backwards: worship, offering, cleansing, open doors. One writer says the same order still applies to us.
Hezekiah came to the throne when the house of God had been closed and neglected and the holy vessels destroyed (2 Chr. 28:24)... He had the doors opened. He ordered that all the piled-up rubbish, the evidence of neglect, be removed at once from the holy parts of God's house... Hezekiah's example is worth following. In assemblies and in the lives of individual believers there can be closed doors to the Spirit's voice. Rubbish soon piles up after that. Sin, worldliness and activity of the flesh can take over and rule. These things must be judged and put away, so that true worship and godly order may prevail in the house of God. Judgment before blessing is a divine principle from Genesis to Revelation.
- Doors — Worship starts with something opened. The house of God stood closed and neglected until Hezekiah had the doors opened. Everything else follows.
- Rubbish — Before worship there is clearing. Sin, worldliness and neglect have to be judged and carried out. Judgment comes before blessing, from Genesis to Revelation.
- Offering — The song does not begin until the burnt offering begins. Joy reaches further than forgiveness. Hearts open wide when they grasp that God Himself has been glorified in that sacrifice.
- Glory — No one had to order the bowing. A company filled with a sense of God's glory falls on its face. The body position pictures the inward one.
- Order — Where those four are true, worship returns and the service of God's house is set in order. The same path stands open to any believer or church that has drifted.
And king Hezekiah and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise to Jehovah with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and bowed their heads and worshipped.
Hezekiah has just reopened and cleansed the temple, and sacrifice and song have started there again after years of neglect. Now the king and his officials tell the Levites what to sing, and the singing ends with bowed heads.
The verse closes a restoration. One writer traces how the whole revival followed lines David had laid down generations earlier.
With energy and wisdom, and in his love for God's house, Hezekiah began the work of restoration. He had the doors opened. He ordered that all the piled-up rubbish, the mark of neglect, be carried out at once from the holy ground of God's house... Notice how David's influence ran through the revival. We read of "the commandment of David" (Verse 25) and "the instruments of David" (Verses 26-27). The king and the officials commanded the Levites to sing praises to the LORD with "the words (Psalms) of David and of Asaph the seer" (Verse 30). The result of Hezekiah's work of restoration was worship (Verse 30)... Sin, worldliness and the activities of the flesh can take over and dominate. We must judge these things and put them away, so that true worship and godly order can prevail in the house of God. Judgment before blessing is a divine principle from Genesis to Revelation.
Asaph stands here beside David. A reference work fills in who he was and which psalms are his.
A leader of the choir in David's time, and once called a 'seer.' 2 Chr. 29:30... Twelve psalms are credited to him: 50, and 73 to 83.
Another writer draws a conclusion from this mention of David and Asaph:
In Hezekiah's day (2 Chron. 29:25-30) the record points back to David's arrangement of the temple singing ("according to the commandment of David") and to the Psalms of David and Asaph. So these psalms had already been gathered into a collection of some kind.
A few verses earlier, the singing starts at the very moment the burnt offering starts. One commentator explains why that matters.
"And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began." Surely this tells us that when the sacrifice of Christ honors God — and the burnt offering speaks of that sacrifice — the saints have reason to answer with the song of the Lord. There is far more joy in the burnt offering side of the sacrifice of Christ than in the sin offering side. We may be deeply thankful that by the sacrifice of Christ our sins have been forgiven. Yet only when we see that God has been glorified in that sacrifice do our hearts truly expand with rejoicing.
The verse joins gladness to bowed heads. One writer asks whether such settled confidence puffs a person up.
Yes, there can be no real worship until the Holy Spirit shows the soul how unchanging the work of Jesus is, and how unchanging our perfection is through that one offering — complete identification with Him, in all the unchanging perfections of His Person, as a sweet aroma before God. Will this lift up the heart in spiritual pride? "The king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped." So we too are brought to bow down and to rejoice in God... Instead of standing far off, saying prayers of unbelief, have we not been brought to acknowledge again the presence of the Holy Spirit?... instead of cries for mercy, has He not put songs of praise on our lips, and worship and gladness in our hearts?
The king's order produced this praise. One writer weighs what that means for believers now.
This was a remarkable result of the godly leading of Hezekiah. Today we need no such commandment, but may be led by the Spirit of God. Knowing the great glory and grace of the Lord Jesus, we surely desire to praise Him.
The difference goes further than a missing order. Israel had appointed singers and set words. The New Testament trains the worshipper, not the choir.
We know that in the books of Psalms the Israelites had inspired songs. These often opened with inspired directions about the character of the psalm and the way it was to be performed. And to keep the ceremony properly, many Levites were assigned to attend to this one thing and nothing else... But we are taught with care about the real cleansing of the worshipper, and about the new and divine nature given to him. This makes him fit to come to God and able to offer acceptable praise to Him. Not a section or a selection of believers, but each one in the assembly is fully qualified as a singer by the work of Christ for him and by the work of the Spirit in him.
- Cleared — Hezekiah opened the doors and cleared out the rubbish first. Judgment comes before blessing.
- Commanded — the king told the Levites what to sing. The words were not new: psalms of David and Asaph, already gathered into a collection.
- Kindled — the song started the moment the burnt offering started. The praise answers a sacrifice that honors God, not only one that deals with sin.
- Bowed — gladness and bowed heads come together. Certainty about the one offering humbles; it does not puff up.
- Continued — no command is needed now. The work of Christ and the work of the Spirit qualify every believer to sing.
And Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves to Jehovah, come near and bring sacrifices and thank-offerings into the house of the Lord. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank-offerings; and as many as were of a willing heart, burnt-offerings.
Hezekiah has reopened and cleansed the temple his father shut, and the priests have just offered sin offerings and burnt offerings for the whole nation. Now he turns from the priests to the people with an invitation, not a command — and they bring more than he asks.
The king's call rests on work already done. The house had to be clean before anyone could come near. One writer sees more here than personal purity:
This was the great thing. It was not merely personal cleansing, but cleansing the house of the Lord. The house of the Lord answers to our being gathered together. It is not enough to be personally pure; we ought to be pure in our associations; we ought to be pure in our worship. If there is anything in which we ought to be pure, it is in the worship of God.
But clearing out evil only clears the ground. Another writer points to what came next:
Cleansing, however, even of the most rigorous kind, is only negative. In Hezekiah's day they followed it up with something positive.
The word "consecrated" carries a literal sense that turns the verse into a picture:
The marginal reading, "Now you have filled your hand to the Lord," is very instructive here. Consecration for us means more than being cleansed and set apart for God. It means our hearts and hands are filled with what is pleasing and fragrant to God.
The same writer notes which way the word points first:
Notice that the primary force of the word consecration is Godward. It is "to the Lord." Does He find pleasure and delight in seeing Christ, His well-beloved Son, reproduced in you? Then yours will be "a consecrated life" in its highest sense.
If consecration is a filled hand, the next question is who does the filling. One writer says the common answer is wrong:
The word this chapter translates "consecrate" means, as the margin shows, "to fill the hand." This gives us the scriptural meaning of consecration. The general thought is that it means yielding something to God. So the soul falls back on itself, looking for strength to devote itself and all its energies to God's service... Scripture reveals a better way. It lies, as seen in this chapter, in being filled with Christ.
The sacrifices Hezekiah asks for are thank offerings. One writer traces the movement from the offering, to joy, to thanksgiving:
What is there to hinder joy and worship when I see that He loved me and gave Himself for me? He has met all my sins perfectly — not some of them, but all of them... And now they consecrated themselves and came with thank offerings. Surely nothing is sweeter to our God than thanksgiving.
The verse ends with a second group who brought burnt offerings instead. The two offerings say different things, and the burnt offering says more:
Times of holy joy were fitting times to bring peace offerings. But anyone with a free heart might offer burnt offerings on such occasions instead. The peace offering expressed thanksgiving. The burnt offering marked a fuller surrender to God, because the whole of it went up from the altar to Him.
No one was forced to bring these. One writer explains why:
God would make no burden of what should be a joy. It was the heart giving to Him what it might otherwise value, but what expressed at any rate its value for the Lord.
The chapter ends with so many offerings that the priests could not cope. The Levites stepped in, because some priests had not sanctified themselves. A commentator turns that detail on the reader:
Does this not remind us that we too often lack willingness to carry out priestly duties of true worship? We may be more inclined to serve (as Levites) than to worship (as priests).
- Cleansed — the call to come near follows the cleansing of the house; God wants purity in worship together, not only in private life.
- Filled — "consecrated" means "filled your hand." Consecration is a hand loaded with what pleases God, not an empty hand promising effort.
- Given — the filling is not self-surrender worked up from within. Scripture shows a better way — to be filled with Christ.
- Free — Hezekiah invited the thank offerings; he did not force them. God makes no burden of what should be a joy.
- Further — the free heart went past thanksgiving to the burnt offering, where the whole went up to God. That willingness still marks a true worshipper.
And the number of the burnt-offerings, which the congregation brought, was seventy bullocks, a hundred rams, two hundred lambs all these were for a burnt-offering to Jehovah.
Hezekiah had reopened and cleansed the temple his father shut, and now the people themselves bring the offerings. The chapter counts them one by one, but the point is where they went: every animal went up whole to the LORD.
The burnt offering was not like the other sacrifices. Nobody else got a share of it.
Of some sacrifices the priest ate; of some, the offerer; but the burnt offering was "all" consumed on the altar. It was exclusively for God. The priests might arrange the wood and the fire, and see the flame ascend; and a high and holy privilege it was to do so. But they did not eat of the sacrifice. God alone was the object of Christ, in the burnt offering aspect of His death. From the moment the unblemished male was willingly presented at the door of the tent of meeting, until the fire had burned it to ashes, we see in it Christ offering Himself, by the Eternal Spirit, without spot to God.
So where does our own blessing fit in?
The burnt offering was all for God, going up to Him in fire. This shows the value of the sacrifice of Christ to God Himself. God has been perfectly glorified in that sacrifice, apart from all the blessing we may have received.
Hezekiah called the people consecrated before they brought a single animal. An older rendering of his words fills out what consecration means.
The marginal reading, "Now you have filled your hand to the Lord," is very instructive here. Consecration for us means more than being cleansed and set apart for God. It means that our hearts and hands are full of what pleases God and is fragrant to Him.
One writer sets this list beside the sin offering made earlier in the chapter. The order matters: what deals with sin comes first, and the larger offering follows.
Seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering. All of them speak of the perfection of Christ in His work of putting away sin. This lies at the foundation of all true recovery, and it must be known in personal experience… Notice the rich burnt offering that went up whole as a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
The people gave freely, and the giving went on. It soon outran the priests who were ready for it.
The freewill offerings of Judah continued for some time. The burnt offerings came to 70 bulls, 100 rams and 200 lambs, and the offerings of consecration to 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep. There were not enough priests to do all the work of skinning the offerings, so the Levites helped them. Some of the priests had not sanctified themselves. They were not as diligent as the Levites in this matter. Does this not remind us that we too often lack willingness to carry out priestly duties of true worship? We may be more inclined to serve (as Levites) than to worship (as priests).
Earlier in the chapter the song began the moment the burnt offering began. One writer explains why worship follows this offering, even for people who have fallen far.
The burnt offering shows the perfection of His spotless person. It shows the devotion of His heart in offering Himself up to God of His own will. And as soon as we see this, the song of the Lord begins and keeps going. The result is a heart bowed in worship… Think how low Judah had sunk; and yet see the effect of these sacrifices, which were only shadows. What joy and deep worship!
- Cleansed. Cleansing came first. Hezekiah cleansed the house, and then the people "filled their hands" for the LORD.
- Filled. Consecration is more than turning from what is wrong. It fills the heart and hands with what pleases God.
- Given. Seventy bulls, a hundred rams, two hundred lambs — and every one burnt whole. Neither priest nor offerer kept back a share.
- Godward. The burnt offering points to Christ offering Himself to God. Its value lies in the glory God receives, not first in the blessing we receive.
- Overflowing. The result is song and worship. Yet too few priests were ready, which warns us: we are often quicker to serve than to worship.
And the consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep.
Hezekiah has reopened the temple doors, and the priests have made the sin offering. Now the record turns to counting what the people brought. The totals raise a question: what does an overflow of giving measure?
One writer points to an older margin reading of Hezekiah's call in verse 31:
The marginal reading, "Now you have filled your hand to the Lord," is very instructive here. Consecration for us means more than God cleansing us and setting us apart for Himself. It also means our hearts and hands are full of what is pleasing and fragrant to God.
A filled hand explains the size of the count. One writer asks what consecration is and answers with a Person:
What is consecration? The margin reads, filled your hands. Yes, if the Holy Spirit reveals the unchanging Person and work of Christ, the effect is that we are filled with Christ; and that is consecration. If this is not so, we shall be taken up with men, and things, and so-called churches of men. But if the doors are open, the lamps lit, Christ revealed, He Himself will take up every thought and desire... And if we are consecrated to Him, filled with Him, then the consecrated things will be in abundance. Six hundred oxen, and three thousand sheep. No, we are not our own.
These totals rest on the sin offering made earlier in the chapter:
How rich was the offering made to the Lord! Seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats for a sin offering. All of these speak of the perfection of Christ in His work of putting away sin. This lies at the foundation of all true recovery, and we must enter into it by experience.
The verse counts a second kind of offering, beside the burnt offerings of verse 32. One writer follows what that cost the priests:
The freewill offerings of Judah continued for some time. The burnt offerings came to 70 bulls, 100 rams and 200 lambs, and the offerings of consecration came to 600 bulls and 3000 sheep (vv. 32-33). There were not enough priests to do all the work of skinning the offerings, so the Levites helped them. Some of the priests had not sanctified themselves. They were not as diligent as the Levites in this matter. Does this not remind us that we too often lack willingness to carry out priestly duties of true worship? We may be more inclined to serve (as Levites) than to worship (as priests).
One writer notes how fast the change came, and how long the gap had been:
And so they did everything in beautiful order. The last verses tell us, "Thus the service of the house of the LORD was restored. And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because God had provided for the people, for the thing came about suddenly." But it was none the worse for that. There had been nothing like this since the days of king Solomon. For that long, people had neglected care for the house of God.
The Chaldeans would soon destroy this temple. So why did God grant such a day at all?
So in these chapters we have the re-opening of the doors of the temple, its re-consecration, and the recall of all Israel. What can these be but pledges from God of what is yet future? The Chaldeans were soon to burn the temple then standing, and to scatter the tribe of Judah, as Israel was scattered. Why then such a great change, if it were not a symbol of a greater one yet to come? The temple service was certainly restored because Hezekiah was good. But I think there is a deeper truth here. The Lord made Hezekiah a good king, because He was going to give a little sample of His grace and power, which He will show in full in His own time.
- Cleansed — The sin offering came first. It speaks of Christ putting away sin, and that lies at the foundation of all true recovery.
- Filled — Consecration means a filled hand: hearts and hands full of what is pleasing and fragrant to God.
- Poured out — Six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep are the measure of hearts taken up with Christ. Filled with Him, the consecrated things come in abundance.
- Shared — The offerings outran the priests, and the Levites had to help. The warning stands: we are often readier to serve than to worship.
- Pledged — The service came back into order suddenly, with nothing like it since Solomon. It stands as a small sample of grace and power God means to show in full.
Only the priests were too few, and they could not flay all the burnt-offerings; therefore their brethren the Levites helped them, until the work was ended, and until the priests had hallowed themselves; for the Levites were more upright in heart to hallow themselves than the priests.
Hezekiah had just cleansed the temple, and the people answered with a flood of offerings. There were too few priests to handle them all. So the Levites stepped in and finished the work. The verse records something uncomfortable. The men set apart to stand nearest God were the ones least prepared, and their helpers were readier in heart.
To flay is to skin the animal — the priests' work before a burnt offering. The gifts came in faster than they could prepare them.
It was a wonderful day for Jerusalem. The people brought so many offerings that the priests could not skin them all. The Levites had to help them.
To sanctify yourself is to set yourself apart for God. The Levites were readier to do that than the priests. One writer turns that into a question for us.
Some of the priests had not sanctified themselves. They were not as diligent as the Levites in this. Does this not remind us that we too often lack willingness to carry out priestly duties of true worship? We may be more inclined to serve (as Levites) than to worship (as priests).
The gap between priest and Levite is more than a job description. Each pictures something in a believer's life.
Aaron and his sons represent the Church as a holy priesthood, offering up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. If that is so, the Levites picture the saints as set apart to God for His will and service... Some prize above everything else the privilege of being in God's presence as worshippers. Others count it the highest favour that they are allowed to serve. But the perfection of the Christian life lies in the combination of the two.
The priests were the ones meant to make others clean. That is why their own state mattered so much.
Here again is the same order, and it is most instructive. We may also learn that unless we have purified ourselves, it is useless to try to purify others. Scripture affirms this truth everywhere. For example, no one whose own feet were unwashed (John 13) could wash the feet of fellow believers. And the Lord Himself taught that before we can take the speck out of our brother's eye, we must take the log out of our own eye.
One writer weighs this verse against a later day when the temple service was set in order again.
The priests are set in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, according to the law of Moses. Here we find more faithfulness than in the best days of the kings (compare Ezra 6:20 with 2 Chronicles 29:34).
The shortfall did not spoil the day. The house of God was working again after years of neglect.
And so all was done in beautiful order... There had been nothing like this since the days of king Solomon. For that long, care for the house of God had been left to lapse.
- Overflow — The people gave so much that the priests could not skin all the offerings. The Levites stepped in.
- Shortfall — The reason went deeper than numbers. Some priests had not set themselves apart, and were less diligent than the Levites.
- Diagnosis — Priests picture worship, Levites picture service. Here the will to serve outran the will to worship. The Christian life needs both.
- Order — Cleansing starts at home. No one can purify others until he is purified himself.
- Outcome — Even with this weak point, the house of God was in order again after long neglect. A later day would show more faithfulness than the best days of the kings.
And also the burnt-offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace-offerings, and with the drink-offerings for the burnt-offering. And the service of the house of Jehovah was set in order.
Hezekiah's day of re-consecration ends with a tally: burnt offerings beyond counting, the fat of the peace offerings, and wine poured out. Where does such abundance come from, and what puts a house of worship back in order?
One commentator traces the totals in this verse back to a single word: consecration.
What is consecration? The margin reads, filled your hands. Yes, if the Holy Spirit reveals the unchanging Person and work of Christ, the effect is that we are filled with Christ; and that is consecration… But if the doors are open, the lamps lit, Christ revealed, He, He will take up every thought and desire… And if we are consecrated to Him, filled with Him, then the consecrated things will be in abundance. Six hundred oxen, and three thousand sheep. No, we are not our own. Burnt offerings in abundance, with the fat of peace offerings, and drink offerings! What untold delight of heart, filled with all the fullness of Christ!
The verse names the burnt offering first. What set that offering apart was where it all went.
Notice the emphasis placed on the burnt offering. This was wholly for God. It all went up in fire to Him. It shows the value of the sacrifice of Christ to God Himself, for God has been perfectly glorified in that sacrifice, apart from all the blessing we may have received.
The verse names the fat of the peace offerings, not the whole animal. The reason lies in how that offering was shared out.
It shows communion, because all the people involved shared in the same sacrifice. God had His portion, and the priest had his. Aaron and his sons had theirs. The one who brought the animal ate the rest of it, together with those who were with him… Especially "the fat that covers the inwards" — but all the fat was offered to God on the altar. It was God's part of the sacrifice, or, as it is beautifully put, "It is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savour." Whose food? God's food. That on which He could feed, that was God's portion.
Poured-out wine is the last item listed, and commentators read it as the note of gladness in the whole scene.
The drink offering is always the joy of God.
That joy is tied to a finished work rather than to the worshipper's mood.
Wine is a symbol of joy both to God and to man… It does not speak of Christ's death itself. If it did, the offering would be made of blood — the blood poured out in the animal sacrifices, or burned as a picture of the judgment of God… The drink offering speaks instead of God's joy at the finished work of Christ at Calvary.
The closing clause — older translations read "set in order" — is a verdict on a long stretch of history, not just on one day's arrangements.
And so everything was done in beautiful order. As the last verses tell us, "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." But it was none the worse for that. There had been nothing like this since the days of king Solomon. Care for the house of God had been neglected for so long.
Another writer reads the same closing words as a test that still applies.
"So the service of the house of the Lord was set in order." When Christ by the Spirit has His true place, then the house is in order. All else that man calls order is simply the house in disorder.
Some writers see this restored service as a picture of a greater one still to come.
Under Hezekiah's reign there was a revival in the nation. Temple worship, which had lapsed for many years, was restored. That restoration included the offering of drink offerings with the burnt offerings (v.35). Again, the millennium is in view, where another restoration of temple worship will take place, as set out in Ezekiel 40-47. This will be a cause of joy to God. Once again the offerings will be offered, and the worship of God will be restored according to the pattern He has ordered. The Father seeks worshippers, and the offerings speak of His Son accomplishing His will. Only through that work may anyone come to Him as a worshipper.
- Consecration first. Hands "filled" with Christ give in abundance; the oxen and sheep are the overflow, not the cause.
- Abundance next. Burnt offerings in quantity say this: Christ's sacrifice has worth to God apart from any blessing it brings us.
- Communion follows. The verse names the fat because it is God's own food from the peace offering — God, priest and worshipper feeding on one sacrifice.
- Joy crowns it. Poured-out wine stands for God's joy over a finished work, not for the worshipper's mood.
- Order results. When Christ has His true place, the house is in order. Nothing like it since Solomon — and a foretaste of worship yet to be restored.
And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people; for the thing was done suddenly.
The chapter ends with the temple open again and its service running. Hezekiah and the people are glad — and their gladness points to God, not to their own achievement. Two things stand out in this last verse: God gets the credit for preparing the people, and the work happened fast.
Hezekiah inherited a shut-up temple, and by the end of this chapter the whole service is running again. One commentator notes that the speed cost the work nothing, and that it ended centuries of neglect.
But the work was none the worse for being done suddenly. There had been nothing like this since the days of King Solomon. For so long, people had let the care of God's house lapse.
Order did not arrive on its own. Doors had been shut. Rubbish had piled up. Both had to go before worship could start again — and the same pattern holds wherever God's people gather.
When Hezekiah came to the throne, the house of God was closed and neglected and the holy vessels destroyed. He loved God's house, and with energy and wisdom he began the work of restoration... That work produced worship, and it put the service of the house of Jehovah in order... In assemblies and in the lives of individual believers, doors can close to the Spirit's voice. Rubbish can accumulate easily after that. Sin, worldliness and the activities of the flesh can take over and dominate. We must judge these things and put them away, so that true worship and godly order may prevail in the house of God. Judgment before blessing is a divine principle from Genesis to Revelation.
The joy is not "look what we did." It is that God had provided for the people. (Older translations, which these writers used, read "God had prepared the people.") One writer pushes the thought back a step further: Hezekiah himself was part of what God prepared.
The temple service was certainly restored because Hezekiah was good. But I think there is a deeper truth to grasp. The Lord made Hezekiah a good king, because He was going to give a little sample of His grace and power — a sample to be shown in full in His own time. Is this not hinted at in the sudden preparation of the people's hearts, which in human terms would take many years?
Another writer sees the same thing in the return from exile. God moved a foreign king first, and then His own people:
It is remarkable how God works. First He 'stirs up the spirit' of this pagan king. The king then passes a decree inviting the Jews to return to Jerusalem. He then stirs up the spirit of those who did so. Whatever men do, a true revival is always a work of God.
The word "suddenly" is not an apology for haste. It is evidence. When God is behind a recovery, it moves fast. Writers see the same speed elsewhere in Scripture:
Three short weeks were enough for the recovery of the people from their backsliding. When God acts in power, His work is soon done. He makes His people rejoice in His restoring grace and pardoning mercy.
God does not always work at one pace. One writer sets a later king's reform beside Hezekiah's as a contrast:
Josiah's work of reform was steady and gradual. Hezekiah's good work, by contrast, was done suddenly.
One writer turns the verse into a question for his readers. If God did this in Judah, is He not doing something like it now?
What God did then in Judah, has He not done now in Christendom? Is it the hand of God, or another sect?... Has not God, by the Spirit, awakened His people in all parts of the world?... The thing is of God, and done suddenly. God is bringing souls out of the dark regions of unbelief into His unclouded presence, with joy and gladness. Is there a doubt that this work is of God? To Him be all praise!
- Neglect — The rejoicing ends a long silence. Nothing like this had happened since Solomon's day, because the people had long neglected God's house.
- Cleansing — Closed doors and accumulated rubbish had to be judged and removed first. Judgment before blessing is described as a principle running from Genesis to Revelation.
- Preparing — The credit goes to God, who prepares both the leader and the people. Whatever men do, a true revival is always a work of God.
- Suddenness — Speed is not a defect in the work. When God acts in power, His work is soon done. Writers note He also works steadily, as He did under Josiah.
- Joy — Because God prepared it, the gladness of king and people is praise, not self-congratulation. The same test still applies: is it the hand of God?