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.