1 “And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover unto 2 the Lord, the God of Israel. For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, to keep 3 the Passover in the second month. For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves in sufficient number, neither had the people gathered themselves together in Jerusalem. And the thing was right in the 4 eyes of the king and of all the congregation. So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover unto the Lord, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem; 5 for they had not kept it in great numbers in such sort as it is written. So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that He may return to the remnant that are escaped of 6 you out of the hand of the kings of Assyria. And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the Lord, the God of their fathers, so that He gave 7 them up to desolation, as ye see. Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were; but yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into His sanctuary, which He hath sanctified forever, and serve the Lord your God, that His fierce anger may turn 8 away from you. For if ye turn again unto the Lord, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that led them captive, and shall come again into this land; for the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn 9 away His face from you, if ye return unto Him. So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, even unto Zebulun; but they laughed them to 10 scorn, and mocked them. Nevertheless divers of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves, and came to 11 Jerusalem. Also in Judah was the hand of God to give them one heart, to do the commandment of the king and of the 12 princes by the word of the Lord. And there assembled at Jerusalem much people to keep the feast of unleavened bread 13 in the second month, a very great congregation.”
Golden Text.—“Yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into His sanctuary.”2 Chron. 30:8.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) What important message did King Hezekiah send out to all Israel and Judah? V. 1. Note 1. (2) What wise course had the king pursued? V. 2. Note 2. (3) Why could they not keep the Passover at the regular time? V. 3. (4) How were the king and the people affected by the idea of observing the Passover? V. 4. (5) Then what decree was established? What was there peculiar about this Passover? V. 5. (6) How was the proclamation sent out? What was the purport of this address to the people? V. 6. Note 3. (7) What admonition did the proclamation contain? Vs. 7, 8. Note 4. (8) What promise of mercy did it contain? What special characteristics of God were set forth? V. 9. (9) To what extent were the messengers sent out? How did the people of Israel receive them? V. 10. (10) Were there exceptions to the manner in which the proclamation was received in Israel? V. 11. (11) How was it in Judah? V. 12. Note 5. (12) What was the result of the call? V. 13.
NOTES.
1. THE name Hezekiah means “the strength of Jehovah.” King Hezekiah was a good son of a very wicked father, whose name was Ahaz. When Hezekiah came to the throne of Judah, the kingdom was in a most deplorable condition, both morally and politically. He reigned twenty-nine years, and his was one of the best administrations in the history of the nation. The very first thing he did on ascending the throne was to begin a work of reform. See Isa. 29:3–11.
2. “The king had taken counsel.”—Therein he showed good judgment. “In multitude of counselors there is safety.” Prov. 24:6. He took counsel of Isaiah the prophet, which his father had stubbornly rejected. By this means he secured also the counsel of the Lord.
3. “Throughout all Israel and Judah.”—In true missionary spirit Hezekiah’s heart turned toward the people of the sister kingdom as well as to his own kingdom of Judah. The Spirit of the Lord had moved him to give this invitation to the people of the northern kingdom to join him in a thorough reformation. And it would have been well for Israel had they accepted the invitation; for it was but a few years until their enemies, the Assyrians, were permitted to make an end of Israel’s existence as a nation. In continual rejection of the Lord’s overtures of mercy, no one knows which may be the last offer. “Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor. 6:2.
4. “Like your fathers.”—Their fathers had on various occasions rebelled against God and been given over to their enemies for chastisement. “And like your brethren.”—The tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh were at this time in the hands of the Assyrians because of their idolatry. 1 Chron. 5:26.
5. “The hand of God.”—The movement was of the Lord. It was one of His many marked visitations to His people, showing His long-suffering and earnest desire that they might be spared the terrible doom to which they were fast hastening. Wherever and whenever there has been a call to turn to the Lord, and to keep His commandments, His hand has been in the work. The enemy of souls will never originate such a reformation, albeit he may join himself to the movement for the purpose of disconcerting the unwary and leading them into some fanatical excess. He will get in the van if possible, in order to turn the reform into some byway that will lead back to the former or a worse condition.
