Then Hezekiah the king rose early, and gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the LORD.
Hezekiah's reign belongs among those of Judah's good kings, coming after the weak king Ahaz and before Manasseh in the declining line of Judah that ended in B.C. 586, and he began to reign at twenty-five years old. He came to the throne after great temporal and moral decline under his father Ahaz and his grandfather Jotham, when the temple had been forsaken and the people worshiped idols. Evil beliefs and practices then lay strong upon the people, and the work of reform would require ability and determination, though he himself had been given a pious mould through his mother's influence. His rising early and gathering the rulers of the city and going up to the house of the Lord was his honoring of God by acting at once and promptly, beginning the work of restoring the temple and the worship of Jehovah and leading the city's leaders with him.
His first work was to open, reopen and repair the temple, call the priests and Levites to consecrate themselves and cleanse it, and purify it of its uncleanness and the accumulated rubbish of years. He returned the priests and Levites to service and revived the ancient worship with offerings and music, including offerings for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. The uncleanness was cleared in eight days, and the people rejoiced because God had prepared them and the work was accomplished suddenly. After the temple was cleared, he sent messengers with letters from city to city throughout the northern kingdom inviting the people to forsake idols, return to the true God, and come to Jerusalem for a great religious festival. Though some mocked, a great fourteen-day Passover feast was held with many sacrifices and great gladness, the greatest revival since Solomon, and under his direction the people broke down idols, cut down groves, and destroyed high places and altars.
The account continues to show that the people promptly brought tithes and offerings to support that restored temple service. The account illustrates that doing duty brings blessing and that God is willing to help His people when they seek Him with all their heart, and that them that honor God He will honor. Hezekiah acted in a way that pleased the Lord and sought God's glory, and his faithful service is connected with God's hearing of prayer and blessing his reign. The verse shows Hezekiah taking the initiative in a national religious revival and stands as an example of a king leading revival in the nation's civil and political life.
Hezekiah's reign belongs among those of Judah's good kings, coming after the weak king Ahaz and before Manasseh in the declining line of Judah that ended in B.C. 586, and he began to reign at twenty-five years old. He came to the throne after great temporal and moral decline under his father Ahaz and his grandfather Jotham, when the temple had been forsaken and the people worshiped idols. Evil beliefs and practices then lay strong upon the people, and the work of reform would require ability and determination, though he himself had been given a pious mould through his mother's influence. His rising early and gathering the rulers of the city and going up to the house of the Lord was his honoring of God by acting at once and promptly, beginning the work of restoring the temple and the worship of Jehovah and leading the city's leaders with him.
His first work was to open, reopen and repair the temple, call the priests and Levites to consecrate themselves and cleanse it, and purify it of its uncleanness and the accumulated rubbish of years. He returned the priests and Levites to service and revived the ancient worship with offerings and music, including offerings for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. The uncleanness was cleared in eight days, and the people rejoiced because God had prepared them and the work was accomplished suddenly. After the temple was cleared, he sent messengers with letters from city to city throughout the northern kingdom inviting the people to forsake idols, return to the true God, and come to Jerusalem for a great religious festival. Though some mocked, a great fourteen-day Passover feast was held with many sacrifices and great gladness, the greatest revival since Solomon, and under his direction the people broke down idols, cut down groves, and destroyed high places and altars.
The account continues to show that the people promptly brought tithes and offerings to support that restored temple service. The account illustrates that doing duty brings blessing and that God is willing to help His people when they seek Him with all their heart, and that them that honor God He will honor. Hezekiah acted in a way that pleased the Lord and sought God's glory, and his faithful service is connected with God's hearing of prayer and blessing his reign. The verse shows Hezekiah taking the initiative in a national religious revival and stands as an example of a king leading revival in the nation's civil and political life.