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Speaker 1: I'm John Stangi, and today we're in Second Chronicles, chapter
Speaker 1: thirty and we'll be reading from the contemporary English version.
Speaker 1: Passover wasn't celebrated in the first month, which was the
Speaker 1: usual time, because many of the priests were still unclean
Speaker 1: and unacceptable to serve, and because not everyone in Judah
Speaker 1: had come to Jerusalem for the festival. So Hesekiah, his officials,
Speaker 1: and the people agreed to celebrate Passover in the second month.
Speaker 1: Hesekiah sent a message to everyone in Israel and Judah,
Speaker 1: including those in the territories of Ephrium and West Manassa,
Speaker 1: inviting them to the Temple in Jerusalem for the celebration
Speaker 1: of Passover in honor of the Lord God of Israel.
Speaker 1: Everyone from Bearsheba in the south to Dan in the
Speaker 1: north was invited. This was the largest crowd of people
Speaker 1: that had ever celebrated Passover. According to the official records.
Speaker 1: Hezekiah's messengers went everywhere in Israel and Judah with the
Speaker 1: following letter. People of Israel. Now that you have survived
Speaker 1: the invasion of the Assyrian kings, it's time for you
Speaker 1: to turn back to the Lord God. Our ancestors Abraham,
Speaker 1: Isaac and Jacob worshiped. If you do this, he will
Speaker 1: stop being angry. Don't follow the example of your ancestors
Speaker 1: and your Israelite relatives in the north. They were unfaithful
Speaker 1: to the Lord, and he punished them horribly. Don't be
Speaker 1: stubborn like your ancestors. Decide now to obey the Lord
Speaker 1: our God. Come to Jerusalem and worship him in the
Speaker 1: temple that will belong to him forever. Then he will
Speaker 1: stop being angry, and the enemies that have captured your
Speaker 1: families will show pity and send them back home. The
Speaker 1: Lord God is kind and merciful, and if you turn
Speaker 1: back to him, he will no longer turn his back
Speaker 1: on you. The messengers went to every town in Ephrium
Speaker 1: and West Manassa, as far north as the territory of Zebulun,
Speaker 1: but everyone laughed and insulted them. Only a few people
Speaker 1: from the tribes of Asher, West Manassa, and Zebulun were
Speaker 1: humble and went to Jerusalem. God also made everyone in
Speaker 1: Judah eager to do what Hezekiah and his officials had commanded.
Speaker 1: In the second month, a large crowd of people gathered
Speaker 1: in Jerusalem to celebrate the festival of thin Bread. They
Speaker 1: took all the foreign altars and incense altars in Jerusalem
Speaker 1: and threw them into Kidrin Valley. Then, on the fourteenth
Speaker 1: day of that same month, the leave began killing the
Speaker 1: lambs for Passover because many of the worshippers were unclean
Speaker 1: and were not allowed to kill their own lambs. Meanwhile,
Speaker 1: some of the priests and levites felt ashamed because they
Speaker 1: had not gone through the ceremony to make themselves clean.
Speaker 1: They immediately went through that ceremony and went to the temple,
Speaker 1: where they offered sacrifices to please the Lord. Then the
Speaker 1: priests and levites took their positions according to the law
Speaker 1: of Moses, the servant of God. As the Levites killed
Speaker 1: the lambs, they handed some of the blood to the priests,
Speaker 1: who spattered it on the altar. Most of the people
Speaker 1: that came from Ephrium, West Manassa, Isakar, and Zebulin had
Speaker 1: not made themselves clean, but they ignored God's law and
Speaker 1: ate the passover lambs anyway, Hezekiah found out what they
Speaker 1: had done and prayed, Lord God, these people are unclean
Speaker 1: according to the laws of holiness, but they are worshiping
Speaker 1: you just as their ancestors did, so please be kind
Speaker 1: and forgive them. The Lord answered Hezekiah's prayer and did
Speaker 1: not punish them. The worshippers in Jerusalem were very happy
Speaker 1: and celebrated the festival for seven days. The levites and
Speaker 1: priests sang praises to the Lord every day and played
Speaker 1: their instruments. Hezekiah thanked the Levites for doing such a
Speaker 1: good job leading the celebration. The worshippers celebrated for seven
Speaker 1: days by offering sacrifices, by eating the sacred meals, and
Speaker 1: by praising the Lord God of their ancestors. Everyone was
Speaker 1: so excited that they agreed to celebrate seven more days.
Speaker 1: So Hezekiah gave the people one thousand bulls and seven
Speaker 1: thousand sheep to be offered as sacrifices and to be
Speaker 1: used as food for the sacred meals. His officials gave
Speaker 1: one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep, and many more
Speaker 1: priests agreed to go through the ceremony to make themselves clean.
Speaker 1: Everyone was very happy, including those from Judah and Israel,
Speaker 1: the priests and Levites, and the foreigners living in Judah
Speaker 1: and Israel. It was the biggest celebration in Jerusalem since
Speaker 1: the days of King Solomon, the son of David. The
Speaker 1: priests and Levites asked God to bless the people, and
Speaker 1: from his home in Heaven he did. Let's pray, Lord,
Speaker 1: we thank you for your word, and we thank you
Speaker 1: for the privilege to be able to look at such
Speaker 1: a joyous passage of scripture today. And Lord, our hearts
Speaker 1: are encouraged as we could see the people of Judah
Speaker 1: inviting their neighbors, inviting their fellow kinsmen to come and
Speaker 1: join them for this celebration of the Passover. And even
Speaker 1: though some laughed, and even though some insulted them for
Speaker 1: extending this invitation and for celebrating the Passover, were grateful
Speaker 1: Lord that they still carried through with it with great
Speaker 1: joy and with much happiness. They celebrated your Passover in Jerusalem. Lor,
Speaker 1: we thank you as well that when we look at
Speaker 1: this portion of Scripture, we're reminded of your kindness. We
Speaker 1: see it in Hezekiah's prayer to you to show kindness
Speaker 1: and mercy to the people who were acting somewhat ignorantly
Speaker 1: as they failed to cleanse themselves before partaking of the
Speaker 1: passover meal. But you were kind to them, and you
Speaker 1: forgave them, and you answered Hezekiah's prayer. And this reminds
Speaker 1: us of the kindness and mercy that you have shown
Speaker 1: us in your son Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate
Speaker 1: passover Lamb, who has died in our place but rose
Speaker 1: from the grave and defeated death. And now that victory
Speaker 1: is ours through faith in him. So Lord, we're grateful
Speaker 1: for all these things, and we're grateful for these reminders
Speaker 1: of your kindness and mercy that we can see in
Speaker 1: this particular passage of scripture remind our hearts of that truth.
Speaker 1: Throughout the course of this day, we pray and we
Speaker 1: thank you for all these things in Jim use his name. Amen,