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Speaker 1: I'm John Stangi, and today we're in Second Chronicles, chapter
Speaker 1: twenty nine and will be reading from the English Standard version.
Speaker 1: Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty five years old,
Speaker 1: and he reigned twenty nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's
Speaker 1: name was Abaija, the daughter of Zechariah. And he did
Speaker 1: what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according
Speaker 1: to all that David his father had done in the
Speaker 1: first year of his reign. In the first month, he
Speaker 1: opened the doors of the House of the Lord and
Speaker 1: repaired them. He brought in the priests and the levites
Speaker 1: and assembled them in the square on the east, and
Speaker 1: said to them, hear me, leevites, now consecrate yourselves and
Speaker 1: consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers,
Speaker 1: and carry out the filth from the holy place. For
Speaker 1: our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was
Speaker 1: evil in the sight of the Lord, our God. They
Speaker 1: have forsaken him and have turned away their faces from
Speaker 1: the habitation of the Lord and turned their backs. They
Speaker 1: also shut the doors of the vestibule and put out
Speaker 1: the lamps, and have not burned incense or offered burnt
Speaker 1: offerings in the Holy Place to the God of Israel.
Speaker 1: Therefore the wrath of the Lord came on Judah and Jerusalem,
Speaker 1: and he has made them an object of horror, of astonishment,
Speaker 1: and of hissing, as you see with your own eyes.
Speaker 1: For behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and
Speaker 1: our sons, and our daughters and our wives are in captivity.
Speaker 1: For this now it is in my heart to make
Speaker 1: a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, in
Speaker 1: order to that his fierce anger may turn away from us.
Speaker 1: My sons, do not now be negligent, for the Lord
Speaker 1: has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister
Speaker 1: to him, and to be his ministers and make offerings
Speaker 1: to him. Then the Levites arose Mayhath the son of Amesi,
Speaker 1: and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of
Speaker 1: the Cohathites and of the sons of Murari, Kish the
Speaker 1: son of Abde and Azariah the son of Jahaleel, and
Speaker 1: of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zima and Eden,
Speaker 1: the son of Joah, and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri,
Speaker 1: and Jaul, and of the sons of Asath Zechariah and Madaniah,
Speaker 1: and of the sons of Hemen, Jaul and Shimai, and
Speaker 1: of the sons of Jeduthan, Shemaiah and Uziel. They gathered
Speaker 1: their brothers and consecrated themselves and went in, as the
Speaker 1: King had commanded by the words of the Lord, to
Speaker 1: cleanse the house of the Lord. The priests went into
Speaker 1: the inner part of the House of the Lord to
Speaker 1: cleanse it. And they brought out all the uncleanness that
Speaker 1: they found in the temple of the Lord into the
Speaker 1: court of the House of the Lord, and the levites
Speaker 1: took it and carried it out to the brook Kidron.
Speaker 1: They began to consecrate on the first day of the
Speaker 1: first month, and on the eighth day of the month
Speaker 1: they came to the vestibule of the Lord. Then for
Speaker 1: eight days they consecrated the house of the Lord, and
Speaker 1: on the sixteenth day of the first month they finished.
Speaker 1: Then they went in to Hezekiah the King, and said,
Speaker 1: we have cleansed all the house of the Lord. The
Speaker 1: altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the
Speaker 1: table for the show bread and all its utensils. All
Speaker 1: the utensils that King AHAs discarded in his reign when
Speaker 1: he was faithless, we have made ready and consecrated. And
Speaker 1: behold they are before the altar of the Lord. Then
Speaker 1: Hezekiah the king, rose early and gathered the officials of
Speaker 1: the city and went up to the house of the Lord.
Speaker 1: And they brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and
Speaker 1: seven male goats for a sin offering for the kingdom
Speaker 1: and for the sanctuary and for Judah. And he commanded
Speaker 1: the priests, the son of Erin, to offer them on
Speaker 1: the altar of the Lord. So they slaughtered the bulls,
Speaker 1: and the priests received the blood and threw it against
Speaker 1: the altar. And they slaughtered the rams, and their blood
Speaker 1: was thrown against the altar. And they slaughtered the lambs,
Speaker 1: and their blood was thrown against the altar. Then the
Speaker 1: goats for the sin offering were brought to the king
Speaker 1: and the assembly, and they laid their hands on them,
Speaker 1: and the priests slaughtered them and made a sin offering
Speaker 1: with their blood on the altar to make atonement for
Speaker 1: all Israel. For the King commanded that the burnt offering
Speaker 1: and the sin offering should be made for all Israel,
Speaker 1: and he stationed the lever in the house of the
Speaker 1: Lord with symbols, harps and leers, according to the commandment
Speaker 1: of David and of Gad the King Seir, and of
Speaker 1: Nathan the prophet for the commandment was from the Lord
Speaker 1: through his prophets. The Levites stood with the instruments of David,
Speaker 1: and the priests with the trumpets. Then Hezekiah commanded that
Speaker 1: the burnt offering be offered on the altar. And when
Speaker 1: the burnt offering began, the song to the Lord began also,
Speaker 1: and the trumpets accompanied by the instruments of David, King
Speaker 1: of Israel. The whole assembly worshiped, and the singers sang
Speaker 1: and the trumpeters sounded. All this continued until the burnt
Speaker 1: offering was finished. When the offering was finished, the King
Speaker 1: and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped,
Speaker 1: and Hezekiah, the King and the officials commanded the Levites
Speaker 1: to sing praises to the Lord with the words of
Speaker 1: David and of Asaf the Seer, and they sang praises
Speaker 1: with gladness, and they bowed down and worshiped. Then hezekiahs said,
Speaker 1: you have now consecrated yourselves to the Lord. Come near,
Speaker 1: bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the House of the Lord.
Speaker 1: And the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all
Speaker 1: who were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings. The
Speaker 1: number of the burnt offerings that the assembly brought was
Speaker 1: seventy bulls, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs. All
Speaker 1: these were for a burnt offering to the Lord. And
Speaker 1: the consecrated offerings were six hundred bulls and three thousand sheep.
Speaker 1: But the priests were too few and could not flay
Speaker 1: all the burnt offerings. So until other priests had consecrated
Speaker 1: themselves their brothers, the levites helped them until the work
Speaker 1: was finished, for the Levites were more upright in heart
Speaker 1: than the priests in consecrating themselves. Besides the great number
Speaker 1: of burnt offerings, there was the fat of the peace offerings,
Speaker 1: and there were the drink offerings for the burnt offerings.
Speaker 1: Thus the service of the House of the Lord was restored,
Speaker 1: and Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced because God had
Speaker 1: provided for the people for the thing came about suddenly.
Speaker 1: Let's pray, Lord, we thank you for your word, and
Speaker 1: we thank you for the privilege of being able to
Speaker 1: look at this wonderful and momentous occasion, as this group
Speaker 1: of people that had spent so much time failing to
Speaker 1: focus on genuine worship was now coming back to you
Speaker 1: and worshiping you with sincerity. Once again. Lord, we're grateful
Speaker 1: for the privilege of being able to witness this sort
Speaker 1: of event. And Lord, we also noticed that when the
Speaker 1: goats for the sin offering were brought to the king
Speaker 1: in the assembly, they laid their hands on them, and
Speaker 1: the priests slaughtered them and made a sin offering with
Speaker 1: their blood on the altar to make atonement for all Israel.
Speaker 1: And Lord, we recognize that this was done in a
Speaker 1: foreshadowing kind of way that pointed to the sacrifice of
Speaker 1: your son Jesus Christ, who came to this earth as
Speaker 1: a sin offering, and our sins were laid on him
Speaker 1: and his blood was shed to make atonement for us all. Lord,
Speaker 1: we're grateful for that reality, and we're grateful that even
Speaker 1: in a portion of scripture like this, that sometimes gets overlooked.
Speaker 1: Tucked away in the Old Testament, we see a reference
Speaker 1: that points our hearts to the ultimate sacrifice that was
Speaker 1: accomplished by your son, Jesus Christ. So Lord, we pray
Speaker 1: that we would genuinely worship you today, and that our
Speaker 1: hearts and our minds would be continually pointed to Jesus,
Speaker 1: your son, our Savior, our Lord, and that we would
Speaker 1: rejoice in the new life and the forgiveness that we
Speaker 1: have because of his blood which was shed for our sin.
Speaker 1: We're grateful for these realities, and we're grateful for this reminder. Today.
Speaker 1: We pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.