2BC BIBLE STUDY NOTES
Wednesday in the Word
Second Baptist Church
April 19, 2023
2nd Chronicles 31
In the last few weeks, we studied the reign of King Hezekiah. Hezekiah became king after his father’s (Ahaz) horrible idolatrous reign. In the very first month, Hezekiah sought to bring the priesthood and the temple back in line with the commands and laws of God. Once the priests and Levites consecrated themselves, Hezekiah ordered them to resume the Passover festival as prescribed in the law. The celebration was held in the second month as opposed to the first month because the priest and Levites weren’t ready. Despite the delay, the law allowed for the celebration to be held in the second month. Hezekiah reached out to the larger Israelite community to come to the holy city of Jerusalem for the annual Passover celebration. Many came from far and near to celebrate the festival. The celebration was so powerful that the community decided to continue the celebration for 7 additional days. Chapter 31 picks up as the celebration ends.
Verse 1. The 14-day celebration was a revival for the community. The people made a commitment to repent and serve the one true God. This repentance compelled them to rid the community of the false idols that were spread throughout the region. Real repentance involves removing things that are not pleasing to God. Hezekiah’s father had placed these false altars throughout the community, but now the people see how that has caused them to suffer. In quick order the people leave the holy city destroying as many false altars as possible. We see that they went through all the southern kingdom and what was left of the northern kingdom that was not under the control of the Assyrians. After they destroyed the idols and false altars the people returned to their homes.
Verses 2-3. On the momentum of the 14-day revival, Hezekiah assigns the priests and Levites to their original roles to serve in the temple daily. Their daily responsibilities included handling the sacrifices, and other worship services. The priest and Levites had many duties that they had neglected for years. Hezekiah knows that the temple and the priesthood were key to the community following the law of God and staying in constant fellowship with God. When God spoke to Moses to set up the temple and the priesthood, the temple and the priesthood were designed to be central to the community. Keeping God at the center of the life of the community was crucial. For the priests to dedicate themselves to this work, they needed to be supplied with provisions. The King initially supplies what the priests need through his own funds. A well-functioning temple requires that the priests eat a portion of the sacrifices that the people bring for various offerings (Numbers 18:20-24, 26:57, Deut. 18:1-8).
Verses 4-10. Hezekiah supported the priests and Levites in Jerusalem initially by himself, but he knew that the entire priesthood would require the entire community to join in. Hezekiah orders the people living in Jerusalem to give tithe as commanded in Deuteronomy 14:22-29. As soon as the order went out in the third month the people gave generously all the way through the harvest season of the 7" month. Tithes were given in accordance with the three annual feasts which revolved around the first and the latter harvest seasons. Numbers 18:21, “I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel.” God commanded the tithes (ten percent of the harvest) be given to the Levites for their support. Let’s spend some time reading Deuteronomy 14 to understand what the tithes were.
Tithes were food.
Tithes weren’t money.
Tithes were eaten by priests and the person that brought it.
Tithes were shared by the priests and the community.
The entire community responded and gave so much that the priests had to pile the gifts in large heaps. When Hezekiah and his officials saw the large quantities of gifts, they praised God. Hezekiah didn’t know exactly where the food and offerings came from. He inquired of the high priest and the high priest said that the people gave so much they had plenty to spare. This happened over a four-month period.
Verses 11-18. The overflow of gifts required storage and administration. Good storage and people who were trustworthy were needed to manage the blessings. Hezekiah orders the priests to prepare storage rooms and several Levites are placed in charge to manage and supervise the tithes. Hezekiah put faithful men in positions of responsibility and accountability over these tithes. The king knew that faithful administration is promoted when people are accountable as overseers. The free-willed offerings were managed by another Levite Kore. These gifts were used to support the families of priests and Levites who lived outside of town. In addition, all the males 3 years old or more who were in the priestly and Levitical families were given portions of the offerings. These families weren’t given farmland under Moses, so they were always struggling to make ends meet. They were to stay devoted to keeping the community focused on God and handle all the priestly and Levitical duties of maintaining the safety and justice of the community. In our earlier lessons we learned that the priests and Levites had duties to handle community health issues as well as settle disputes and oversee court matters. This required them to have a need for financial support. Under Hezekiah they are beginning to handle their responsibilities and have the support they need.
Verses 19-21. Hezekiah even ordered the people to support the descendants of Aaron who lived on farmlands around the towns. These were the priest who took care of the Passover lambs and special sacrificial animals. Hezekiah did what was good and right in the sight of God. He restored the temple and the priesthood exactly as it was commanded in the Law of Moses. All this was done in his first year as king.
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