In sharp contrast with the reckless rule of Ahaz was
the reformation wrought during the prosperous reign
of his son. Hezekiah came to the throne determined to do
all in his power to save Judah from the fate that was
overtaking the northern kingdom. The messages of the prophets
offered no encouragement to halfway measures. Only by
most decided reformation could be threatened judgments
be averted.
In the crisis, Hezekiah proved to be a man of opportunity.
No sooner had he ascended the throne than he began
to plan and to execute. He first turned his attention to the
restoration of the temple services, so long neglected; and in
this work he earnestly solicited the co-operation of a band
of priests and Levites who had remained true to their sacred
calling. Confident of their loyal support, he spoke with
them freely concerning his desire to institute immediate
and far-reaching reforms. "Our fathers have trespassed,"
he confessed, "and done that which was evil in the eyes
of the Lord our God, and have forsaken Him, and have
turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord."
"Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the Lord
God of Israel, that His fierce wrath may turn away from
us." 2 Chronicles 29:6, 10.
In a few well-chosen words the king reviewed the situation
they were facing--the closed temple and the cessation
of all services within its precincts; the flagrant idolatry
practiced in the streets of the city and throughout the kingdom;
the apostasy of multitudes who might have remained
true to God had the leaders in Judah set before them a right
example; and the decline of the kingdom and loss of prestige
in the estimation of surrounding nations. The northern
kingdom was rapidly crumbling to pieces; many were
perishing by the sword; a multitude had already been carried
away captive; soon Israel would fall completely into the
hands of the Assyrians, and be utterly ruined; and this fate
would surely befall Judah as well, unless God should work
mightily through chosen representatives.
Hezekiah appealed directly to the priests to unite with
him in bringing about the necessary reforms. "Be not now
negligent," he exhorted them; "for the Lord hath chosen
you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that ye should
minister unto Him, and burn incense." "Sanctify now
yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your
fathers." Verses 11, 5.
It was a time for quick action. The priests began at
once. Enlisting the co-operation of others of their number
who had not been present during this conference, they
engaged heartily in the work of cleansing and sanctifying
the temple. Because of the years of desecration and neglect,
this was attended with many difficulties; but the priests
and the Levites labored untiringly, and within a remarkably
short time they were able to report their task completed.
The temple doors had been repaired and thrown open; the
sacred vessels had been assembled and put into place; and
all was in readiness for the re-establishment of the sanctuary
services.
In the first service held, the rulers of the city united with
King Hezekiah and with the priests and Levites in seeking
forgiveness for the sins of the nation. Upon the altar were
placed sin offerings "to make an atonement for all Israel."
"And when they had made an end of offering, the king
and all that were present with him bowed themselves, and
worshiped." Once more the temple courts resounded with
words of praise and adoration. The songs of David and
of Asaph were sung with joy, as the worshipers realized
that they were being delivered from the bondage of sin
and apostasy. "Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that
God had prepared the people: for the thing was done
suddenly." Verses 24, 29, 36.
God had indeed prepared the hearts of the chief men
of Judah to lead out in a decided reformatory movement,
that the tide of apostasy might be stayed. Through His
prophets He had sent to His chosen people message after
message of earnest entreaty--messages that had been despised
and rejected by the ten tribes of the kingdom of Israel, now
given over to the enemy. But in Judah there remained a
goodly remnant, and to these the prophets continued to
appeal. Hear Isaiah urging, "Turn ye unto Him from whom
the children of Israel have deeply revolted." Isaiah 31:6. Hear
Micah declaring with confidence: "I will look unto the
Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God
will hear me. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; when
I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall
be a light unto me. I will bear the indignation of the
Lord, because I have sinned against Him, until He plead
my cause, and execute judgment for me: He will bring
me forth to the light, and I shall behold His righteousness."
Micah 7:7-9.
These and other like messages revealing the willingness
of God to forgive and accept those who turned to Him
with full purpose of heart, had brought hope to many a
fainting soul in the dark years when the temple doors
remained closed; and now, as the leaders began to institute
a reform, a multitude of the people, weary of the thralldom
of sin, were ready to respond.
Those who entered the temple courts to seek forgiveness
and to renew their vows of allegiance to Jehovah, had
wonderful encouragement offered them in the prophetic
portions of Scripture. The solemn warnings against idolatry,
spoken through Moses in the hearing of all Israel, had been
accompanied by prophecies of God's willingness to hear
and forgive those who in times of apostasy should seek
Him with all the heart. "If thou turn to the Lord thy God,"
Moses had said, "and shalt be obedient unto His voice; (for
the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) He will not forsake
thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant
of thy fathers which He sware unto them." Deuteronomy
4:30, 31.
And in the prophetic prayer offered at the dedication
of the temple whose services Hezekiah and his associates
were now restoring, Solomon had prayed, "When Thy
people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because
they have sinned against Thee, and shall turn again to
Thee, and confess Thy name, and pray, and make supplication
unto Thee in this house: then hear Thou in heaven,
and forgive the sin of Thy people Israel." I Kings 8:33, 34.
The seal of divine approval had been placed upon this
prayer; for at its close fire had come down from heaven
to consume the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the
glory of the Lord had filled the temple. See 2 Chronicles 7:1.
And by night the Lord had appeared to Solomon to tell
him that his prayer had been heard, and that mercy would
be shown those who should worship there. The gracious
assurance was given: "If My people, which are called by
My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek
My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear
from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their
land." Verse 14.
These promises met abundant fulfillment during the
reformation under Hezekiah.
The good beginning made at the time of the purification of
the temple was followed by a broader movement, in which
Israel as well as Judah participated. In his zeal to make the
temple services a real blessing to the people, Hezekiah
determined to revive the ancient custom of gathering the Israelites
together for the celebration of the Passover feast.
For many years the Passover had not been observed as
a national festival. The division of the kingdom after the
close of Solomon's reign had made this seem impracticable.
But the terrible judgments befalling the ten tribes were
awakening in the hearts of some a desire for better things;
and the stirring messages of the prophets were having
their effect. By royal couriers the invitation to the Passover
at Jerusalem was heralded far and wide, "from city to
city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh even
unto Zebulun." The bearers of the gracious invitation were
usually repulsed. The impenitent turned lightly aside;
nevertheless some, eager to seek God for a clearer knowledge
of His will, "humbled themselves, and came to Jerusalem."
2 Chronicles 30:10, 11.
In the land of Judah the response was very general; for
upon them was "the hand of God," "to give them one heart
to do the commandment of the king and of the princes"
--a command in accord with the will of God as revealed
through His prophets. Verses 22, 21.
The occasion was one of the greatest profit to the
multitudes assembled. The desecrated streets of the city were
cleared of the idolatrous shrines placed there during the
reign of Ahaz. On the appointed day the Passover was
observed, and the week was spent by the people in offering
peace offerings and in learning what God would have
them do. Daily the Levites "taught the good knowledge
of the Lord;" and those who had prepared their hearts
to seek God, found pardon. A great gladness took possession
of the worshiping multitude; "the Levites and the
priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with loud instruments;"
all were united in their desire to praise Him who
had proved so gracious and merciful. Verse 12.
The seven days usually allotted to the Passover feast
passed all too quickly, and the worshipers determined to
spend another seven days in learning more fully the way
of the Lord. The teaching priests continued their work of
instruction from the book of the law; daily the people
assembled at the temple to offer their tribute of praise and
thanksgiving; and as the great meeting drew to a close,
it was evident that God had wrought marvelously in the
conversion of backsliding Judah and in stemming the tide
of idolatry which threatened to sweep all before it. The
solemn warnings of the prophets had not been uttered in
vain. "There was great joy in Jerusalem: for since the time
of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not
the like in Jerusalem." Verse 26.
The time had come for the return of the worshipers to
their homes. "The priests the Levites arose and blessed the
people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came
up to His holy dwelling place, even unto heaven." Verse 27.
God had accepted those who with broken hearts had confessed
their sins and with resolute purpose had turned to
Him for forgiveness and help.
There now remained an important work in which those
who were returning to their homes must take an active
part, and the accomplishment of this work bore evidence
to the genuineness of the reformation wrought. The record
reads: "All Israel that were present went out to the cities
of Judah, and brake the images in pieces, and cut down the
groves, and threw down the high places and the altars out
of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh,
until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the
children of Israel returned, every man to his possession,
into their own cities." 2 Chronicles 31:1.
Hezekiah and his associates instituted various reforms
for the upbuilding of the spiritual and temporal interests
of the kingdom. "Throughout all Judah" the king "wrought
that which was good and right and truth before the Lord
his God. And in every work that he began, . . . he did
it with all his heart, and prospered." "He trusted in the
Lord God of Israel, . . . and departed not from following
Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord commanded
Moses. And the Lord was with him; and he prospered."
Verses 20, 21; 2 Kings 18:5-7.
The reign of Hezekiah was characterized by a series
of remarkable providences which revealed to the surrounding
nations that the God of Israel was with His people. The
success of the Assyrians in capturing Samaria and in scattering
the shattered remnant of the ten tribes among the
nations, during the earlier portion of his reign, was leading
many to question the power of the God of the Hebrews.
Emboldened by their successes, the Ninevites had long since
set aside the message of Jonah and had become defiant in
their opposition to the purposes of Heaven. A few years
after the fall of Samaria the victorious armies reappeared
in Palestine, this time directing their forces against the
fenced cities of Judah, with some measure of success; but
they withdrew for a season because of difficulties arising
in other portions of their realm. Not until some years later,
toward the close of Hezekiah's reign, was it to be demonstrated
before the nations of the world whether the gods
of the heathen were finally to prevail.