The Passover recorded in 2 Chronicles 30 could be called a Passover of grace. If there ever was a miserable excuse for keeping the law of Passover, we see it in this account.
The people were not able to keep the Passover at its appointed time because they had no priests who were consecrated to kill the lambs. Hezekiah, the king of Israel at that time, prayed and called upon the Lord concerning the matter. The decision was made to wait one month to celebrate the Passover.
The ninth chapter of Numbers tells about the first time this was done. When the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, they kept the Passover. At that time Moses sought the Lord about those who were unclean and therefore could not be consecrated to keep the Passover. This included anyone who had touched a dead body during the course of a funeral; he was considered unclean for seven days.
The Lord instructed Moses that the unclean ones should wait until the second month, and then kill a lamb on the fourteenth day and keep the Passover (Numbers 9:6–12). To this day the Jews call it “the little Passover.” It was meant for those who were unable to keep the feast lawfully at the appointed time.
The Passover which Hezekiah kept was really a little Passover; no one was qualified to celebrate the feast during the first month, so they kept it the second month. Now Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover to the Lord God of Israel. For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had decided to celebrate the Passover in the second month, since they could not celebrate it at that time, because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient numbers, nor had the people been gathered to Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 30:1–3.
This proclamation was circulated throughout all Israel: “O sons of Israel, return to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that He may return to those of you who escaped and are left from the hand of the kings of Assyria.” (If you remember, the Assyrian assault had already begun with the northern tribes of Israel.) “Now do not stiffen your neck like your fathers, but yield to the Lord and enter His sanctuary which He has consecrated forever, and serve the Lord your God, that His burning anger may turn away from you. For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your sons will find compassion before those who led them captive, and will return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate, and will not turn His face away from you if you return to Him.” Verses 6, 8, 9.
For some time, division had existed between the northern tribes and the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Hezekiah purposed to bring the wanderers of the northern tribes back to the Lord, although many of them had already been slaughtered in war or taken captive by Assyria, which was a vicious empire. So the couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them. (That shows how far the people were from the Lord.) Nevertheless some men of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord. Verses 10–12.
It was with a great deal of unity, with one heart, that everyone gathered in Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Passover. Notice the preparation they made. And they arose and removed the altars which were in Jerusalem; they also removed all the incense altars and cast them into the brook Kidron. Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth of the second month. And the priests and Levites were ashamed of themselves and consecrated themselves, and brought burnt offerings to the house of the Lord. Verses 14 and 15.
The preparation that must be made to serve God is surprising. When a body of people decide to really serve the Lord, it is amazing to see how many things must be removed, how many hidden things are still there. We may take it for granted that everyone is going to become a dedicated disciple, but there are some who will not make it.
Do you remember the story about Jacob and his wives, Rachel and Leah? When Jacob, with his wives and all that he possessed, left their father, Laban, Rachel stole her father’s images and hid them in her saddle. Laban pursued after Jacob, and when he found him, he asked him why he had stolen the idols. Jacob, not knowing that Rachel had taken them, said, “Whoever did that, let him die.” There was a search through all the camp, but they were not found there. Rachel was sitting on the saddle, and she asked not to be disturbed because of her menstrual time. So the idols were not discovered (Genesis 31).
It was one consideration for Rachel to love Jacob and to give lip service to the God of Jacob, but it was quite another to get rid of those idols. While she was in a very difficult labor to bring forth her son, Benjamin, Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. Genesis 35:19. She never made it. You may never know what idols are “hidden in a person’s saddlebags.” You may not realize it when people are walking with God with reservations in their hearts.
Passover is a unique time of sweeping out all the leaven from the corners. We are told to keep the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, not with any leaven of malice and wickedness (1 Corinthians 5:8).
It is necessary to get rid of everything that might cause corruption in your heart. In the days of Hezekiah, that is exactly what the people did. They all prepared their hearts.
For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves; therefore, the Levites were over the slaughter of the Passover lambs for every one who was unclean, in order to consecrate them to the Lord. For a multitude of the people, even many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than prescribed. 2 Chronicles 30:17–18.
The whole process of preparation for the feast was completely unorthodox. There were people who were not really ready to serve the Lord, but they thought it might be a good idea to keep the Passover. This is true of many today. They are not prepared to claim all the blessings available for them.
Hezekiah prayed for the people: “May the good Lord pardon everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.” He was asking God to show mercy and grace upon the people, so the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. The people celebrated with great joy for seven days, and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day after day with loud instruments to the Lord. Verses 18–21.
The Word tells us to praise the Lord with a loud voice, to make a joyful noise unto the Lord. Even if you cannot sing at all, you can make a noise.
It is beautiful to see how those people under Hezekiah changed as God blessed them. They were not even fit to kill a lamb, much less to partake of it, in the beginning. Do you sometimes feel that we who are walking with God in this day are also far from being worthy of anything from the Lord? This is certainly not a day for throwing rocks. Anyone who feels qualified to throw a rock at someone should be rebuked for his self-righteousness.
Notice that the people did not immediately return to their homes. Then the whole assembly decided to celebrate the feast another seven days, so they celebrated the seven days with joy. Verse 23.
Some of the most astounding events of all history are recorded in 2 Chronicles 31 and 32. These were the days of Isaiah, and there is no question in my mind but that Isaiah and his prophesying were very much a part of that Passover. No wonder they kept the feast for another seven days!
So there was great joy in Jerusalem, because there was nothing like this in Jerusalem since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel. Verse 26.
Notice what happened after they celebrated the Passover. All Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah, broke the pillars in pieces, cut down the Asherim, and pulled down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. 2 Chronicles 31:1.
The people did not go straight home. After they had finished fourteen days of rejoicing, they went out with a maul and a hammer, or whatever tool they could find, and destroyed every idol in sight.
After the Feast of Passover came the greatest deliverance that Judah had experienced since the days of King David. It came to pass because they understood what God was doing for them in the Passover, and they rejoiced in the Lord.
Action must follow every Passover. Break down your idols. Destroy the conditionings in your mind which say you are limited, which say you can never do the whole will of God. Get over the idea that you will never do signs and wonders. Get over those attitudes that are weights upon you. Prepare your heart to be the person that God called you to be. Get rid of everything that is in the way of fully walking with God.
Some things we must do are post-Passover actions. Do you remember Jesus telling the people to roll away the stone of Lazarus’ grave? They told the Lord that he had been in the grave for four days and the body would stink with decay.
But Jesus insisted that they roll away the stone. When they did, Jesus said, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he came forth, wrapped hand and foot in grave clothes. Then the Lord told the people to loose him and let him go (John 11:39–44).
The Lord can do a great deal in bringing His life to us; however, He still gives us the responsibility and expects us to take the initiative to get rid of the last wrappings of death, those last restrictions of the old life, the last trappings of Babylon and the final reproach of Egypt, so that we can serve God with all our hearts. Much of the responsibility rests upon us. Let us take that responsibility.
Perhaps you are having a little trouble getting rid of some of those old grave clothes. That was something Lazarus was not able to do for himself either. If you still have them, go to your brother or sister and ask them to loose you from the grave clothes. Help one another to do this. Loose me and I will loose you, too.
This loosing within the Body is a mutual strength which we give to one another. We weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice, and we loose one another in the name of the Lord!
After the bonds had been loosed through the Passover, all the people under Hezekiah began to tithe. They brought the tithe of oxen, sheep, and all they had and placed everything in heaps or piles. In the third month they began to make the heaps, and finished them by the seventh month. 2 Chronicles 31:7. This is the ministry of heaps. The people gave everything they possibly could. And when Hezekiah and the rulers came and saw the heaps, they blessed the Lord and His people Israel. Verse 8.
Then Hezekiah questioned the priests concerning the heaps (verse 9), and the chief priest said that since the tithing had begun, “… we have had enough to eat with plenty left over, for the Lord has blessed His people, and this great quantity is left over.” Verse 10. The people stored up everything and took care of it, rejoicing because the Lord had given them so very much. And thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah; and he did what was good, right, and true before the Lord his God. And every work which he began in the service of the house of God in law and in commandment, seeking his God, he did with all his heart and prospered. Verses 20–21.
I am glad that we have the account of Hezekiah in the Bible. I am glad that in the midst of the apostasy, there was a man who moved so much like a little child. That is the only way I can describe his ministry. He became like a little child and he trusted God.
What happened in the thirty-second chapter of 2 Chronicles is very interesting. There is a parallel to it in the book of Isaiah, chapters 36–39, which is a historical section that deals with Sennacherib, the king of Assyria.
Sennacherib invaded Judah and took all of the northern cities. Then he decided to go after Jerusalem. Hezekiah had not paid much attention to taking any measures for defense, since he was putting all his energies into serving the Lord. There were heaps of food in the temple, but there were big holes in the wall around the city. So Hezekiah … took courage and rebuilt all the wall that had been broken down, and erected towers on it, and built another outside wall, and strengthened Millo in the city of David, and made weapons and shields in great number. 2 Chronicles 32:5.
Preparations were made, and then Sennacherib sent his servants against Hezekiah and all who were with him saying, “Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria, ‘On what are you trusting that you are remaining in Jerusalem under siege?’ ” Verse 10.
He threatened to destroy it. By all natural observations one would say that the destruction of Jerusalem was imminent.
Jerusalem was only a small place compared to some of the larger cities which Sennacherib had taken. He had the men to do it. Sennacherib was set to destroy Jerusalem and he also wrote letters to insult the Lord God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying that if the gods of other lands could not deliver their people, neither would the God of Hezekiah be able to deliver the people from his hand (verse 17).
But King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed about this and cried out to heaven. And the Lord sent an angel who destroyed every mighty warrior, commander and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned in shame to his own land. And when he had entered the temple of his god, some of his own children killed him there with the sword. So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria.… Verses 20–22.
In the book of Isaiah is God’s answer to Hezekiah in response to his prayer concerning Sennacherib, king of Assyria. It also contains the actual number of Assyrians that were slain by the angel of the Lord.
Isaiah 37:30–38: “Then this shall be the sign for you: you shall eat this year what grows of itself, in the second year what springs from the same, and in the third year sow, reap, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward.” (That is what the remnant of today is doing now: putting roots downward and bearing fruit upward.) “For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and out of Mount Zion survivors. The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall perform this.
“Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, ‘He shall not come to this city, or shoot an arrow there; neither shall he come before it with a shield, nor throw up a mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come to this city,’ declares the Lord. ‘For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’ ”
Then the angel of the Lord went out, and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, all of these were dead. So Sennacherib, king of Assyria, departed and returned home, and lived at Nineveh. And it came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat.…
That is a good sequel to the stories of Passover. Was there any other mighty ruler who was destroyed with his armies after Passover? Yes, at the very first Passover the Lord told Moses not to fear, because the Egyptians whom be saw that day he would see no more forever (Exodus 14:13).
The Israelites were full of the Passover lamb and they were rejoicing in the Word of the Lord to Moses. The Lord sent the wind and parted the waters of the Red Sea, and the people were told to walk across.
Can you imagine the waters standing up like a wall, as everyone walked through on dry ground? What an amazing sight—all of the Israelites with their chickens and flocks and herds crossing the sea. Not one of them was left behind. Can you visualize the women, strutting along, adorned with all the jewels and finery they bad taken from the Egyptians? Some of the little ones were probably trying to reach through the wall of water to grab a fish as they walked along. The Israelites moved on; and just as they got to the other side of the sea the chariots of Pharaoh started across too, but they bogged down in the sand. Then the winds let go of the water, and that was the end of Pharaoh and his army.
We must view that Passover with faith, believing that such a victory will be manifested again. We do not want to consider any doubt or unbelief, or the possibility of another year in which we shall carry any unseen chains of Egypt.
Shall we cry at Passover, or shall we have faith to look beyond Passover and have an assurance that the Lord will do it again?
He who is able to send His angels to destroy 185,000 superior Assyrian troops in one night is able also to meet the need of our lives. He who drowned the oppressing Pharaoh, one of the rulers who had kept God’s people in bondage for centuries, will meet us also. Keep the feast with an anticipation.
Maybe it is not the Pharaoh on the outside that you fear, but the Pharaoh in your own heart or in your own life. Maybe you fear your unbelief, thinking you might waver. Hezekiah’s Passover was a good example for us. If anyone deserved anything, it certainly was not Hezekiah’s people. They were not even consecrated. Not one priest had hands clean enough to kill a little Passover lamb. Their hearts were not even prepared to walk with God.
Hezekiah asked the Lord just to have favor on them and bless them. The people celebrated the feast for seven days and were so blessed that they extended it another seven days.
Then they began pulling down idols everywhere and cleaning things up. Even that was not enough. Then everyone freely brought heaps of tithes to support the priests. They made a complete about-face.
The Word says that the people hearkened unto the words of Hezekiah and of Isaiah and they trusted God. God delivered those people who could never have defended themselves, and He promised to bless them so that they would send roots downward and bear fruit upward.
Will this be the pattern of your life? I want to believe it for myself. Do you want to believe it for yourself? Do you want to throw off some of the past? Would you like to forget those things that are past, as the Apostle Paul did? Ask the Lord to help you so that you will not be conditioned by the times that you felt your prayers were not answered. Be like a naive little child, like Hezekiah was, and believe that what you ask for is going to happen.
Very simply, I am going to believe. There will be no feelings of delay or desperation, but only the realization that we have kept the feast. We have honored most reverently the blood of Jesus Christ and had it applied to the doorposts of our hearts. We have feasted upon bitter herbs. Our loins are girded, our staff is in our hand, and our sandals are on our feet. We are prepared to leave every limitation and every restriction. We do not want to know ourselves or one another after the flesh any longer.
From now on, I want to have one thing in mind: I will walk with my Lord. Thou art my shield and buckler. Thou art my defense against Assyria. Thou art the one who lifts up my head when all of Babylon would curse me. Thou art the one who delights in Thy remnant, who takes pleasure in Thy people, who makes a throne out of the praises of Thy people.