Until they had utterly destroyed them all. 2 Chronicles 31:1 Utterly J. Parker, D.D. Mark the word "utterly." It is for want of that word that so many men have failed. Many men have cut off the heads of weeds. Any man can do that. The weed is in the root, and the root is not straight down in the earth, so that it can be taken out easily; after a certain depth it ramifies, and care must be taken that we get out every fibre and filament, and having got it out, turn it upside down, and let the sun do the rest. A man has undertaken to abstain from some evil pursuit for a month: he has clipped off the top of the weed and looks just as well as anybody else, but he is not; he has still the root in him, and that must be taken out, though he be half murdered in the process. ( J. Parker, D.D. ) Reform must lead to regeneration J. Parker, D. D. To utterly destroy an idol first, even were it possible, would not be lasting. What must come first in the order of time? Religious enthusiasm, religious conviction; deep, intense spiritual fellowship with God; a look into heaven; vital sympathy with the Cross; a purification of hand and life and tongue, and body, soul, and spirit, by the Passover rightly eaten; and then what giants will go forth with axes of lightning to smite pillar and asherah and idol and every vain thing. Men cannot strike finally if they sot only as reformers. Reform is an active word, and is to be regarded with great favour, and is the only word that is permissible under some circumstance; but the greater word is regeneration. Reform that does not point to regeneration is a waxen flower that will melt when the sun is well up in the heavens. ( J. Parker, D. D. ) Reform There are three effects which ought always to follow our solemn assembly on the Lord's day. We should go home and — I. BREAK IN PIECES ALL OUR IMAGES. 1. Self-righteousness. 2. Bacchus. 3. Lust. 4. Business; false measures and false weights. 5. Pride. II. CUT DOWN THE GROVES. Groves are the places where the images have been set up. There was nothing mark you, positively sinful in the grove; but they have been used for sinful purposes, and therefore down they must come. We would specify — 1. The theatre. 2. The tavern. 3. So-called recreation, dancing, etc. 4. Evil books. Light literature, the moral of which is anything but that of piety and goodness. III. THROW DOWN THE HIGH PLACES AND ALTARS, ETC. God had said that He would have but one altar, namely, at Jerusalem. There should be a casting down of everything in connection with the true worship that is not according to the law of God and the word of God. ( C. H. Spurgeon . ) Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, unto their own cities Home missionary zeal H. Townley. In evangelising our own countrymen we must proceed — I. IN THE EMPLOYMENT OF THOSE MEANS WHICH ARE CONGENIAL WITH THE SPIRIT OF THE DISPENSATION UNDER WHICH WE LIVE. The men of Israel were fully justified in doing as described in the text. They lived under a Theocracy, and idolatry was high treason. We live under a different dispensation. "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal." To destroy the idolatry which still reigns in our land we must go forth and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hezekiah's proclamation of the Passover and its consequences as described in the preceding chapter suggests how this has to be done. 1. Distinctly (ver. 1). 2. Boldly. In spite of ridicule (ver. 10). 3. Affectionately (ver. 6-9). 4. Prayerfully (ver. 18). II. BY OURSELVES LIVING CONSISTENTLY WITH THE PROFESSION WE MAKE, AND THE GREAT CAUSE WE HAVE ESPOUSED. Our lives must be characterised — 1. By sincerity and uprightness ( 2 Chronicles 31:20, 21 ). 2. By joy and praise ( 2 Chronicles 30:21 ). 3. By self-denial and sacrifice ( 2 Chronicles 30:24 ). III. WITH A DETERMINATION TO TAKE NO REST TILL THE OBJECT WE HAVE IN VIEW IS FULLY ACCOMPLISHED. "Until they had utterly destroyed them all." ( H. Townley. ) And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good. 2 Chronicles 31:20, 21 Hezekiah -- an example for young men John Burbidge. I. HEZEKIAH'S RELIGION. 1. It was expensive. He set about reforming the national religion. The spirit of such a life should be, must be, respected in every one of us if the religion we possess is to be worth anything. The young man whose mind is that of Jesus Christ has learned to live, not for himself, but for others. Harlan Page was a house joiner at Coventry, in America. His social position gave him but little influence, but what he had he gave to God. He was the living missionary wherever he went. See how God's grace brought him out of self. He wrote: "When I first obtained a hope I felt that I must labour for souls. I prayed, year after year, that God would make me the means of saving souls." Is your position that of a clerk? Imitate David Nasmith, who without talent or money sanctified the desk by working for Christ and perishing souls. He was the founder of City Missions, and the home heathen owe more to the Glasgow clerk than to any man who ever lived. Is your position that of a military officer? Imitate Hadley Vicars. The soldier of the Queen became the soldier of Christ. He had hard work to stand his ground at mess, but he did stand it; and one of the soldiers said, "Since Mr. Vicars became so good he has steadied about four hundred men in the regiment." Is your position that of a merchant? Imitate George Moore, who rose to his partnership by sterling integrity, high principle, and hard work. He had no idea of growing rich and forgetting those by whose labours he accumulated his wealth. Every clerk and servant in his employment knew, in a very tangible way, that a good year's business had been done. In a word, young men, whatever you may be, peer or peasant, professional man or tradesman, merchant or mechanic — come out in God's strength as a religious man, and live for others. Let your sympathies embrace suffering bodies and perishing souls. Never mind being poor. Much of God's work in this world has been done by men of little education, slender means, and few advantages. Do your duty for Christ and your influence will reach further than you think. "Thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah." 2. It was sound. He "wrought that which was good and right, and truth before the Lord his God.." A young man's religion, to be worth anything, must be sound. If he is to do anything which is "good and right and truth," he must — (1) Be able to give some account of the hope which is in him; he must get out of the company of those who "understand neither what they say, nor what they affirm." (2) Base his religion on a personal study of the Bible. (3) Support his religion by the plain lessons of history; the religious history of our own country. (4) Continually submit to the teaching of the Holy Spirit. (5) Above all, his religion must be centred in a personal Saviour. 3. It was whole-hearted. II. HEZEKIAH'S REWARD. "And prospered." 1. His reward was of God. 2. He had his reward in his country. What a benefactor he must have appeared in the eyes of his subjects. 3. He had his reward in himself. ( John Burbidge. ) Life in earnest I. THE SPHERE WHICH CHRISTIAN EARNESTNESS OCCUPIES IN THE DIVINE LIFE. 1. It will make a man think very earnestly for his Lord and Master. In the diary of Jonathan Edwards we find the following account of his feelings towards the Lord's work: "I had great longing for the advancement of Christ's kingdom in the world; my secret prayer used to be in great part taken up in praying for it. If I heard the least hint of anything that had happened in any part of the world which appeared to me in some respect or other to have favourable aspect on the interest of Christ's kingdom, my soul eagerly caught at it, and it would much animate and refresh me. I used to read public news letters, mainly to see if I could find some news favourable to the interest of religion in the world." When we are full of zeal for God it is the same with us. 2. It will make a man plan and purpose for the cause of Christ. 3. It will show itself in perseverance. 4. It will show its zeal in an entire dependence upon God, and in intensely fervent prayer for God's help and for God's blessing. II. ARGUMENTS WHICH PROVOKE TO THIS EARNESTNESS. 1. The greatness of the work we have to deal with. 2. The earnestness of Satan. 3. The responsibilities which lie upon us as a Church. 4. The onflowing of the stream of death. 5. The love which we have received of Jesus. III. MAY GOD GIVE ME FRESH GRACE WHILE I UNDERTAKE THE SOLEMN WORK OF DEALING WITH CARELESS AND UNCONVERTED SOULS. ( C. H. Spurgeon . ) The character of Hezekiah J. Hewlett, B.D. Every man who wishes to do good in his generation, who would bless others and be blessed himself, must cultivate the same principle of goodness that Hezekiah did. In every work that he began, "he did it with all his heart." I. INDUCEMENTS WHICH SHOULD LEAD US TO ADOPT THIS PRUDENT AND DECISIVE CONDUCT. 1. It saves time; or at least it leads us to apply every part of it to the best advantage. It prevents our life being abridged by years of irresolution and delay. It gives us the assurance that we are husbanding our talent well. 2. It secures our continual happiness. 3. Its beneficial effects on society are incalculable. II. EXAMPLES OF THIS PRINCIPLE ARE TO BE FOUND — 1. In the Bible. Moses, Ezra, Nehemiah, etc. 2. In general history.The origin and progress of almost everything great and good in society has been achieved by the zeal and active virtues of a few individuals. The advancement of the arts and sciences; the extension of commerce; the blessings and security of a legal government; the inestimable value of a pure and reformed religion, etc. ( J. Hewlett, B.D. ) Hezekiah's good reign Monday Club Sermons. A beautiful lily laid in your hand would show you nothing of the mud and slime of the river bed from which it sprung. Like such a lily is Hezekiah, the flower of kings. Some natures seem to grow strong in virtue, by contact with its opposite. Joseph, Moses, end Daniel ripened in strange gardens, and Hezekiah must have sucked honey out of thistles. Consider — I. HIS REVERENCE. Victor Hugo affirms that neither Wellington nor Blucher won the battle of Waterloo. Napoleon conquered himself. His own excessive weight destroyed the equilibrium. "He vexed God" by his importance, and so his fall was decreed. Hezekiah began his reign by exalting God and humbling himself. II. HIS RELIGIOUS ZEAL. III. HIS PUBLIC SPIRIT. IV. HIS SINCERITY OF HEART. ( Monday Club Sermons. ) How to succeed in life A. F. Forrest. There are three lessons we may learn from Hezekiah. I. HE WAS NOT AFRAID OF WORK. He did not seek success without toil. "Depend upon it," said Sir Walter Scott, "there is nothing to be had without labour." Horace Greely said to the youth of America, "The darkest day in any man's earthly career is that wherein he first fancies that there is some easier way of gaining a dollar than by squarely earning it." "When I was a telegraph operator in Pittsburgh," said Andrew Carnegie, "I knew all the men who speculated. I have lived to see all of them ruined — bankrupt in money and bankrupt in character. There is scarcely an instance of a man who has made a fortune by speculation and kept it." II. HEZEKIAH CONCENTRATED HIS EFFORT. What he did, he did "with all his heart." "The one prudence in life is concentration," says Emerson, "the one evil is dissipation." There is a proverb which says, "A canoe is paddled on both sides," which means that to succeed you must do one thing at a time, and do it with all your heart and all your powers. III. HEZEKIAH AIMED AT THOROUGHNESS IN HIS WORK. ( A. F. Forrest. ) Hezekiah's thoroughness in God s service J. Thain Davidson. I. We learn from Hezekiah a lesson of CONCENTRATION OF ENERGY. II. METHOD AND PUNCTUALITY, too, seem to be hinted at in the text, and they are almost indispensable to prosperity. III. The great lesson is THE VALUE OF THOROUGHNESS in doing whatever we undertake, and doing it well. Do nothing as if it were trifling. IV. Emulate Hezekiah's ARDENT AND CONSISTENT PIETY. He stands in the front rank among the saints of Scripture as a man of prayer. ( J. Thain Davidson. ) Concentration Handbook of Illustration. A number of tiny brooklets will turn no mill, and will probably dry up when the sun is hot, but all the water turned into one channel will move the wheel to grind the corn which may supply a town with bread. All apostles of progress in religion, or science, or philosophy, have been men whose aims have all converged to one great centre, and whose forces have been thrown upon one sublime purpose. ( Handbook of Illustration. ) The objective point In military operations there is always what is called the objective point. The objective point is the point to be made, the thing to be done; all the forces in the army are concentrated on the making of that point, and when that is made, success follows. In one sense life is a warfare, and every one should have his objective point, a clearly defined purpose, and work up to it with undeviating persistency. This is the only way he can succeed. Enthusiastic service A dealer in pictures who makes it his business to find as many new painters as possible, both in this country and abroad, was asked recently in regard to his methods of selecting pictures to buy. He was very frank in his talk, and one thing which he said is shrewd enough to be worth quoting. "Of course," he said, "with my experience I am able to judge whether there is promise in a painter's work, but I never buy with any idea of putting the painter on my list until I have seen the man and talked with him myself. I always watch him closely, and I never buy his pictures unless his eye lights up when I talk to him about his work and about his profession." The artist whose heart was really in his work could not discuss it without kindling, and the man who did not paint from the heart was not the one whose pictures the dealer wanted. The remark was not only one which showed insight and shrewdness on the part of the dealer, but it is one of a good deal of significance in regard to all work. The man who does anything worth doing is the man who cannot talk about what he has accomplished or what he hopes to accomplish without enthusiasm, no matter how far short of his ideals what he has actually done may seem to him to fall. National righteousness Louis Stenham, M.A. From Hezekiah's conduet, and from God's approval of it, we learn — I. THAT TO ESTABLISH RELIGION IN A LAND IS THE DUTY OF EVERY RIGHTEOUS GOVERNMENT. II. THAT TO EMPLOY THE POWER AND APPLIANCES OF THE STATE IN ORDER TO EXTEND THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD, IS BENEFICIAL BOTH TO THE INDIVIDUAL AND TO THE NATION AT LARGE. ( Louis Stenham, M.A. ) Impassioned men C. H. Parkhurst. It is the impassioned men that have made history always, religious and secular both. They are the torch to the heaped-up combustibles; they are the pulse to the general body that is listless and waiting. No man has moved the world like Jesus Christ, because no man besides Him has embodied so wide, so profound, and so Divine enthusiasm. People are passionate in everything but their passion for men; and that is the one Christian passion. ( C. H. Parkhurst. ).

Benson Commentary 2 Chronicles 31:1 Now when all this was finished, 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 . In Ephraim and Manasseh also — Though these tribes were a part of Hoshea’s kingdom, yet Hezekiah might direct this abolition of idolatry in them, either in virtue of the law of God, to which both Israel and Judah owed subjection, and which commanded the extirpation of these things, out of the whole land of Canaan; or by the special impulse and direction of God’s Spirit, which puts men upon heroic and extraordinary actions, though not to be drawn into imitation; or out of a firm persuasion that his neighbour Hoshea, who had permitted his subjects to repair to the passover, would consent to, and approve of, what he did in this respect. 2 Chronicles 31:2 And Hezekiah appointed the courses of the priests and the Levites after their courses, every man according to his service, the priests and Levites for burnt offerings and for peace offerings, to minister, and to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the tents of the LORD. 2 Chronicles 31:2 . In the gates of the tents of the Lord — That is, within the gates of the house of the Lord: which is here called tents, either because all houses are often so called, (see Jdg 19:9 ; Jdg 20:8 ; Psalm 79:25,) or because the host of the Lord, the priests and Levites, encamped there, and kept their stations and orders there by course: and perhaps also to intimate that it was shortly to be removed. 2 Chronicles 31:3 He appointed also the king's portion of his substance for the burnt offerings, to wit , for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the sabbaths, and for the new moons, and for the set feasts, as it is written in the law of the LORD. 2 Chronicles 31:3 . The king’s portion of his substance, &c. — Which had hitherto been taken out of the treasures of the temple; but that he might ease the people in their present poverty, which his predecessor had brought upon them, and engage them to a more cheerful attendance upon God’s service, he took the burden upon himself. 2 Chronicles 31:4 Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of the LORD. 2 Chronicles 31:4 . That they might be encouraged in the law of the Lord — Freed from worldly cares and distractions, and enabled to give up themselves entirely to the serious study of God’s law, and to the instruction, and direction, and quickening of the people. 2 Chronicles 31:5 And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly. 2 Chronicles 31:5 . As soon as the commandment came abroad — Either, 1st, As soon as the report of this command of the king was known abroad in other parts; or, 2d, As soon as the king had enlarged and extended that command to all the parts of his kingdom, which ( 2 Chronicles 31:4 ) was confined to them that dwelt in Jerusalem. Honey — Or dates, as the Hebrew writers generally understand the word ???? , debash, in this place, a name which was given to them because of the sweetness of their taste, in some sort resembling honey. For the law requires no tithes but those of the fruits of trees, or of the earth, or of beasts. 2 Chronicles 31:6 And concerning the children of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the cities of Judah, they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of holy things which were consecrated unto the LORD their God, and laid them by heaps. 2 Chronicles 31:6-7 . They brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep — They not only brought in the same tithe which the dwellers in Jerusalem did, namely, of corn, and wine, and oil, &c., which they had in their own storehouses in that city, but also oxen and sheep, which were more proper to the country; for under the term cities of Judah, are comprehended the suburbs and territories belonging to them. And the tithe of holy things — That is, of all holy things, which were consecrated to the Lord — Whether by vow, or voluntary promise, or otherwise; as the tithes of gain by merchandise, or spoils of war, Genesis 14:20 ; Genesis 28:22 ; Numbers 31:28-30 . And laid them by heaps — What the priests and Levites had occasion for, they made use of, and the overplus was laid in heaps. In the third month they began — Of the sacred year, in which month their harvest began. And finished them in the seventh month — In which their harvest ended, and the feast of tabernacles was kept. 2 Chronicles 31:7 In the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month. 2 Chronicles 31:8 And when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the LORD, and his people Israel. 2 Chronicles 31:8 . They blessed the Lord — Both for giving such plentiful provisions to his land, and for giving his people such liberal hearts. And they praised the people for their forwardness and faithfulness in it. 2 Chronicles 31:9 Then Hezekiah questioned with the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps. 2 Chronicles 31:9-10 . Hezekiah questioned with the priests, &c. — How it came to pass that no more of their provision was spent, and that there remained yet such great heaps of it? The chief priest answered, Since the people began to bring the offerings — Which they did from the beginning of the harvest, according to the custom; we have had enough to eat — We have made use of all we had occasion for, for the maintenance of ourselves and families. And we have not hoarded these heaps for covetousness, but to show what plentiful provision God has made for us. For the Lord hath blessed his people — In an extraordinary degree. 2 Chronicles 31:10 And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the LORD hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store. 2 Chronicles 31:11 Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of the LORD; and they prepared them , 2 Chronicles 31:12 And brought in the offerings and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully: over which Cononiah the Levite was ruler, and Shimei his brother was the next. 2 Chronicles 31:13 And Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Ismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah, were overseers under the hand of Cononiah and Shimei his brother, at the commandment of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the ruler of the house of God. 2 Chronicles 31:13 . Were overseers under Cononiah and Shimei, &c. — To dispose of those provisions by their direction, and to be accountable to them therein. Azariah the ruler of the house of God — Either the supreme ruler, the high-priest, or the chief ruler under him, and in his stead, being appointed by him to inspect the work. 2 Chronicles 31:14 And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the porter toward the east, was over the freewill offerings of God, to distribute the oblations of the LORD, and the most holy things. 2 Chronicles 31:14-15 . The porter toward the east — At the east gate of the Lord’s house; of which see 2 Chronicles 23:5 . To distribute the oblations — To the priests and Levites, to whom they were appropriated by God; and the most holy things — The remainders of the free-will-offerings, the sin- offerings, and trespass-offerings, and the show-bread; to see that all had a competent maintenance for themselves and their families. And next him were Eden, &c. — These were intrusted with receiving and distributing the several portions belonging to the priests, who abode in their several cities, while their brethren came up to Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 31:15 And next him were Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in their set office, to give to their brethren by courses, as well to the great as to the small: 2 Chronicles 31:16 Beside their genealogy of males, from three years old and upward, even unto every one that entereth into the house of the LORD, his daily portion for their service in their charges according to their courses; 2 Chronicles 31:16 . From three years old and upward — To whom a portion of these things was allotted, as is here implied. Unto every one that entereth into the house of the Lord — That were capable of entering thither and doing service there, which they were at twenty years old, as is expressed here, 2 Chronicles 31:17 , and 1 Chronicles 23:24 , through the whole company of the priests and Levites. 2 Chronicles 31:17 Both to the genealogy of the priests by the house of their fathers, and the Levites from twenty years old and upward, in their charges by their courses; 2 Chronicles 31:18 And to the genealogy of all their little ones, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, through all the congregation: for in their set office they sanctified themselves in holiness: 2 Chronicles 31:18 . For in their set office they sanctified themselves unto holiness — This is alleged as a reason why their wives and children were provided for out of the holy things, because they sequestered themselves from worldly affairs, by which they might otherwise have provided for their families, and entirely devoted themselves to holy administrations. 2 Chronicles 31:19 Also of the sons of Aaron the priests, which were in the fields of the suburbs of their cities, in every several city, the men that were expressed by name, to give portions to all the males among the priests, and to all that were reckoned by genealogies among the Levites. 2 Chronicles 31:19 . Also of the priests that were in the fields — Care was taken of those that lived in the country, though at the greatest distance, as well as of those that lived in or near Jerusalem. And they that were not waiting in their courses, but at home with their families, had provision made for them, as if they had been at the house of God, by the care of the fore-named persons, who had the charge of the whole. 2 Chronicles 31:20 And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the LORD his God. 2 Chronicles 31:20-21 . Thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah — His pious zeal was extended through his whole kingdom; and all parts of the country, as well as those that lay next him, shared in the good fruits of his government. And wrought that which was good, and right, and truth — Whatsoever he thought was pleasing to God, conformable to the law, and profitable for his people, he performed with integrity of heart. And in every work that he began he did it with all his heart, and prospered — He prosecuted it with vigour, and brought all his good intentions to a good issue. And in all that he did in the service of the house of God, and in the government of his kingdom, he prospered. What is undertaken with a sincere and disinterested regard to the glory of God, will succeed to our own honour and comfort at last. 2 Chronicles 31:21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered. Benson Commentary on the Old and New Testaments Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission.

Expositor's Bible Commentary 2 Chronicles 31:1 Now when all this was finished, 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. HEZEKIAH: THE RELIGIOUS VALUE OF MUSIC 2 Chronicles 29:1-36 ; 2 Chronicles 30:1-27 ; 2 Chronicles 31:1-21 ; 2 Chronicles 32:1-33 THE bent of the chronicler’s mind is well illustrated by the proportion of space assigned to ritual by him and by the book of Kings respectively. In the latter a few lines only are devoted to ritual, and the bulk of the space is given to the invasion of Sennacherib, the embassy from Babylon, etc. , while in Chronicles ritual occupies about three times as many verses as personal and public affairs. Hezekiah, though not blameless, was all but perfect in his loyalty to Jehovah. The chronicler reproduces the customary formula for a good king: "He did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that David his father had done"; but his cautious judgment rejects the somewhat rhetorical statement in Kings that "after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him." Hezekiah’s policy was made clear immediately after his accession. His zeal for reformation could tolerate no delay; the first month of the first year of his reign saw him actively engaged in the good work. It was no light task that lay before him. Not only were there altars in every corner of Jerusalem and idolatrous high places in every city of Judah, but the Temple services had ceased, the lamps were put out, the sacred vessels cut in pieces, the Temple had been polluted and then closed, and the priests and Levites were scattered. Sixteen years of licensed idolatry must have fostered all that was vile in the country, have put wicked men in authority, and created numerous vested interests connected by close ties with idolatry, notably the priests of all the altars and high places. On the other hand, the reign of Ahaz had been an unbroken series of disasters; the people had repeatedly endured the horrors of invasion. His government as time went on must have become more and more unpopular, for when he died he was not buried in the sepulchers of the kings. As idolatry was a prominent feature of his policy, there would be a reaction in favor of the worship of Jehovah, and there would not be wanting true believers to tell the people that their sufferings were a consequence of idolatry. To a large party in Judah Hezekiah’s reversal of his father’s religious policy would be as welcome as Elizabeth’s declaration against Rome was to most Englishmen. Hezekiah began by opening and repairing the doors of the Temple. Its closed doors had been a symbol of the national repudiation of Jehovah; to reopen them was necessarily the first step in the reconciliation of Judah to its God, but only the first step. The doors were open as a sign that Jehovah was invited to return to His people and again to manifest His presence in the Holy of holies, so that through those open doors Israel might have access to Him by means of the priests. But the Temple was as yet no fit place for the presence of Jehovah. With its lamps extinguished, its sacred vessels destroyed, its floors and walls thick with dust and full of all filthiness, it was rather a symbol of the apostasy of Judah. Accordingly Hezekiah sought the help of the Levites. It is true that he is first said to have collected together priests and Levites, but from that point onward the priests are almost entirely ignored. Hezekiah reminded the Levites of the misdoings of Ahaz and his adherents and the wrath which they had brought upon Judah and Jerusalem; he told them it was his purpose to conciliate Jehovah by making a covenant with Him; he appealed to them as the chosen ministers of Jehovah and His temple to co-operate heartily in this good work. The Levites responded to his appeal apparently rather in acts than words. No spokesman replies to the king’s speech, but with prompt obedience they set about their work forthwith; they arose, Kohathites, sons of Merari, Gershonites, sons of Elizaphan, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun-the chronicler has a Homeric fondness for catalogues of high-sounding names - the leaders of all these divisions are duly mentioned. Kohath, Gershon, and Merari are well known as the three great clans of the house of Levi; and here we find the three guilds of singers-Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun-placed on a level with the older clans. Elizaphan was apparently a division of the clan Kohath, which, like the guilds of singers, had obtained an independent status. The result is to recognize seven divisions of the tribe. The chiefs of the Levites gathered their brethren together, and having performed the necessary rites of ceremonial cleansing for themselves, went in to cleanse the Temple; that is to say, the priests went into the holy place and the Holy of holies and brought out "all the uncleanness" into the court, and the Levites carried it away to the brook Kidron: but before the building itself could be reached eight days were spent in cleansing the courts, and then the priests went into the Temple itself and spent eight days in cleansing it, in the manner described above. Then they reported-to the king that the cleansing was finished, and especially that "all the vessels which King Ahaz cast away" had been recovered and reconsecrated with due ceremony. We were told in the previous chapter that Ahaz had cut to pieces the vessels of the Temple, but these may have been other vessels. Then Hezekiah celebrated a great dedication feast; seven bullocks, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven he-goats were offered as a sin-offering for the dynasty, for the Temple, for Judah, and (by special command of the king) for all Israel, i.e. , for the northern tribes as well as for Judah and Benjamin. Apparently this sin-offering was made in silence, but afterwards the king set the Levites and priests in their places with their musical instruments, and when the burnt-offering began the song of Jehovah began with the trumpets together with the instruments of David king of Israel. And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded, and all this continued till the burnt-offering was finished. When the people had been formally reconciled to Jehovah by this representative national sacrifice, and thus purified from the uncleanness of idolatry and consecrated afresh to their God, they were permitted and invited to make individual sacrifices, thank-offerings and burnt-offerings. Each man might enjoy for himself the renewed privilege of access to Jehovah, and obtain the assurance of pardon for his sins, and offer thanksgiving for his own special blessings. And they brought offerings in abundance: seventy bullocks, a hundred rams, and two hundred lambs for a burnt-offering; and six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep for thank-offerings. Thus were the Temple services restored and re-inaugurated; and Hezekiah and the people rejoiced because they felt that this unpremeditated outburst of enthusiasm was due to the gracious influence of the Spirit of Jehovah. The chronicler’s narrative is somewhat marred by a touch of professional jealousy. According to the ordinary ritual, { Leviticus 1:6 } the offerer flayed the burnt-offerings; but for some special reason, perhaps because of the exceptional solemnity of the occasion, this duty now devolved upon the priests. But the burnt-offerings were abundant beyond all precedent; the priests were too few for the work, and the Levites were called in to help them, "for the Levites were more upright in heart to purify themselves than the priests." Apparently even in the second Temple brethren did not always dwell together in unity. Hezekiah had now provided for the regular services of the Temple, and had given the inhabitants of Jerusalem a full opportunity of returning to Jehovah; but the people of the provinces were chiefly acquainted with the Temple through the great annual festivals. These, too, had long been in abeyance; and special steps had to be taken to secure their future observance. In order to do this, it was necessary to recall the provincials to their allegiance to Jehovah. Under ordinary circumstances the great festival of the Passover would have been observed in the first month, but at the time appointed for the paschal feast the Temple was still unclean, and the priests and Levites were occupied in its purification, But Hezekiah could not endure that the first year of his reign should be marked by the omission of this great feast. He took counsel with the princes and public assembly-nothing is said about the priests-and they decided to hold the Passover in the second month instead of the first. We gather from casual allusions in 2 Chronicles 30:6-8 that the kingdom of Samaria had already come to an end; the people had been carried into captivity, and only a remnant were left. in the land. From this point the kings of Judah act as religious heads of the whole nation and territory of Israel. Hezekiah sent invitations to all Israel from Dan to Beersheba. He made special efforts to secure a favorable response from the northern tribes, sending letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, i.e. , to the ten tribes under their leadership. He reminded them that their brethren had gone into captivity because the northern tribes had deserted the Temple; and held out to them the hope that, if they worshipped at the Temple and served Jehovah, they should themselves escape further calamity, and their brethren and children who had gone into captivity should return to their own land. "So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, even unto Zebulun." Either Zebulun is used in a broad sense for all the Galilean tribes, or the phrase "from Beersheba to Dan" is merely rhetorical, for to the north, between Zebulun and Dan, lay the territories of Asher and Naphtali. It is to be noticed that the tribes beyond Jordan are nowhere referred to; they had already fallen out of the history of Israel, and were scarcely remembered in the time of the chronicler. Hezekiah’s appeal to the surviving communities of the Northern Kingdom failed; they laughed his messengers to scorn, and mocked them; but individuals responded to his invitation in such numbers that they are spoken of as "a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun." There were also men of Asher among the northern pilgrims. {Cf. 2 Chronicles 30:11 ; 2 Chronicles 30:18 } The pious enthusiasm of Judah stood out in vivid contrast to the stubborn impenitence of the majority of the ten tribes. By the grace of God, Judah was of one heart to observe the feast appointed by Jehovah through the king and princes, so that there was gathered in Jerusalem a very great assembly of worshippers, surpassing even the great gatherings which the chronicler had witnessed at the annual feasts. But though the Temple had been cleansed, the Holy City was not yet free from the taint of idolatry. The character of the Passover demanded that not only the Temple, but the whole city, should be pure. The paschal lamb was eaten at home, and the doorposts of the house were sprinkled with its blood. But Ahaz had set up altars at every corner of the city; no devout Israelite could tolerate the symbols of idolatrous worship close to the house in which he celebrated the solemn rites Of the Passover. Accordingly before the Passover was killed these altars were removed. Then the great feast began; but after long years of idolatry neither the people nor the priests and Levites were sufficiently familiar with the rites of the festival to be able to perform them without some difficulty and confusion. As a rule each head of a household killed his own lamb; but many of the worshippers, especially those from the north, were not ceremonially clean: and this task devolved upon the Levites. The immense concourse of worshippers and the additional work thrown upon the Temple ministry must have made extraordinary demands on their zeal and energy. {Cf. 2 Chronicles 29:34 ; 2 Chronicles 30:3 } At first apparently they hesitated, and were inclined to abstain from discharging their usual duties. A passover in a month not appointed by Moses, but decided on by the civil authorities without consulting the priesthood, might seem a doubtful and dangerous innovation. Recollecting Azariah’s successful assertion of hierarchical prerogative against Uzziah, they might be inclined to attempt a similar resistance to Hezekiah. But the pious enthusiasm of the people clearly showed that the Spirit of Jehovah inspired their somewhat irregular zeal; so that the ecclesiastical officials were shamed out of their unsympathetic attitude, and came forward to take their full share and even more than their full share in this glorious rededication of Israel to Jehovah. But a further difficulty remained: uncleanness not only disqualified from killing the paschal lambs, but from taking any part in the Passover; and a multitude of the people were unclean. Yet it would have been ungracious and even dangerous to discourage their newborn zeal by excluding them from the festival; moreover, many of them were worshippers from among the ten tribes, who had come in response to a special invitation, which most of their fellow-country-men had rejected with scorn and contempt. If they had been sent back because they had failed to cleanse themselves according to a ritual of which they were ignorant, and of which Hezekiah might have known they would be ignorant, both the king and his guests would have incurred measureless ridicule from the impious northerners. Accordingly they were allowed to take part in the Passover despite their uncleanness. But this permission could only be granted with serious apprehensions as to its consequences. The Law threatened with death any one who attended the services of the sanctuary in a state of uncleanness. { Leviticus 15:31 } Possibly there were already signs of an outbreak of pestilence; at any rate, the dread of Divine punishment for sacrilegious presumption would distress the whole assembly and mar their enjoyment of Divine fellowship. Again it is no priest or prophet, but the king, the Messiah, who comes forward as the mediator between God and man. Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, "Jehovah, in His grace and mercy, pardon every one that setteth his heart to seek Elohim Jehovah, the God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the ritual of the Temple. And Jehovah hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people," i.e. , either healed them from actual disease or relieved them from the fear of pestilence. And so the feast went on happily and prosperously, and was prolonged by acclamation for an additional seven days. During fourteen days king and princes, priests and Levites, Jews and Israelites, rejoiced before Jehovah; thousands of bullocks and sheep smoked upon the altar; and now the priests were not backward: great numbers purified themselves to serve the popular devotion. The priests and Levites sang and made melody to Jehovah, so that the Levites earned the king’s special commendation. The great festival ended with a solemn benediction: "The priests arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to His holy habitation, even unto heaven." The priests, and through them the people, received the assurance that their solemn and prolonged worship had met with gracious acceptance. We have already more than once had occasion to consider the chronicler’s main theme: the importance of the Temple, its ritual, and its ministers. Incidentally and perhaps unconsciously, he here suggests another lesson, which is specially significant as coming from an ardent ritualist, namely the necessary limitations of uniformity in ritual. Hezekiah’s celebration of the Passover is full of irregularities: it is held in the wrong month; it is prolonged to twice the usual period; there are amongst the worshippers multitudes of unclean persons, whose presence at these services ought to have been visited with terrible punishment. All is condoned on the ground of emergency, and the ritual laws are set aside without consulting the ecclesiastical officials. Everything serves to emphasize the lesson we touched on in connection with David’s sacrifices at the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite: ritual is made for man, and not man for ritual. Complete uniformity may be insisted on in ordinary times, but can be dispensed with in any pressing emergency; necessity knows no law, not even the Torah of the Pentateuch. Moreover, in such emergencies it is not necessary to wait for the initiative or even the sanction of ecclesiastical officials; the supreme authority in the Church in all its great crises resides in the whole body of believers. No one is entitled to speak with greater authority on the limitations of ritual than a strong advocate of the sanctity of ritual like the chronicler; and we may well note, as one of the most conspicuous marks of his inspiration, the sanctified common sense shown by his frank and sympathetic record of the irregularities of Hezekiah’s passover. Doubtless emergencies had arisen even in his own experience of the great feasts of the Temple that had taught him this lesson; and it says much for the healthy tone of the Temple community in his day that he does not attempt to reconcile the practice of Hezekiah with the law of Moses by any harmonistic quibbles. The work of purification and restoration, however, was still incomplete: the Temple had been cleansed from the pollutions of idolatry, the heathen altars had been removed from Jerusalem, but the high places remained in all the cities of Judah. When the Passover was at last finished, the assembled multitude, "all Israel that were present," set out, like the English or Scotch Puritans, on a great iconoclastic expedition. Throughout the length and breadth of the Land of Promise, throughout Judah and Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh, they brake in pieces the sacred pillars, and hewed down the Asherim, and brake down the high places and altars; then they went home. Meanwhile Hezekiah was engaged in reorganizing the priests and Levites and arranging for the payment and distribution of the sacred dues. The king set an example of liberality by making provision for the daily, weekly, monthly, and festival offerings. The people were not slow to imitate him; they brought first-fruits and tithes in such abundance that four months were spent in piling up heaps of offerings. "Thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah; and he wrought that which was good, and right, and faithful before Jehovah his God; and in every work that he began in the service of the Temple, and in the Law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and brought it to a successful issue." Then follow an account of the deliverance from Sennacherib and of Hezekiah’s recovery from sickness, a reference to his undue pride in the matter of the embassy from Babylon, and a description of the prosperity of his reign, all for the most part abridged from the book of Kings. The prophet Isaiah, however, is almost ignored. A few of the more important modifications deserve some little attention. We are told that the Assyrian invasion was "after these things and this faithfulness," in order that we may not forget that the Divine deliverance was a recompense for Hezekiah’s loyalty to Jehovah. While the book of Kings tells us that Sennacherib took all the fenced cities of Judah, the chronicler feels that even this measure of misfortune would not have been allowed to befall a king who had just reconciled Israel to Jehovah, and merely says that Sennacherib purposed to break these cities up. The chronicler has preserved an account of the measures taken by Hezekiah for the defense of his capital: how he stopped up the fountains and water-courses outside the city, so that a besieging army might not find water, and repaired and strengthened the walls, and encouraged his people to trust in Jehovah. Probably the stopping of the water supply outside the walls was connected with an operation mentioned at the close of the narrative of Hezekiah’s reign: "Hezekiah also stopped the upper spring of the waters of Gihon, and brought them straight down on the west side of the city of David." { 2 Chronicles 32:30 } Moreover, the chronicler’s statements are based upon 2 Kings 20:20 , where it is said that "Hezekiah made the pool and the conduit and brought water to the city." The chronicler was of course intimately acquainted with the topography of Jerusalem in his own days, and uses his knowledge to interpret and expand the statement in the book of Kings. He was possibly guided in part by Isaiah 22:9 ; Isaiah 22:11 , where the "gathering together the waters of the lower pool" and the "making a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool" are mentioned as precautions taken in view of a probable Assyrian siege. The recent investigations of the Palestine Exploration Fund have led to the discovery of aqueducts, and stoppages, and diversions of watercourses which are said to correspond to the operations mentioned by the chronicler. If this be the case, they show a very accurate knowledge on his part of the topography of Jerusalem in his own day, and also illustrate his care to utilize all existing evidence in order to obtain a clear and accurate interpretation of the statements of his authority. The reign of Hezekiah appears a suitable opportunity to introduce a few remarks on the importance which the chronicler attaches to the music of the Temple services. Though the music is not more prominent with him than with some earlier kings, yet in the case of David, Solomon, and Jehoshaphat other subjects presented themselves for special treatment; and Hezekiah’s reign being the last in which the music of the sanctuary is specially dwelt upon, we are able here to review the various references to this subject. For the most part the chronicler tells his story of the virtuous days of the good kings to a continual accompaniment of Temple music. We hear of the playing and singing when the Ark was brought to the house of Obed-edom; when it was taken into the city of David; at the dedication of the Temple; at the battle between Abijah and Jeroboam; at Asa’s reformation; in connection with the overthrow of the Ammonites, Moabites, and Meunim in the reign of Jehoshaphat; at the coronation of Joash; at Hezekiah’s feasts; and again, though less emphatically, at Josiah’s passover. No doubt the special prominence given to the subject indicates a professional interest on the part of the author. If, however, music occupies an undue proportion of his space, and he has abridged accounts of more important matters to make room for his favorite theme, yet there is no reason to suppose that his actual statements overrate the extent to which music was used in worship or the importance attached to it. The older narratives refer to the music in the case of David and Joash, and assign psalms and songs to David and Solomon. Moreover, Judaism is by no means alone in its fondness for music, but shares this characteristic with almost all religions. We have spoken of the chronicler so far chiefly as a professional musician, but it should be clearly understood that the term must be taken in its best sense. He was by no means so absorbed in the technique of his art as to forget its sacred significance; he was not less a worshipper himself because he was the minister or agent of the common worship. His accounts of the festivals show a hearty appreciation of the entire ritual; and his references to the music do not give us the technical circumstances of its production, but rather emphasize its general effect. The chronicler’s sense of the religious value of music is largely that of a devout worshipper, who is led to set forth for the benefit of others a truth which is the fruit of his own experience. This experience is not confined to trained musicians; indeed, a scientific knowledge of the art may sometimes interfere with its devotional influence. Criticism may take the place of worship; and the hearer, instead of yielding to the sacred suggestions of hymn or anthem, may be distracted by his esthetic judgment as to the merits of the composition and the skill shown by its rendering. In the same way critical appreciation of voice, elocution, literary style, and intellectual power does not always conduce to edification from a sermon. In the truest culture, however, sensitiveness to these secondary qualities has become habitual and automatic, and blends itself imperceptibly with the religious consciousness of spiritual influence. The latter is thus helped by excellence and only slightly hindered by minor defects in the natural means. But the very absence of any great scientific knowledge of music may leave the spirit open to the spell which sacred music is intended to exercise, so that all cheerful and guileless souls may be "moved with concord of sweet sounds," and sad and weary hearts find comfort in subdued strains that breathe sympathy of which words are incapable. Music, as a mode of utterance moving within the restraints of a regular order, naturally attaches itself to ritual. As the earliest literature is poetry, the earliest liturgy is musical. Melody is the simplest and most obvious means by which the utterances of a body of worshippers can be combined into a seemly act of worship. The mere repetition of the same words by a congregation in ordinary speech is apt to he wanting in impressiveness or even in decorum; the use of tune enables a congregation to unite in worship even when many of its members are strangers to each other. Again, music may be regarded as an expansion of language: not new dialect, but a collection of symbols that can express thought, and more especially emotion, for which mere speech has no vocabulary. This new form of language naturally becomes an auxiliary of religion. Words are clumsy instruments for the expression of the heart, and are least efficient when they undertake to set forth moral and spiritual ideas. Music can transcend mere speech in touching the soul to fine issues, suggesting visions of things ineffable and unseen. Browning makes Abt Vogler say of the most enduring and supreme hopes that God has granted to men, "Tis we musicians know"; but the message of music comes home with power to many who have no skill in its art. The Expositor's Bible Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com . Used by Permission.