- 98-
Chronicles 30:12). From the other parts of the country "a multitude of people, even
many," came from out of five of the tribes that still constituted the kingdom of Israel. For
Naphtali had been annexed to Assyria, and Reuben and Gad been deported.* The festival
in Jerusalem was followed by a spontaneous national movement against idolatry.
- These tribes were Asher, Manasseh, Zebulun (2 Chronicles 30:11), Ephraim, and
Issachar (ver. I8).
For while the purification of the Temple had been a public act of reform initiated by the
king, it was left to the people gathered in Jerusalem to remove the altars in the capital,
whether in private houses or in more public places, which were the remnant of the
idolatrous worship introduced by Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28:24).
The only drawback to the right observance of the Passover festivities was that many of
the worshippers "were not sanctified." Accordingly the Levites had to offer for them the
Paschal lamb, which, by the law, each offerer should have slain for himself and his
house. This applied specially to those who had come from the northern kingdom (ver.
18). If, none the less, they were allowed to partake of the Paschal feast, this was a
concession almost necessary in the circumstances, since otherwise theirs would not at all
have been a Passover; and for this Hezekiah implored and obtained forgiveness from the
Lord.*
- The expression in ver. 20, "The Lord...healed the people," refers to moral healing, that
from guilt. Comp. Psalm 41:4; 147:3; Jeremiah 3:22; Hosea 14:4. We add that ver. 22
should be rendered, "All the Levites that understood good understanding about the
service of the Lord," i.e., who were well skilled in the various services of the sanctuary
devolving on them.
How deeply this revival had struck its roots appears from the voluntary resolve of the
people to follow up the seven days of the Passover by other seven days of festivity. For
the wants of the people during that time King Hezekiah and the princes made liberal
provision (vers. 23, 24). It was at this time also that the removal of all traces of idolatry
from the land, briefly noticed in 2 Kings 18:4, took place. This was effected, as the fuller
account in the Book of Chronicles explains, by a spontaneous popular movement which
extended beyond Judah to "Ephraim also and Manasseh" (2 Chronicles 31:1), although,
as we may reasonably conjecture, only in districts from which the chief inhabitants had
come to Jerusalem. Closely connected with the restoration of the Temple services were
the arrangements now made for their orderly continuance. The "courses" of the priests
and Levites were once more settled. The public sacrifices of the congregations - daily,
Sabbatic, and festive - were provided by the king as his contribution. the "portion of his
substance." The latter was indeed very large (comp. 2 Chronicles 32:27-29); but the
number of sacrificial animals and other requisites furnished by the king according to the
requirements of the law (Numbers 28, 29) was correspondingly great. It has been
(^)