Sabbath, December 7 – 2 Chronicles 31, Psalm 48 – Additional Reading: Prophets and Kings, Chapter 28, “Hezekiah”
1. As soon as the worshipers from these celebrations returned to the cities of Judah, what work did they dedicate themselves to? (2 Chronicles 31:1)
2. What is referred to by the destruction of all the statues? )2 Chronicles 31:1)
3. What organization in the temple service did Hezekiah reestablish? (2 Chronicles 31:2-9)
Commentary and Reflection:
We must begin with the religious reform carried out by Hezekiah. Although his father Ahaz was a wicked king who devoted himself to idol worship like previous kings, Hezekiah decided to worship the LORD. He reestablished the celebration of Passover, which had been suspended for a long time. Religious reforms followed. Hezekiah began to reign at 25 years old. What a noble example for Christian youth today! God will use dedicated youth for the great work of revival and reform that must be done in preparation for the coming of Christ.
The young king Hezekiah took drastic measures against idol worship:
“Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah and broke the sacred pillars in pieces, cut down the wooden images, and threw down the high places and the altars—from all Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh—until they had utterly destroyed them all.” (2 Chronicles 31:1, NKJV)
One might ask why such vigorous measures against idolatry were possible in the apostate kingdom of Israel. Undoubtedly, these measures would have been impossible a few years earlier. But Israel was now only a shadow of its former greatness. Most of its territory had already been invaded by Assyria, which had taken multitudes of its inhabitants captive, and now the weakened remnant of the nation faced its final fate.
One of Hezekiah’s reforms involved instructing the people to give the tithes and first fruits to the priests and Levites (v. 3), as commanded by Moses (Numbers 18:12-30), so they could dedicate themselves to teaching and temple services (2 Chronicles 31:4). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary explains:
“The people began to bring in their tithes in kind in the third month (which began in May or June), when the grain harvest was finished, and continued to the seventh month (which began in September or October), when the harvest of the orchards and vineyards was over. The seventh month was the time that the Feast of Ingathering, or Tabernacles, was normally held (Ex. 23:16; Lev. 23:34), after all the fruits had been gathered in and the vintage was over.” (SDA Bible Commentary, 2 Chronicles 31:7)
Hezekiah asked the priests about the heaps of offerings because, as inferred from their response in verse 10, they had previously lacked resources. He was surprised by the great quantity of produce the people had delivered and may have wondered if what he saw represented the total amount brought in or if the priests had already received enough to meet their needs.
Hezekiah demonstrated that he was just and upright—a fair and honest monarch who fulfilled his duties to the best of his ability. Righteousness, justice, and integrity were the best guarantees of prosperity. Hezekiah was faithful to God and fair with his people. As a result, he prospered, and the nation prospered with him. What an inspiring example of faithfulness to God given by the young King Hezekiah!
“Like Ps. 46 and 47, Ps. 48 is a song of deliverance, intended probably for use in the worship of the Temple. It celebrates Jehovah’s care of Jerusalem and the deliverance of His people from the hand of the enemy. Ps. 48 is one of David’s (see PK 203) most joyous poems. It was sung by the armies of Jehoshaphat after a notable victory (see PK 201–203).” (SDA Bible Commentary, Introduction to Psalm 48)
Psalm 48 closes with a call to worship the true God.
May God grant you a very blessed day.