ROOTED - Tuesday, March 31, 2026
2 Chronicles 30:16-20
16 They took their accustomed posts
according to the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests threw the blood
that they received from the hand of the Levites. 17 For
there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore
the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean,
to consecrate it to the Lord. 18 For a
majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and
Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover
otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying,
“May the good Lord pardon everyone 19 who
sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, even though
not according to the sanctuary's rules of cleanness.”[a] 20 And the Lord heard
Hezekiah and healed the people.
Reflection: Hezekiah, Faith and Passover
Written By: Pastor Jesse Caro
2
Chronicles accounts for King Hezekiah in more detail than 1 and 2 Kings do. We
read, of course, that he is a godly man who is intent on honoring God.
Consistent with this desire, he sent letters to both kingdoms of Judah and
Israel… an invitation to reinstate the Passover. An interesting note at the end
of chapter 30 suggests that the Passover had not been celebrated well since the
time of Solomon (more than 200 years). That is, after years of neglect,
Hezekiah demanded that the Passover be done faithfully for the first time in
centuries. However, there is a problem… an obvious one. If they were going to
do it, the Temple needed to be consecrated along with all the articles of
worship in the Temple. That was the easy part, and they accomplished it
quickly. Nevertheless, consecrating enough priests for the holy work… that was
a different problem altogether.
You
see, the process of consecrating priests (and finding qualified priests to
offer sacrifice… from the right family lineage, meeting the strict codes) was
impossible. It would take months to accomplish. Remember, the Children of
Israel would gather by the tens of thousands and offer, according to chapter
30, 19,000 animals in sacrifice, over a period of just a few days. Many priests
would be needed for the task. Once again, this was an impossible task. So,
Hezekiah subverts the rules and trains priests who were unqualified according
to the strict codes in Leviticus and the Law. And Hezekiah prays for the Lord
to overlook the codes and look at the men “who sets his heart to seek God.” God
hears that prayer and overlooks the “sanctuary rules of cleanliness.” I love
this story as it is a clear Old Testament example that God, first and foremost
looks at the heart above anything else. Actions of course are good. The holy
laws had a purpose. But God first looks at the heart!
Today
I am reminded that, often, my actions are good and right… but my heart might
not be. When that happens in the manner of worship, that worship is rendered
meaningless. Heart first… then action. Always! God looks at the heart!
Prayer
Heavenly
Father, may we worship you correctly, starting with our hearts. May our hearts
be geared to seek you earnestly, and may our actions follow.