2 Chronicles 29

2 Chronicles 29 is the first of four chapters, chapters 29–32, devoted to the reign of Hezekiah. In 2 Chronicles 28, Ahaz cut in pieces the vessels of the temple and shut the doors of the house of the LORD. In this chapter, his son reopens the temple.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 Hezekiah becomes king at twenty-five and reigns twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother is Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. He does what is right in the sight of the LORD, as his ancestor David had done.
• Verses 3–11 In the first month of his first year, he opens the doors of the temple and repairs them. He gathers the priests and Levites in the street on the east side and commands them to sanctify themselves and to carry the filthiness out of the holy place. He declares that the LORD's wrath has come upon them because of their fathers' sins and announces his intention to make a covenant.
• Verses 12–19 Levites from the descendants of Kohath, Merari, and Gershon, and from the families of Elizaphan, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, rise up to the work. They carry the uncleanness out to the brook Kidron. The cleansing begins on the first day of the first month and is completed on the sixteenth, and the vessels that Ahaz had cast away are set in order.
• Verses 20–24 Seven bullocks, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven he-goats are brought as a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. The king and the congregation lay their hands on the he-goats, and the priests make atonement for all Israel.
• Verses 25–30 In accordance with the commandment of David, of Gad the king's seer, and of Nathan the prophet, the Levites take up instruments and the priests take up trumpets. When the burnt offering begins, the song and the trumpets sound, and the whole congregation worships. They then sing praises with the words of David and of Asaph.
• Verses 31–36 The congregation brings burnt offerings of seventy bullocks, one hundred rams, and two hundred lambs, along with consecrated offerings of six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep. Because there are too few priests, the Levites help them flay the offerings. Although the work is done suddenly, the king and the people rejoice together because God had prepared the people.

Key Verses

• 2 Chronicles 29:3 "He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them." This verse shows that Hezekiah began his reign by restoring the temple immediately upon taking the throne.
• 2 Chronicles 29:11 "My sons, be not now negligent." These words remind the Levites of their calling to service.
• 2 Chronicles 29:36 "And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly." The verse attributes the success of the reform to God's preparation.

People and Places

• Hezekiah: King of Judah, who leads the cleansing of the temple in this chapter.
• Ahaz: Hezekiah's father, the king who shut the temple doors and cast away its vessels.
• David and Nathan: The king and the prophet mentioned as having established the ordinances for temple music.
• Gad: King David's seer.
• Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun: Temple musicians in the time of David. Their descendants appear in this chapter.
• Levites and priests: Those who cleansed the temple and were responsible for the sacrifices. The priests are descendants of Aaron.
• Temple in Jerusalem: The setting of the cleansing. The altar of burnt offering and the table of showbread are also mentioned.
• Brook Kidron: A valley east of Jerusalem where the uncleanness removed from the temple was discarded.

Points for Reflection

• 2 Kings 18, which covers the same period, describes the cleansing of the temple only briefly. Chronicles, by contrast, records in detail the role of the Levites, the sacrifices, and the music. The statement in verse 34 that the Levites were more upright in heart than the priests is also commonly explained as reflecting the Chronicler's emphasis on the Levites.
• Scholars hold differing views on the date of Hezekiah's accession.
• The use of instruments in verses 25–28 is cited in the debate over worship music. Many churches regard this passage as a basis for using instruments in worship. Some Reformed traditions, however, hold that the instruments belonged to the temple sacrifices and therefore do not apply directly to New Testament worship.
• Protestant interpretation often connects the sin offering and the laying on of hands with the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ described in Hebrews 9–10. Hezekiah's cleansing of the temple is also sometimes discussed alongside Jesus' cleansing of the temple.
• The worship restored in this chapter leads into the Passover of 2 Chronicles 30.

In the Korean Church

This chapter is frequently used in sermons for New Year services, revival meetings, and messages on church reform, under themes such as "Open the closed doors of the temple" and "the restoration of worship."