2 Chronicles 31

2 Chronicles 31 is the third of the four chapters (chapters 29–32) devoted to the reforms of Hezekiah, king of Judah. Having kept the Passover in 2 Chronicles 30, the people now tear down idolatrous altars. The king then reorganizes the temple service and the provisions needed to sustain it.

Outline

• Verse 1 After the Passover, the assembly breaks the images (stone pillar idols) and cuts down the Asherah poles (KJV "groves") throughout Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh, throws down the high places (worship sites built on elevated ground) and the altars, and returns home.
• Verses 2–4 Hezekiah appoints the courses of the priests and Levites (divisions that served in rotation). He provides from his own possessions for the morning and evening burnt offerings and for those of the Sabbaths, new moons, and appointed feasts, and he commands the people of Jerusalem to give the portion due the priests and Levites.
• Verses 5–7 The people bring in abundance the firstfruits of grain, wine, oil, and honey, together with the tithe. These are laid up in heaps from the third month through the seventh.
• Verses 8–10 Hezekiah and the princes see the heaps and bless the LORD. Azariah the chief priest replies that the people have eaten enough and that much remains.
• Verses 11–19 Chambers are prepared in the temple to hold the offerings. Cononiah and his brother Shimei, together with ten overseers, take charge of them. Kore, the porter toward the east, and six men under him distribute the offerings in the cities of the priests to the priests and Levites enrolled in the genealogies and to their families.
• Verses 20–21 The chapter concludes that Hezekiah did what was good, right, and true, sought God with all his heart, and prospered.

Key Verses

• 2 Chronicles 31:5, "the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly": a representative text on the offering of firstfruits and tithes.
• 2 Chronicles 31:10, "we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the LORD hath blessed his people": the abundant giving is interpreted as the blessing of the LORD.
• 2 Chronicles 31:21, "he did it with all his heart, and prospered": the Chronicler's concluding assessment of Hezekiah's reform.

People and Places

• Hezekiah
• Azariah: the chief priest of the house of Zadok. Verse 13 also mentions "Azariah the ruler of the house of God."
• Cononiah and Shimei: Levite brothers in charge of the storerooms for the offerings.
• Kore: the son of Imnah, a Levite and the porter toward the east. He was responsible for distributing the freewill offerings and the most holy things.
• Priests, Levites
• Jerusalem: the location of the temple and the storerooms for the offerings.
• The land of Ephraim and Manasseh: territory of the former northern kingdom of Israel. The text records that the reform extended even there.

Points for Reflection

• The parallel passage, 2 Kings 18, reports the removal of the high places briefly in a single verse (verse 4) and adds the destruction of the bronze serpent. The account of the temple organization and the tithes appears only in 2 Chronicles. Scholars commonly explain this as a reflection of the Chronicler's deep interest in the temple and the service of the Levites.
• Many commentators take the period from the third month to the seventh to span from the wheat harvest around the Feast of Weeks to the fruit harvest around the Feast of Tabernacles.
• Some read this chapter as a basis for tithing in the church today. Others restrict it to a system for supporting the priests and Levites under the Law (the tithing debate).
• In the New Testament, Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:13–14 cites the example of those who wait at the altar being partakers with the altar to argue for the support of those who preach the gospel. The theme of cheerful giving also connects with 2 Corinthians 9:6–8.

In the Korean Church

Verses 5–10 are frequently cited in sermons on tithes and thank offerings, as well as in sermons for the Midyear Harvest Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving.