THE CELEBRATION OF THE PASSOVER

PROCLAMATION

“The Israelites who were present celebrated the Passover at that time and observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days.”  2 Chronicles 35:17 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

After consulting with the high priest, Josiah called all of the elders of Judah and Jerusalem together in the temple and read to them all of the words of The Book of Covenant.  Then he renewed the covenant with The Lord God, to keep His commands, statutes, and decrees, and he had all the people pledge to do likewise. (2 Chronicles 34:29-32)  Afterwards he had all the people celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem and observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. (2 Chronicles 35:1-17)  This celebration was done exactly according to the law, and it was done at King Josiah’s expense from his personal possessions. (2 Chronicles 35:7)

APPLICATION

This is the week of the Jewish celebration of the Passover.  This celebration closely resembles the Christian observance of The Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion.  These celebrations are symbolic of the death of Christ, and they are symbols of a believer’s personal piety and devotion to Him. (1 Corinthians 11:26)  As Resurrection Sunday approaches and we celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, we should each examine ourselves, and ask for forgiveness of our sins before we partake of this sacred ordinance.  It would not be wise to take this celebration lightly. (1 Corinthians 11:29-30)

THE WRITTEN HOLY WORD OF GOD

PROCLAMATION

“Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, ‘Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.’  And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.  When the king heard the words of The Law, he tore his robes.”  2 Chronicles 34:18-19 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
After the assassination of King Amon son of Manasseh, his twelve-year-old son Josiah was made king of Judah. (2 Chronicles 33:24-25 and 2 Chronicles 34:1)  Josiah did that which was right in the eyes of The Lord.  He sought The Lord and he tore down all of the high places, the idols, and the Asherah poles in Jerusalem and in all of Judah. (2 Chronicles 34:2-7)  Then he sent Shaphan and Joah to repair and purify the temple.  While the high priest Hilkiah was getting the money for them out of the treasury room to pay men doing the repairs, he found The Book of The Law of The Lord that had been given to the people by Moses. (2 Chronicles 34:14)  Hilkiah gave The Book to Shaphan who took it to King Josiah. (2 Chronicles 34:15-16)  When Shaphan read from The Book to the king, he tore his robes. (2 Chronicles 34:18-19)  Knowing the significance of The Book of The Law, Josiah sought the opinion of the prophet Huldah to learn the meaning of The Book for him and for the people of Judah. (2 Chronicles 34:22)  These events are also recorded in The Bible Book of Second Kings, chapter twenty-two.

APPLICATION

There is power in The Holy Word of God.  Reading The Word of God can change the person who reads it.  Reading it out loud can change those who hear it.  The Word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword, and it can pierce the soul and the spirit of man. (Hebrews 4:12)  We all need to read and study God’s Holy Word so that we know the truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)  We also need to become doers of The Word and not just hearers only. (James 1:22)

SOME EVIL PEOPLE CAN CHANGE

PROCLAMATION

“In his distress he sought the favor of The Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before The God of his ancestors.  And when he prayed to Him, The Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so He brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom.  Then Manasseh knew that The Lord is God.”  2 Chronicles 33:12-13 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

When Hezekiah died, his son Manasseh succeeded him as king of Judah.  Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king and he did that which was evil in the eyes of The Lord.  He rebuilt the high places, the idols, and the Asherah poles that his father had torn down and he worshiped them. (2 Chronicles 33:1-3)  He sacrificed his own children in the fire in the valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced divination and witchcraft, sought omens, and he consulted with mediums and spiritists. (2 Chronicles 33:6)  Eventually, The Lord God allowed the Assyrian army to attack and capture him.  They put a hook in his nose, put him in shackles, and took him to Babylon as a prisoner. (2 Chronicles 33:10-11)  Then Manasseh humbled himself and prayed to The Lord God who allowed him to be brought back to Jerusalem.  There he worshiped The Lord God and he removed all of the idols which he had erected. (2 Chronicles 33:13-16)  When Manasseh died, his son Amon succeeded him as king, and he did all of the evil things that his father had done before he humbled himself before God. (2 Chronicles 33:20-23)  Amon’s own officials conspired against him and assassinated him, but then they were all killed by the people for killing the king. (2 Chronicles 33:24-25)  

APPLICATION

There are a lot of lost, sin-sick, evil people in this world.  The good news is that there is still hope for them.  Some of the people will change their evil ways.  The Lord God has a way of getting our attention and causing us to rethink our beliefs and behavior.  However, not all of the lost will be saved.  As believers, we should pray for all of them because we do not know which ones will heed the call and have a change of heart.  We should also pray for our political and community leaders.  Pray that they will make decisions which are in the best interest of the people and not their own self-interest.  We should pray for those people who meant us harm for we know that The Lord God can protect us and use whatever they had planned for us to our benefit. (Genesis 50:20)  The Lord God can make even bad things work out for our good. (Romans 8:28)

THE LORD GOD WILL PROTECT US

PROCLAMATION

“So The Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others.  He took care of them on every side.”  2 Chronicles 32:22 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

As faithful as King Hezekiah had been to The Lord God, he still came under attack.  The king of Assyria, Sennacherib, invaded Judah and laid siege to some of the fortified cities. (2 Chronicles 32:1)  When Hezekiah learned what Sennacherib had done and planned to do, he blocked off their water supply.  Then he repaired and fortified the walls surrounding the city and he built a second wall outside of the first one. (2 Chronicles 32:2-5)  Sennacherib sent a message to Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem attempting to discourage them by ridiculing their king, their army, and their God. (2 Chronicles 32:9-19)  Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, prayed to The Lord God and He sent down an angel from heaven who killed all of the fighting men, commanders, and officials in the Assyrian camp. (2 Chronicles 32:20-21)

APPLICATION
The Lord God did not say that we would not be attacked, or go through storms, or have troubles.  What He said was that He would never leave or forsake us, (Hebrews 13:5) and that He would fight our battles. (2 Chronicles 32:8)  He may not calm our storm, although He has the power to do so, (Mark 4:39) but He will be with us and protect us as we go through the storm. (Psalm 91:4)  He also said that in the end the victory would be ours. (1 Corinthians 15:57)  It does not matter what kind of trouble that we have which is causing us to suffer now.  It will be short-lived because our joy is coming. (Psalm 30:5) 

IT IS GOOD TO DO RIGHT BY THE LORD GOD

PROCLAMATION

“In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly.  And so he prospered.”  2 Chronicles 31:21 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

When the unfaithful King Ahaz died, his son Hezekiah succeeded him as king of Judah. (2 Chronicles 28:27)  Hezekiah did that which was right in the eyes of The Lord God just as King David had done. (2 Chronicles 29:1-2)  He reopened the doors of the temple and repaired them.  Then he ordered the priests and the Levites to consecrate themselves and the temple, and to remove all of the defilement from the sanctuary. (2 Chronicles 29:3-5)  When this was done, he ordered them to offer a sacrifice of atonement. (2 Chronicles 29:20-36)  King Hezekiah then sent word to all of Judah and Israel, inviting them to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem. (2 Chronicles 30:1-12)  A very large crowd gathered in Jerusalem and they celebrated the Passover for fourteen days.  There was great joy among the people for nothing like this had happened since the days of King Solomon. (Chronicles 30:13-27)  After the celebration, Hezekiah ordered that all of the monuments of idolatry throughout the land be destroyed. (2 Chronicles 31:1)  Then he assigned the priests and Levites to divisions in order to perform their duties throughout the country.  He then asked to people to give of their firstfruits to support the work of The Lord and he contributed from his own possessions. (2 Chronicles 31:2-6)  The response of the people was so great that they had to build new storerooms in the temple. (2 Chronicles 31:7-12)   

APPLICATION

We will all be known by that which we do.  Since we know that The Lord God is righteous, we should do that which is righteous, and we will be known as a child of God. (1 John 2:29)  If we love Him, then we should keep His commandments and obey His words. (John 14:15 and 14:21)  We should not only be hearers, readers, and speakers of The Word of God, but we should also be doers of His Holy Word. (James 1:22)  Our behavior and our lifestyle should also reflect our belief in The Lord God.  While none of us is perfect, we could all do better, and all of us should pray for a closer walk with The Lord.

SOME PEOPLE CANNOT BE HELPED

PROCLAMATION

“In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to The Lord.”  2 Chronicles 28:22 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

While Jotham was king of Judah he did that which was right in the eyes of The Lord, but the people continued their corrupt practices. (2 Chronicles 27:1-2)  When he died his son Ahaz succeeded him as king.  Ahaz did not follow in the ways of The Lord.  He worshiped idols and sacrificed his children in the fire. (2 Chronicles 28:1-4)  Therefore, to punish the king and the people, The Lord God allowed them to be defeated by the Arameans, and by the king of Israel, and by Pekah son of Remaliah. (2 Chronicles 28:5-8)  Many of the men were killed and the women and children were taken captive. (2 Chronicles 28:8)  The Edomites and the Philistines attacked Judah, raided the towns, and took away people as prisoners. (2 Chronicles 28:16-19)  With all of this Ahaz was not humbled.  Instead he became even more unfaithful and offered sacrifices to the idol gods of the kings that had defeated him. (2 Chronicles 28:22-27)

APPLICATION

Chastisement or punishment will cause a believer to repent, but it may make a non-believer even worse.  It is not our place to make a non-believer do right.  We are to tell them about The Word of God and live our lives as a righteous example.  If they do not want to hear what we have to say, then we are to depart from them and shake the dust off of our feet.  The Lord will deal with them. (Mark 6:11)  The Holy Spirit of God will convict them, convince them, and convert them as He sees fit to do.  Some people are so lost and caught up in their sins that The Lord just turns them over to their reprobate minds. (Romans 1:28)  There are others that love their evil ways and have no love for The Lord God. (John 3:19)  Don’t judge them, pray for them.  Somebody prayed for us.   Remember, all of us are sinners, (Romans 3:23) some of us are just sinners saved by the grace of God. (Ephesians 2:8)

OBEY THE LORD GOD AND PROSPER

PROCLAMATION

“Jotham grew powerful because he walked steadfastly before The Lord his God.”  2 Chronicles 27:6 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
After King Uzziah died with leprosy, his son Jotham, who had ruled the government and the people during his illness, succeeded him as king of Judah. (2 Chronicles 26:21-23)  Jotham did that which was right in the eyes of The Lord and he did not make the mistakes that his father made. (2 Chronicles 27:1-2)  He rebuilt the wall of the temple and fortified the forts and towers in the countryside. (2 Chronicles 27:3-4)  He conquered the Ammonites and they paid him money and grain annually. (2 Chronicles 27:5-6)

APPLICATION

Every good and perfect gift, including prosperity, comes from The Lord God. (James 1:17)  We are blessed in more ways than we can count.  When we obey The Word of God, we are also blessed with the additional conditional blessings that He has for us.  Blessed and prosperous is the man who delights in God’s Holy Word. (Psalm 1:1-3)  If we want to be blessed in more ways than we already are, then we need to walk more uprightly and steadfastly in the ways of The Lord God.  Because The Spirit of The Lord God is within us, we are in this world but not of it, (John 8:23) and we must walk circumspectly and not as the unsaved worldly sinners walk. (Ephesians 5:15)  We must walk the Godly walk.