In II Chronicles 29, Hezekiah takes over the kingdom from a bad king, his father Ahaz. Hezekiah, however, resolves to be a good king. He turns away from the pagan practices of Ahaz (who had sacrificed Hezekiah's brothers in the fire to false gods according to II Chronicles 28:3). Hezekiah has it in his heart to return the people to the Lord. The new king takes the following steps to imbue the nation with spiritual renewal:
- He repairs and cleanses the Temple: "In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them" (vs. 3). The cleansing takes place a little later, after the priests and Levites come back on duty. "They gathered their brothers, sanctified themselves, and went in as the king had commanded, by the words of the Lord, to cleanse the house of the Lord" (vs. 15).
- He recommissions the priests and Levites: "He brought in the priests and the Levites and assembled them in the square on the east. He said to them, “Listen to me, Levites! Sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and carry out the filth from the holy place" (vs. 4-5).
- He restores the covenant: "Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger may turn away from us" (vs. 10).
- He resumes Temple worship: "Then Hezekiah said, 'You have now consecrated yourselves to the Lord; come near, bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the Lord.' The assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings; and all who were of a willing heart brought burnt offerings" (vs. 31).
In summation, the Bible says, "Thus the service of the house of the Lord was restored" (vs. 35). The cycle has run, the rhythm has returned. Next up: restoring the Passover!
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