Generations
Lectionary: 2 Chronicles 29:1-11, 15-19, Hebrews 9:23-28
2 Chronicles 29: 1-11, 15-19
Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. 3 In the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the temple of the Lord and repaired them. 4 He brought in the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side 5 and said: “Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. 6 Our parents were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the Lord’s dwelling place and turned their backs on him. 7 They also shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They did not burn incense or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel. 8 Therefore, the anger of the Lord has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem; he has made them an object of dread and horror and scorn, as you can see with your own eyes. 9 This is why our fathers have fallen by the sword and why our sons and daughters and our wives are in captivity. 10 Now I intend to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us. 11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him and serve him, to minister before him and to burn incense.”, 15 When they had assembled their fellow Levites and consecrated themselves, they went in to purify the temple of the Lord, as the king had ordered, following the word of the Lord. 16 The priests went into the sanctuary of the Lord to purify it. They brought out to the courtyard of the Lord’s temple everything unclean that they found in the temple of the Lord. The Levites took it and carried it out to the Kidron Valley. 17 They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and by the eighth day of the month they reached the portico of the Lord. For eight more days they consecrated the temple of the Lord itself, finishing on the sixteenth day of the first month. 18 Then they went in to King Hezekiah and reported: “We have purified the entire temple of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table for setting out the consecrated bread, with all its articles. 19 We have prepared and consecrated all the articles that King Ahaz removed in his unfaithfulness while he was king. They are now in front of the Lord’s altar.
Hebrews 9:23-28
It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Random thoughts on the lectionary reading of the day.I am reading through “The One Year Bible” – but it is taking me 2 years. Pastor Matt Wright told me not to be discouraged, but not to skip parts. “Put your bookmark in place and pick up where you left off; it’s all important.” So, I am following his advice. That means that my OT readings are just finishing 2 Chronicles.1 and 2 Chronicles. So far, they have been my least favorite books. 1 Chronicles is full of lists! 2 Chronicles starts with Solomon, and goes through to the fall of Jerusalem. (When I was a child, I can remember a younger brother asking at family devotions, “Are we still in the ‘good king/bad king’ part of the Bible?") So, I’m wondering what was it that made the Kings of Judah go from bad to good. Hezekiah’s father, Ahaz, was so evil he closed the Temple and set up altars to idols on the streets of Jerusalem and in surrounding towns. He took all the furnishings of the Temple and used them for himself. Why didn’t Hezekiah follow his example? How did he become a follower of the true God? Was it his mother’s influence? Hezekiah’s mother was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. Perhaps, even though she was part of Ahaz’ harem, she was able to teach her son about the true God. And yet, Hezekiah’s son, Manasseh was very evil. What happened?Another thing that 2 Chronicles got me thinking about is that the people followed what the King did. If he set up idols, they worshipped them. If he tore them down and gave instructions from the Books of the Law found in the Temple, the people followed the Lord. Are we followers like that? Whatever society or our leaders propose is okay is okay with us?OK. Maybe I should read the NT Lectionary reading. There I read that the rites and ceremonies that the Good Kings of Israel were following were copies of the real thing. I knew that, but my spirit is lifted. I am rejoicing again: “Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” REJOICE!Perhaps you, like me, go up and down a bit with your emotions when reading God’s Word. Yet the end is always the same: God wins, and we rejoice. This is what I want to teach my children and grandchildren. Following the Lord, God of the Universe, is what brings happiness.