2 Chronicles 29

Chap. XXIX. Ver. 1—36. Hezekiah cleanses the temple, and restores the worship of the true God.—In our remarks on the contemporary history in Kings, we have referred to this and the two following chapters for a particular account of the early years of Hezekiah’s reign. We find (in the preceding chapter) that when Ahaz gave himself up to the worship of idols, that he ‘‘shut up the doors of the house of the Lord:” the first thing, therefore, that Hezekiah did toward restoring divine worship, was to open those doors, and the next to cleanse the house, and sanctify the priests and Levites who were to perform the service therein. He also endeavoured to restore the order of the sacrifices, and of prayer and praise, as in the times of David and of Solomon.

The sacrifices, it appears, were very numerous, and the gifts of ‘a free heart:” and Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people, for the thing was done suddenly,” and quickly; even the whole work seems to have been performed in sixteen days, and that without any previous notice; for it was began in the first year of Hezekiah’s reign, and on the first day of the first month of that year. It is particularly remarked, that in this instance “‘the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than were the priests.” It is, indeed, to be feared, that wicked Ahaz had bribed many of the priests to assist in his idolatrous services; we need not, therefore, wonder that they were backward to sanctify themselves unto the Lord.

A divided heart is a great impediment in religion.

Notes on the verses

Chap. XXIX. Ver. 8. To trouble.—[It is probable, Hezekiah refers to that dreadful defeat by the Israelites, in which one hundred and twenty thousand were slain, and two hundred thousand taken prisoners: see ch. xxviii. 6—8,] —Bagster. Ver. 10. Covenant.—{‘To renew that covenant under which the whole people were constantly considered, and of which circumcision was the sign, =< the spirit of which was, ‘I will be your God—ye shall be my people.’’) Ver. 16. Priests went in.—(The priests and Levites cleansed first the courts both of the priests and of the people. On this labour they spent eight days. Then they cleansed the interior of the temple; but, as the Levites had no right to enter the temple, the priests carried all the dirt and rubbish to the porch, whence they were collected by the Levites, carried away and cast into the brook Kidron: in this work, eight days more were occupied; and thus the temple was purified in eighteen days.]—Bagster.

Ver. 21. Seven bullocks.—[The law only required one bullock for the sins of the high-priest, another for the sins of the people, and one he-goat for the sins of the prince: but Hezekiah offered many more, and the reason appears sufficiently evident: the law only speaks of sins of ignorance, but here there were sins of every dye—idolatry, apostacy from the Divine worship, profanation of the temple, &c. &c. The sin-offerings, we are informed, were offered, first, for the KINGDOM—or the transgressions of the king and his family, secondly, for the SANCTUARY—which had been defiled and polluted; and for the priests, who had been profane, negligent, and unholy; and, thirdly, for the whole mass of the people, who had been led into abomination by the above examples.

|—Bagster. Ver. 27. Instruments ordained by David.—The word “ordained” is supplementary, and might have been “made,” as (1 Chronicles 23:5). or ‘invented,’ as (Amos 6:5). But Dr. Clarke appears to be in error, in saying that David was “solemnly reproved” for this; for David is not reproved at all; and the Jews are reproved, not simply for inventing or using instruments of music, any more than for chanting; but for applying to purposes of luxury and riot those instruments which David had invented, i.e., with to praise the Lord. Ver. 31. Free heart.—{As the burnt-offerings were wholly consumed on the altar, the offering of them evinced greater zeal and liberality than the oblation of peace-offerings, the greater part of which was eaten by the offerer and his friends.}—Bagster.

Ver. 32. Number of the burnt-offerings.—{Comparing the sacrifices offered on this occasion with those of Solomon at the dedication of the temple, we may form some idea of the decrease of the prosperity and riches of Judah, or of the decline of the general spirit of piety.}—Bagster. Ver. 36. Hezekiah rejoiced.—{Both Hezekiah and the people rejoiced, that God had prepared the hearts of the people to bring about so great and glorious a reformation in so short a time. ‘This good king’s example and influence were here, as in many other cases, under God, the grand spring of all those mighty movements.}—Bagster.