2 Chronicles 30 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

2 Chronicles 30 Short Summary:

In 2 Chronicles 30, King Hezekiah of Judah invited all the people of Israel and Judah to come to Jerusalem and celebrate the Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread. The feasts had been neglected for many years during the reigns of wicked kings. The people gathered in Jerusalem for a great celebration. They were so happy, they extended the typical 7-day feast to 14 days.

2 Chronicles 30 Extended Summary

WHEN:

• Hezekiah reigned in Judah for 29 years. His reign likely fits within the years 730-695 B.C.

KEY CHARACTERS:

• Hezekiah – Son of Ahaz. He became king of Judah after his father died. He reformed Judah and led the people back to God.

• The People of Israel and Judah – They assembled in the Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover Feast.

WHERE:

• Jerusalem – The capital of the Kingdom of Judah and the location of God’s Temple.

• The Tribes of Israel – Hezekiah sent messengers throughout the tribes of Israel to invite them to travel south to Jerusalem to observe the Passover Feast.

OUTLINE:

• THE PASSOVER IS CELEBRATED IN JERUSALEM (30:1-27):

  • Hezekiah sent messengers throughout Judah, and even sent letters north to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, to invite people to observe the Passover Feast in Jerusalem.

  • The Passover Feast was supposed to be observed every year in the first month of the year. It was part of God’s law for His people (Lev 23:5), but the feast had been neglected during the days of the ungodly kings of Judah and Israel.

  • Hezekiah was planning to keep the Passover in the second month of the year because the people weren’t ready to observe it during the first month.

  • Hezekiah’s messengers encouraged the men of Israel to abandon the idolatry of their fathers and return to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel).

  • For the most part, the messengers that went to the north were mocked, but a few men from Israel humbled themselves and accepted the invitation.

  • In contrast, the people of Judah were united in heart to keep the Passover.

  • The people came together in Jerusalem and celebrated the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for 7 days.

  • The people removed all semblances of false religion from Jerusalem, including the unauthorized altars built by Hezekiah’s father, king Ahaz.

  • According to God’s law, a person had to be ceremonially “clean” in order to eat the Passover, but many of the people weren’t. So Hezekiah prayed to the Lord and asked Him to accept their observance of the feast even though they were still unclean.

  • “And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people” (30:20).

  • The people were so happy to celebrate the feast that they extended it another 7 days.

  • Hezekiah and the princes of Judah gave the people 2,000 bulls and 17,000 sheep for sacrificing.

  • “So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem” (30:26).  
    

APPLICATION:

• Are we willing to endure mockery to find the few who will accept Jesus’ invitation?

• Our job as Christians is similar to that of Hezekiah’s messengers. We are told to take the message of God to a world that will mock it, to find a few souls who will humble themselves and accept Jesus as their savior.

• To find those people, Christian will need to endure some people laughing “them to scorn.”

• Jesus didn’t come to the earth to avoid scorn; He came to endure it to find and save the humble.

• Likewise, our goal shouldn’t be to avoid scorn. We need to accept it as a reality of our job, ask for God’s strength to endure it, and carry on presenting the Lord’s invitation to as many people as possible.