2 Chronicles 30:9

For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.”

Hezekiah is the king, and Israel is in disarray. Hezekiah is ruling over the southern kingdom, with the northern kingdom on the brink of destruction. The Assyrians campaign to take the northern kingdom extended from 734 – 732 BCE, with Samaria falling to the Assyrians in 722 BCE.

Many Bible scholars note that Hezekiah’s first passover was in the year 727. So as Hezekiah was initiating his first passover, the northern kingdom was on the edge of collapse. The Assyrians were in the land, and were actively dominating the weakened and abandoned northern kingdom.

Hence the context of this verse we are considering. Hezekiah is speaking to those in the northern kingdom, those who lived in a kingdom that had continually rejected the Living God, ruled over by kings who consistently practiced evil.

Hezekiah was no innocent in this regard. He understood the judgement that was falling on the northern kingdom, and the only hope they had. In his efforts to bring piety back to the southern kingdom, through the observance of the Passover, Hezekiah went all evangelical, reaching out to those who had rejected God.

He sent emissaries from Beersheba to Dan, throughout all of Israel, providing a plea to turn back to God. As expected, he received two responses.

Rejection

2 Chronicles 30:10 So the couriers went from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them.

A portion of the northern kingdom, even under the threat of the Assyrian armies decimating the countryside, simply mocked Hezekiah’s invitation. The peoples heart had grown stone cold, and the people were in full rejection mode, no matter the consequences.

REception

2 Chronicles 30:11 However, some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.

What is heartening is that though the northern kingdom was in captivity mode (a condition which God had provided the enemy freedom to destroy the northern kingdom forever) there were some in that kingdom that repented, humbling themselves of their sin, and travelled to Jerusalem for the Passover.

Hezekiah made it clear that to yield themselves to the Lord, to come to the sanctuary, and to serve the Lord, they had the chance of experiencing the fierce anger of the Lord being turned away from them.

These were the Lord’s chosen people turning back to God, a people that had rejected the nations God and was now returning through repentance and humility.

Hezekiah’s Passover was full of gladness, and great joy. As a matter of fact, the remaining chapter of 2 Chronicles speaks of gladness and great joy multiple times, even though some had not prepared themselves properly for the feast.

2 Chronicles 30:18b-20 …many of them … had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good LORD pardon everyone who sets his heart to seek God, the LORD, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary’s rules of cleanness.” And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people.

Those who had rejected now received, and there was great joy, and healing of the remnant.

A fantastic story in the midst of a terrible situation, providing for believers throughout the ages a picture of our merciful God receiving back his people.

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