Scripture Daily

Context No. 2263 of 4322 · 2 Chronicles

Context · Reflection

2 Chronicles 30:20-27: in context

20The LORD listened to Hezekiah, and healed the people. 21The children of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness. The Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day, singing with loud instruments to the LORD. 22Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who had good understanding in the service of the LORD. So they ate throughout the feast for the seven days, offering sacrifices of peace offerings and making confession to the LORD, the God of their fathers. 23The whole assembly took counsel to keep another seven days, and they kept another seven days with gladness. 24For Hezekiah king of Judah gave to the assembly for offerings one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep; and the princes gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep; and a great number of priests sanctified themselves. 25All the assembly of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the assembly who came out of Israel, and the foreigners who came out of the land of Israel and who lived in Judah, rejoiced. 26So there was great joy in Jerusalem; for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was nothing like this in Jerusalem. 27Then the Levitical priests arose and blessed the people. Their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy habitation, even to heaven.

When Hezekiah restored the great Passover in Jerusalem, many came who had not purified themselves according to the strict rules of the sanctuary, having been long out of practice. Hezekiah prayed for them: the good LORD pardon everyone who sets his heart to seek God, though not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. And the account records God's answer: the LORD listened to Hezekiah, and healed the people. God accepted those whose hearts were set to seek him, even though their outward observance was imperfect. And the feast became a time of great joy, unlike anything since Solomon.

What God did here is full of grace. Many of the worshipers had not met the strict ceremonial requirements; by the letter of the law, they were not properly prepared. And Hezekiah, rather than turning them away, prayed that God would pardon everyone who set his heart to seek God, even though not ceremonially clean. He appealed to the sincerity of their hearts over the precision of their observance. And God heard, and healed the people, accepting those whose hearts were genuinely set to seek him despite their imperfect preparation. God valued the heart's desire to seek him above ritual correctness. This is a comfort for all who feel their approach to God is imperfect. We can feel that our worship, our prayers, our coming to God, are not good enough, not properly prepared, not up to the standard, and that God will therefore reject them. Hezekiah's Passover shows a God who accepts the sincere heart that seeks him, even when the outward observance falls short. The people who came were not properly cleansed, yet God accepted them because their hearts were set to seek him. God looks, as he told Samuel, not on the outward appearance but on the heart; and the heart genuinely seeking him is accepted, even when the outward preparation is imperfect. This does not make outward observance unimportant, nor does it excuse carelessness; the point is that God is not a stickler for ritual precision who rejects the sincere seeker over an imperfect observance. He values the heart's genuine desire to seek him. Those who came to Hezekiah's Passover imperfectly prepared but sincerely seeking were accepted and healed; and God still accepts the sincere heart that seeks him, looking at the heart's desire rather than demanding a flawless outward observance before he will receive us. This calls us to come to God sincerely, trusting that he accepts the seeking heart even when our approach is imperfect. We need not stay away because our preparation falls short, or fear that God will reject our imperfect worship. God accepted those who set their hearts to seek him at Hezekiah's Passover, though they were not properly cleansed, and healed them; and he still receives the sincere heart that seeks him, valuing our genuine desire for him above the precision of our observance. So we come to God sincerely, hearts set to seek him, trusting that he accepts the seeking heart even when our approach is imperfect, as he accepted and healed those who sought him at Hezekiah's feast.

Do I feel that my worship, prayers, or approach to God are not good enough or properly prepared, so that God will reject them, and can Hezekiah's Passover, where God pardoned and healed everyone who set his heart to seek him though not ceremonially clean, assure me that God accepts the sincere heart that seeks him even when the outward observance is imperfect, so that I come to him sincerely, hearts set to seek him, trusting that he values my genuine desire for him above the precision of my approach?

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