2 Chronicles 29:20-24: a reflection

20Then Hezekiah the king arose early, gathered the princes of the city, and went up to the LORD’s house. 21They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs, and seven male goats, for a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah. He commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on the LORD’s altar. 22So they killed the bulls, and the priests received the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. They killed the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar. They also killed the lambs and sprinkled the blood on the altar. 23They brought near the male goats for the sin offering before the king and the assembly; and they laid their hands on them. 24Then the priests killed them, and they made a sin offering with their blood on the altar, to make atonement for all Israel; for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.

As Hezekiah leads the restoration of worship, he does not offer sacrifice only for himself or a few, but makes atonement for the whole people. He brought offerings for a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah; and the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel. The atonement was for all Israel, the whole people restored together to God through the sin offering. Hezekiah did not seek his own restoration alone, but made atonement for the entire people, so that all Israel together was brought back to God. And this atonement for the whole people points to a greater atonement, Christ's, made for all his people.

Notice the scope of the atonement: for all Israel, the whole people together. Hezekiah did not make atonement only for himself, or for a few; he made it for all Israel, the whole people, so that the entire nation was restored together to God through the sin offering. The atonement was corporate, embracing the whole people, bringing them back to God together. And this points forward to the atonement of Christ, made not for a few but for all his people, embracing the whole company of the redeemed. As Hezekiah's atonement was for all Israel, Christ's atonement is for all his people, the whole company he redeems. The atonement for the whole people foreshadows the atonement Christ makes for all who are his.

That is worth resting in, for Christ has made atonement for all his people, the whole company of the redeemed. We can think of our restoration to God as an individual, isolated thing; but the atonement Hezekiah made was for all Israel, the whole people together, foreshadowing Christ's atonement for all his people. In Christ, we are not restored to God in isolation, but as part of the whole company he has redeemed, all made one through his atonement. Rest in the atonement Christ has made not for you alone but for all his people, the whole company of the redeemed, as Hezekiah made atonement for all Israel together; for Christ's atonement embraces the whole company of his people, restoring us to God together, and we are brought back not in isolation but as part of the whole he has redeemed by his atonement.

Lord, as Hezekiah leads the restoration of worship, he does not offer sacrifice only for himself or a few, but makes atonement for the whole people. He brought offerings for a sin offering for the kingdom, for the sanctuary, and for Judah; and the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel. The atonement was for all Israel, the whole people restored together to you through the sin offering. And this atonement for the whole people points to a greater atonement, Christ's, made for all his people. Show me the scope of the atonement: for all Israel, the whole people together. Hezekiah did not make atonement only for himself, or for a few; he made it for all Israel, so that the entire nation was restored together to you. The atonement was corporate, embracing the whole people. And this points forward to the atonement of Christ, made not for a few but for all his people. As Hezekiah's atonement was for all Israel, Christ's atonement is for all his people, the whole company he redeems. Let me rest in that, for Christ has made atonement for all his people, the whole company of the redeemed. I can think of my restoration to you as an individual, isolated thing; but the atonement Hezekiah made was for all Israel together, foreshadowing Christ's atonement for all his people. In Christ, I am not restored to you in isolation, but as part of the whole company he has redeemed. Help me rest in the atonement Christ has made not for me alone but for all his people, Lord, as Hezekiah made atonement for all Israel together, restoring us to you not in isolation but as part of the whole he has redeemed.