20 Early the next morning King Hezekiah gathered the city officials together and went up to the temple of the Lord. 21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven male lambs and seven male goats as a sin offering(SEVEN, Completion and Perfection) for the kingdom, for the sanctuary and for Judah. The king commanded the priests, the descendants of Aaron, to offer these on the altar of the Lord.
King Hezekiah began the worship of the Lord with a relatively small, YET PERFECT NUMBER of animals in sacrifice. He involved his officials (community leaders) as well as the priests and Levites.
25 He stationed the Levites in the temple of the Lord with cymbals, harps and lyres in the way prescribed by David and Gad the king’s seer and Nathan the prophet; this was commanded by the Lord through his prophets. 26 So the Levites stood ready with David’s instruments, and the priests with their trumpets.
The initial meeting in the Temple may have begun small, but it contained all the necessary elements for true worship; Righteous Beginnings.
Do not despise the day of small things (beginnings) Zechariah 4:10
Hezekiah widened the appeal to the assembly, ‘all whose hearts were willing brought burnt offerings.’ 2 Chronicles 29:31
Chapter 29 concludes with the service of the Temple re-established and THE PEOPLE REJOICED at what God had done because IT WAS DONE SO QUICKLY.
Hezekiah then sent an invitation to all Judah, but also to other tribes in Israel to come and celebrate Passover in Jerusalem. Some ‘scorned and ridiculed’ the messengers, but some showed respect.
11 Nevertheless, some from Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun HUMBLED THEMSELVES and went to Jerusalem. 12 Also in Judah the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 30
13 A very large crowd of people assembled in Jerusalem to celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread in the second month. 14 They removed the altars in Jerusalem and cleared away the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.
There were some minor setbacks as the larger scale events rolled out but the Lord saw their hearts and the people were blessed and rejoiced.
The initial WORSHIP, QUICKLY GAINED MOMENTUM, GREW IN NUMBERS AND BECAME WIDESPREAD. Are we about to witness a similar turn around at the present time? The worship of the living God being established back in mainstream society.
14 For the earth WILL BE FILLED with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2
Much is happening behind the scenes and God will have His way.
God bless and keep you today and every day. Immanuel, God is with us.