"Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to come to the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel." (2 Chronicles 30:1) He invites everyone to celebrate Passover---not just the people of his own kingdom of Judah but also everyone from the northern kingdom of Israel. The Israelite capital of Samaria has already fallen to the Assyrian army and the Assyrians have already begun deporting vast numbers of Israelites to Assyria. We don't know how many additional cities and towns of Israel have been invaded by the Assyrians at this time or how many people are left. Though the exact timing is not known, the fact that Hezekiah issues this invitation indicates that the Israelites were free to travel to Jerusalem if they wished. Though they have been defeated by the Assyria army, it does not appear as if they are being prevented from crossing the border into Judah. Also the messengers from Judah are not being prevented from entering the northern kingdom of Israel with Hezekiah's invitation.
"The king and his officials and the whole assembly in Jerusalem decided to celebrate the Passover in the second month. They had not been able to celebrate it at the regular time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem. The plan seemed right both to the king and to the whole assembly. They decided to send a proclamation throughout Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, calling the people to come to Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the Lord, the God of Israel. It had not been celebrated in large numbers according to what was written." (2 Chronicles 30:2-5) Passover was to be celebrated in the first month of the Jewish calendar unless there were extenuating circumstances, such as those outlined in Numbers 9 regarding ceremonial uncleanness. We learned in Friday's study session that not everyone consecrated themselves in time for the ceremony for the dedication of the temple. Holding Passover in the second month allows more time for everyone to make themselves ceremonially clean in order to observe the holiday.
"At the king's command, couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and from his officials, which read: 'People of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that He may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. Do not be like your parents and your fellow Israelites, who were unfaithful to the Lord, the God of their ancestors, so that He made them into an object of horror, as you see.'" (2 Chronicles 30:6-7) The Scriptures are very clear about the spiritual unfaithfulness of the northern kingdom being the cause of the fall of the kingdom. Hezekiah is urging the people to take this lesson to heart. They don't have to remain in the sin of their forefathers and in the sin of their fellow citizens who have fallen by the sword or who have been taken captive to a foreign land. They can rededicate their hearts to the Lord. They can receive blessings of the Lord. Hezekiah himself grew up with a wicked, idolatrous father but he doesn't consider that an excuse to sin. He considers his father an example of what not to do. Instead of following in his father's footsteps, he's choosing to follow in the footsteps of his faithful forefathers, such as David and Abraham. He's encouraging the people of the northern kingdom to do the same. They can turn back to the Lord. The Lord will not refuse their prayers of repentance.
Hezekiah's letter continues: "Do not be stiff-necked, as your ancestors were; submit to the Lord. Come to His sanctuary, which He has consecrated forever. Serve the Lord your God, so that His fierce anger will turn away from you. If you return to the Lord, then your fellow Israelites and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will return to this land, for the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn His face from you if you return to Him." (2 Chronicles 30:8-9)
We see something interesting in verse 9. Their repentance will not only help themselves (the Lord will cause the Assyrians, to whom they are now subject, to show them mercy) but their repentance will also help those who have already been carried away out of the land. This underscores the immense value of intercessory prayer! The Lord promises to restore to the land those who have been carried away captive if those who are still in the land will repent and give their hearts fully to Him. My understanding of this verse is that He will do this for the sake of those still in the land who repent, whether or not those who have been carried away captive also repent.
I'm reminded of the way the Lord saved Lot from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah because of Abraham's prayer. The Scriptures do not provide us with any proof that Lot was praying for himself. In my opinion, Lot had assimilated quite a bit into the culture of Sodom and Gomorrah. While I don't believe he was engaging in the sins for which the people of that region were condemned, he seemed enough like them that they had made him a judge, for we found him "sitting in the gateway of the city" in Genesis 19:1, which is what the judges of those days did in order to hear the legal cases of visitors to the city. Even if he were not a judge (though most scholars appear to believe he was), the fact that he was sitting in the gate with the judges, the elders, and the various other officials of the city means he was not looked upon as an outsider. He was looked upon by these men as their fellow citizen and their equal. He had become comfortable living in a sinful, idolatrous culture. He still worshiped the Lord but had compromised with the world. Yet for Abraham's sake the Lord rescued him. Hezekiah is telling the people of Israel that if they will turn back to the Lord, He will rescue their people from the hands of the Assyrians.
In our next study session we will find Hezekiah's invitation reaching every region of the kingdom. Some of the people will turn back to the Lord and some of the people will scorn the very idea of doing such a thing. This is an example of what happens every day on the earth: the Lord invites everyone to come to Him. Some, thankfully, accept His offer. Some, unfortunately, do not.
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