The Elbert County tribune., 1911-06-02
HEZEKIAH'S
GREAT PASSOVER
S.sday Sehssl Lsssss fer Jsss II, 1911
Specially Arranged for This Paper

B. c. 754. 73s and 49, Hoshea becoming
king of Israel in b. c. 72s Hastings
gives the dates as B. C. 74s. TAI. 727 and
] (Hoshca) 100.
| PLACE-The temple In Jerusalem.
PROPHETS-Hosea. Micah and Isaiah.
Hezekiah was the good son OF a bad
father. Ahaz; and Ahaz was the bad
son of a good father. lothian; and
after the good Hezekiah came his bad
son, Manasseh. But there must have
been reasons back OF these seeming
contradictions. In Hezekiah's case
one may have been his mother Abijah
the daughter Tor granddaughter OF
are mentioned in the Bible. This was
not the author of the book of proph-
ecy, but may have been the prophet
who had SO much influence over King
Uzziah.
Hezekiah did that which was right
in the eyes of the Lord Gods ap-
proval is the only wise goal for king,
a president or the humblest citizen
1t is the fatal defect in most forms OF
government that this over-rule of God
Is ignored.
Hezekiah began his reign by doing
the thing that plainly needed most
to be done first He found the Tenn
pie, the sacred meeting place OF God
and man. with its doors closed by
Ahaz. its lamps out, its affairs cold, its
floors and hangings covered with dust
and dirt Therefore the young king
summoned the priests and Levites to
the court on the east of the Temple
opposite the closed porch or entrance,
and in frank and noble address de-
clared his conviction that all the ma
tional woes had their origin in a neg
lect of the worship of Jehovah. and
his determination to make new COW
enant with the Lord. Then he bade
them. as their first task, to cleanse
the Temple thoroughly.
The Second Step the Worship and
Praise.-Thus far the priests and Lee
vites alone had been purified. Now
the royal house and the people were
to be, formally reconciled to Jehovah.
How was this done? Hezekiah gath
cred the chief men Of Jerusalem. who
brought bullocks, lambs, rams, and he
goats for sin offering, seven of each.
The city rulers laid their hands upon
the animals. thus Identifying them
selves with them. Then the priests
killed the animals and sprinkled their
blood before the veil In the Holy
Place and upon the altar of incense,
pouring out the remainder at the
base OF the altar Of burnt offerings in
the court before the Temple. The fat
Of the offerings was burned on the
altar of burnt offerings, and the flesh
was afterwards eaten by the priests.
1t was a mark Of the new national
feeling that arose during Hezekiah's
reign that this offering and those that
followed were not made for Judah
alone. but for the Northern Kingdom
as we'll
The Third Step, the Wide Invi-
tation.-What was the next step in
the great reform? The holding of the
national feast of remembrance of
Gods goodness. the passover. This
should have been celebrated in the
first month of the year. Nissan. CORE
spending to our April; but because
not enough Of the priests had been
purified and because of the time re-
quired to gather the people, 1t was de-
cided that the exigency warranted the
postponement to the next month. Iyar
or May. AS the reform had widened
from Hezekiah to the priests and Le-
vites, then to the chief men OF Jeru-
salem, then to the whole congrega-
ton of citizens, the next step was to
extend 1t to the entire nation, from
Beer-sheba, even to Dan.
The Fourth Step is the Great
Passover.-What further publication
was needed before the passover could
be celebrated? Jerusalem was full of
heather affairs. "in every corner" and
these were torn down and the frag
ments cast into the Kidron.
The Fifth Step is the Generous
Giving.-What other illustration OF
their zeal did the people give when
the passover was completed? Their
new ardor for Jehovah blazed out in a
burning indignation against the foul
idols which they had been worshiping.
1t was as when Peter the Hermit
aroused whole multitudes to the wild
est enthusiasm for the rescue OF the
Holy Sepulcher. or even the dour
Scotch Lowlander blazed up like an
excitable Celt at the initiative Of Jen-
ny Geddes. How much more these
fiery Orientals? jerusalem had been
freed from idols; why should the
country districts still be polluted?"
Thus the people swept like a flood
over Judah and Benjamin and the
neighboring Ephriam and Manasseh.
They broke the heather images" or
pillars. cut down the groves or poles
set up as symbols Of the licentious
Asherah. and overthrow the idolatrous
hill sanctuaries and their affairs.
Reforms must be thorough, II they
are to be permanent.
What was the last step in Heze-