Paul Kretzmann Commentary - 2 Chronicles 31:1 - 31:10

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - 2 Chronicles 31:1 - 31:10


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Provision Made for the Levites

v. 1. Now, when all this was finished, at the end of the great Passover celebration, all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah and brake the images in pieces, the statues consecrated to Baal, and cut down the groves, the wooden pillars, or Asherim, erected in honor of Astarte, and threw down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, that is, the southern kingdom, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, in the northern kingdom, until they had utterly destroyed them all; wherever they had influence in their own circles they eradicated every vestige of idolatry. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities. The pure worship of Jehovah had been restored throughout the land of Canaan, wherever members of the ancient tribes were living, and the people looked forward to a happy future of national peace and prosperity.

v. 2. And Hezekiah appointed the courses of the priests and the Levites after their courses,
as arranged by David, each one being assigned his proper place and duty, every man according to his service, the priests and Levites for burnt offerings and for peace-offerings, the two chief sacrifices of the Jewish worship, to minister, and to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the tents of the Lord, in the Sanctuary proper as well as in the Court of the Priests, for the liturgical service took place entirely in the latter part of the Temple area.

v. 3. He appointed also the king's portion of his substance for the burnt offerings,
what the king contributed in sacrificial animals out of his own possessions, to wit, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths, when special sacrifices were required, and for the new moons, and for the set feasts, the great festivals of the Jewish Church, as it is written in the Law of the Lord, Numbers 28, 29; Leviticus 23; Deuteronomy 16.

v. 4. Moreover, he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites,
the firstlings and tithes of the increase of the cattle and the field, Exo_23:19; Num_18:8-12; Num_21:25; Lev_27:30-33, that they might be encouraged in the Law of the Lord, devote their entire time to the work of their office, free from ordinary earthly cares.

v. 5. And as soon as the commandment came abroad,
as soon as it was spread forth in all directions, in all parts of the kingdom, the children of Israel brought in abundance the first fruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly. This duty had naturally been neglected during the time when idolatry had invaded the land and only a comparatively small number of believing worshipers of Jehovah remained.

v. 6. And concerning the children of Israel and Judah that dwelt in the cities of Judah,
who owned no farms or orchards, they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, for there were pastures in the neighborhood of the cities, and the tithe of holy things, heave-offerings of all consecrated things, which were consecrated unto the Lord, their God, and laid them by heaps, each of the several products and offerings by itself.

v. 7. In the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps,
at the time when the wheat-harvest began, and finished them in the seventh month, the time when the orchards had yielded their increase.

v. 8. And when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the Lord,
for working such eager willingness, and His people Israel, for their faithfulness in heeding the command of the Lord.

v. 9. Then Hezekiah questioned with the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps,
discussed with them regarding the disposal of the offerings and the possible sufficiency of the offerings for the purpose which they were intended to serve.

v. 10. And Azariah, the chief priest of the house of Zadok. answered him and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat and have left plenty,
the method had proved more than satisfactory; for the Lord hath blessed His people; and that which is left is this great store. It is an easy matter for the members of Christ's Church to meet all the needs of the Gospel, both in providing for home purposes and in sending out men to the foreign fields.