The Levite Leaders Purified The Temple
October 30, 2022
Commentary
As soon as Hezekiah finished talking the Levite leaders went to work (vv. 12-14). These leaders gathered all of the Levites together and they went through a ceremony to make themselves clean (v. 15). Then they began to purify the temple according to the law of the Lord. The priests went into the Temple and carried out everything that was unclean (v. 16). First they put these things in the courtyard, and from there they carried them outside the city to the Kidron Valley. It took the priests and Levites one week to purify the courtyards of the temple and another week to purify the temple (v. 17).
After they had finished their work they went back to Hezekiah and told him what they had done (v. 18). They said, “The entire temple is now pure again, and so is the altar and its utensils as well as the table of shew bread and its utensils.” They also told him how they had brought back all the things that king Ahaz had taken from the temple during his reign (v. 19). They had purified them and put them back in front of the altar.
Application
In order for me to be used of the Lord I must first of all confess my sin and make sure my life is clean and pure. Then I can begin to help others get right with the Lord.
2 Chronicles 29:12– 19 (NET)
12 The following Levites prepared to carry out the king’s orders: From the Kohathites: Mahath son of Amasai and Joel son of Azariah; from the Merarites: Kish son of Abdi and Azariah son of Jehallelel; from the Gershonites: Joah son of Zimmah and Eden son of Joah;
13 from the descendants of Elizaphan: Shimri and Jeiel; from the descendants of Asaph: Zechariah and Mattaniah;
14 from the descendants of Heman: Jehiel and Shimei; from the descendants of Jeduthun: Shemaiah and Uzziel.
15 They assembled their brothers and consecrated themselves. Then they went in to purify the Lord’s temple, just as the king had ordered, in accordance with the word of the Lord. 16 The priests then entered the Lord’s temple to purify it; they brought out to the courtyard of the Lord’s temple every ceremonially unclean thing they discovered inside. The Levites took them out to the Kidron Valley. 17 On the first day of the first month they began consecrating; by the eighth day of the month they reached the porch of the Lord’s temple. For eight more days they consecrated the Lord’s temple. On the sixteenth day of the first month they were finished. 18 They went to King Hezekiah and said: “We have purified the entire temple of the Lord, including the altar of burnt sacrifice and all its equipment, and the table for the Bread of the Presence and all its equipment. 19 We have prepared and consecrated all the items that King Ahaz removed during his reign when he acted unfaithfully. They are in front of the altar of the Lord.”