Hezekiah Lights the Fire of Revival (Modern Lessons in Worship from an Ancient King)

Hezekiah became king during tumultuous times. His father Ahaz was an evil man who committed the very same sins as the Canaanites that God had driven out of the land of Israel. He invited the moral depravity of the ancient fertility cult into the nation of Judah as he made idols to the Ba’als, built high places for pagan worship in every city and sacrificed his own children to false gods by burning them alive. His actions brought disaster upon the country as God's protection was removed. 

Israel had long been divided into two separate kingdoms, and they had fought before, but never had there been such carnage as under the rule of King Ahaz. The Northern Kingdom of Israel attacked the Southern Kingdom of Judah, killing 120,000 men and kidnapping 200,000 women and children to be trafficked as slaves before a prophet of God named Oded stopped them in their tracks and forced them to return the captives. Judah was attacked and raided by Philistines from the West and Edomites from the South. Ahaz plundered the temple to pay off the Assyrians, but they oppressed him anyway. 

Even after all this, rather than turn back to God, Ahaz closed the temple down and set up altars all over Jerusalem for people to worship HIM. By the time he died and Hezekiah took the throne, the nation of Judah was on the verge of destruction.

It would have been normal for a King in Hezekiah’s position to take immediate steps to rebuild and bolster his army, form alliances and secure his cities. But Hezekiah did none of those things. 

Instead, his first recorded action as King was to assemble the priests and order them to clean and purify the temple. Hezekiah had his priorities right by putting God first above everything else in the Kingdom. Hezekiah knew that the nation’s only chance of survival was returning to the Lord.

Please READ: 2 Chronicles 29:20-24.

Central Idea of Text

Hezekiah made sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people and led them in worship to restore their relationship with God.

Point #1: ATONEMENT Must Be Made for Sin 

Hezekiah didn’t waste any time. Once the temple was cleansed and all the preparations were made, Hezekiah got up early the next morning and began to lead his people back to God. He gathered the leaders of the city and went to the temple. The priests made the sacrifices as Hezekiah instructed and watched over them. They offered 7 bulls, 7 rams and 7 lambs as sacrifices for the kingdom, the sanctuary and Judah, offering the blood on the altar. Seven is a number of completion, a number of perfection. He was symbolizing complete repentance and seeking complete forgiveness. I want to draw your attention to one easily overlooked, but important fact. Hezekiah didn’t just offer atonement for the sins of Judah, he also made the sacrifices for Israel. What amazing forgiveness, after what Israel had done to Judah!

After the initial sacrifices, they did something different. The priests brought the 7 goats into the presence of the king and the people, then laid their hands on the heads of the goats. This represented transferring the sins of the people onto the goats. There is a price that must be paid for sin and the wages of sin is DEATH. By transferring the sins of the people onto the goats and then sacrificing them, the goats became a substitute for the people, dying in their place, paying the penalty for their sin. This is where the concept of a “Scapegoat” comes from. A scapegoat is someone who takes the blame for someone else.

When we worship today, we don’t have to sacrifice bulls, transfer our sins onto goats, or spill the blood of lambs upon an altar, because we already have a scapegoat, JESUS, the Lamb of God, who was sacrificed in our place. His blood was shed for us. Although, innocent, he endured the penalty for our sin and died the death we deserve. In the same way that Hezekiah and the people could not approach God without offering a sacrifice to atone for their sins, Jesus has atoned for our sins by dying as our scapegoat. He died as our substitute, so that we can approach God.

1 John 2:2 informs us that:

He, Himself, is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.

Atonement, sometimes called propitiation, means to reconcile. It describes cleansing, forgiveness and making things right. Atonement means to provide an opportunity to be reconciled with God and put in a right relationship with Him.

Lesson Idea

We offer worship to express gratitude and love to Jesus because He made the ultimate sacrifice to atone for our sins and restore our relationship with God.

Point #2: We Should WORSHIP, Giving Thanks to God

After Hezekiah gave the priests instructions for the offering of sacrifices and making atonement for sin, he turned his attention to give the people instructions about worship.

READ: 2 Chronicles 29:25-30 with me.

Hezekiah specifically instructed the priests and the people to sing the songs of David and Asaph, the two most prolific psalmists. You might wonder why we would look to an Old Testament king to learn about worship. Why are his actions relevant to us? What do the worship practices of ancient Israel have to do with a New Testament church?

In Colossians 3:16, Paul wrote: Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

In this passage, Paul instructs the early church to continue singing the psalms and teaching from them. The book of Psalms was not only the songbook of ancient Israel, it was their instruction manual for worship and an important source of doctrine. Paul affirms that this has not changed under the New Covenant. I once visited a church where a teacher read this passage and claimed that since it did not mention musical instruments, we should not use them in church. I knew he was using Scripture wrongly and I was greatly encouraged to find the list of musical instruments in Psalm 150. Sadly, many churches follow his logic and forbid the use of instruments in church. I love good Acapella singing, but there is no Biblical basis for banning instruments in worship. In fact, years later, I learned that the word Psalm means to pick or to pluck. It actually describes singing songs with stringed instrumental accompaniment. By mentioning hymns and songs from the spirit, Paul also encouraged the writing and singing of new songs. Psalm 33:3 declares: Sing to Him a new song, play skillfully with a shout of joy.

The writers of the New Testament quote from the book of Psalms continually. Their upbringing was saturated with the Psalms. As Jesus and the other boys from Galilee walked to Jerusalem for the festivals, they would have sung the psalms of ascent. Jewish children learned important theology from the songbook of Israel.

While Solomon built the temple, it was his father King David who established worship in the House of the Lord, first in the tabernacle and then by assigning the musicians to the duties they would perform in the temple. (1 Chron. 25) He wrote many psalms himself, and Hezekiah patterned his worship after David. God had told his prophets, David, Gad and Nathan how he wanted to be worshiped and Hezekiah provided us with a beautiful picture of what this worship was like. Think about the level of craftsmanship and artistry that went into building the tabernacle and the temple. Through David’s example, we see that an equal level of skill and detail went into the musical preparations for worship in the house of the Lord. If this is the way God wants to be worshipped, then we need to learn from it.

While the priests made the burnt offerings, the people worshipped, giving thanks to God. The first instrument listed that the priests played is cymbals. David lived in the Bronze Age and Hezekiah lived just after it. People in the Ancient Near East were skilled metal workers. They knew how to hammer and lathe cymbals to create “crashing” cymbals and also “sounding” cymbals like a gong. In fact, the best cymbals in the world are still Turkish cymbals like Zildjian, created in that part of the world.

The priests also blew trumpets. As a child I was taught that there were no actual trumpets in “Bible” times, only animal horns, but that is not true. These trumpets were NOT Shofars, which are made from Ram’s horns. The Israelites often used rams horns, particularly in battle, but they also had Chatsotsarah, which are metal trumpets. These Chatsotsarah were what the priests used for worship that day. As early as 2,000 B.C., bronze or brass trumpets were being made in that part of the world. With a much higher copper content than modern brass, they would have had a rich and colorful sound. Around 1440 B.C., God instructed Moses to make 2 Trumpets out of hammered silver. Silver has a brighter, clearer, ringing sound. By the time David became king, they had been developing their craft of instrument making for over 1,000 years. David had 120 well-made metal trumpets and Hezekiah’s trumpets were either the same instruments or similar.

If you’ve ever been to a drum and bugle corps show, you’ve experienced the overwhelming sound of 60 brass players. I love to stand in the middle of a warm-up circle as they play chorales like On a Hymnsong of Phillip Bliss, Amazing Grace or The Fire of Eternal Glory. When they play powerfully, the feeling is thrilling as the sound waves wash over you. When they play beautifully, it is like floating in a gently flowing stream as you are carried away by the music. I want to do something special today and let you hear an example of the type of music they could have achieved in Ancient Israel. Since their trumpets didn’t have valves, we can understand from science the numerical sequence of notes, intervals and types of chords they were capable of playing and I want you to listen to this famous piece of music, Fanfare for the Common Man, which uses a technique and chords that can help us to imagine what they might have played. Though the piece does use low brass as well. Let’s listen. [LISTEN]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJBzkDgd140

Here is a 22 second video of the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets. They use valves which ancient trumpets may not have had, but you can still get an idea of the majesty of trumpets. 

The sound of 120 trumpeters blowing from the top of Mt. Zion must have been incredible. If a small marching band can be heard 5 or 6 miles away, imagine how far the sound of those trumpets could have carried in the absence of cars and modern city noise. I believe this type of worship points to the power, majesty and glory of God. It must have been a humbling and awe-inspiring experience to listen to the crystal clear clarion call of the chatsatsorah playing that day as smoke from the burnt offerings slowly rose toward heaven.

They also played the psaltery and the ten stringed harp. There are three main string instruments listed throughout the psalms: the small, portable lyre, the 10 stringed harp and the bowl guitar. [Look at this picture on the screens of an Egyptian wall painting from Thebes]  

These early instruments used strings made from sheep gut. If you’ve ever heard them, gut strings have a uniquely beautiful, delicate sound. String instruments could be strummed with the fingers, plucked with a pick or laid on their side and struck with a special hammer or mallet. This beautiful, peaceful, gentle sound would have created a lovely contrast to the loudness of the trumpets and cymbals. This reminds me of the often repeated refrain from Psalm 103:8: The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. God is awesome and powerful, full of majesty and inspiring of fear and reverence, but He is also gentle, loving, caring and kind to those who place their trust in Him. Jesus is the Prince of Peace and this music reminds me of the peace and calmness we enjoy in God’s Presence.

Verse 27 also mentions the “Instruments of David.” Israel’s great King David was an inventor of musical instruments (Amos 6:5). We know from Psalm 150 that, in addition to the instruments we’ve already discussed, the Israelites had various string instruments and early wooden instruments like flutes, recorders or pipes. They also had timbrels (toph) which is simply the word for a drum. These drums with animal skin heads could come in a variety of sizes and sound deep and low in pitch like an Irish Bodran or crisp and high pitched like bongos. They could be used with or without the jingles of a tambourine and played with hands, sticks or mallets. When I think of this vast array of instrumental sounds available for worship, I am reminded of God’s creativity. Our worship should be wonderfully inventive, fresh and rhythmic.

When we worship God we should be in awe, we should be inspired, we should be filled with joy and humbled. Hezekiah encouraged the priests because they had played skillfully, but all of the people sang and worshipped together. Worship is not a spectator sport. The attention was not on Hezekiah or any single worship leader. The focus was entirely on God. I have some concerns with the modern model of church where all the pressure (and attention) is often put on one worship leader loudly amplified over the congregation. There isn't anything like that in the Bible. There is nothing more beautiful than the sound of God's people joining their voices together to sing. It's good to have a worship leader, but the goal should always be the sound of many voices raised in praise. David had a worship leader, Chenaniah, who directed the priestly choir as they led the people in singing. Hezekiah also gave direction to a large choir of priests who led the singing as the voices of the people joined together with them to worship the only One who is worthy of our praise. I mentioned earlier how I disagreed with the dear brother who taught that we should not use instruments in worship. But I did truly appreciate the beautiful congregational singing in that church. There is no rule that says we must use instruments in worship, but if we do, we should be careful to avoid allowing amplification and effects such as distortion to cover up the sounds of voices praising the Lord. Even with all of the instruments of David and Hezekiah, they could not cover up the sound of the people gathered together singing. They sounded together as one. 

Praise declares powerful truths about who God is and what He has done. Worship expresses gratitude and love directly to God. Verse 30b informs us that they did both:

They sang praises with rejoicing and knelt low and worshipped. 

Praise can be directed from the platform toward the congregation, singing forth the goodness of God, or instructing each other. But while praise plays an important role in teaching truth, it's purpose remains to turn our attention toward God and to help people connect with Him. Worship is always directed toward God and God alone. Praise can either teach about God or be sung to Him directly. But Worship is always expressed toward heaven. I'm certainly not saying it's wrong to have special music that teaches or tells people about God, or to put on special Gospel centered programs. Those things are wonderful, meaningful and beneficial. Such events can be beautiful offerings, serving an important purpose to teach and build up the church. I enjoy them very much. We have freedom to express musical praise and worship in a variety of ways. But for Hezekiah, neither praise nor worship were performances, they were congregational, participatory events. As people, we learn more when we participate and this is the way the Psalms were used to teach--singing together to God. We can take a lesson from him, examine our own practices, and make sure that the majority of our time spent in corporate worship is raising our voices together. Don't be a consumer of worship, be a participant.

Psalm 100:4 instructs us to: Enter His gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and bless His name.

When you approach a King, there is a protocol. You praise, thank and honor him and you humble yourself and bow down. Praise is when we declare the truth about who God is and what He has done. We honor and glorify Him. We rejoice. We declare His mighty deeds. There are times in the psalms when we are instructed to shout, sing, clap our hands, dance, raise our hands and engage in a variety of acts of worship. On this day, they sang praises with joy and then humbled themselves and bowed down, kneeling low to worship. Worship is a way that we can connect with God. We might offer thanks, repent of sin, ask for help, or express heartfelt emotion. When I think of worship, I think about expressing gratitude and love to God. Praising and worshipping is the appropriate manner in which to enter God’s Presence. This is how they approached God and we should show the same reverence.

Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we do not have to offer animal sacrifices, but we still offer praise. He fulfilled the Law, but the instructions for worship aren’t part of the Law. I enjoy songs like Praise is the Offering and We Bring the Sacrifice of Praise into the House of the Lord. Hebrews 13:15 emphasizes this access that we have to God through Jesus Christ saying: Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. Under the New Covenant, the sacrifice we offer to God is our praise. The passage from Hebrews goes on to say that doing good and sharing with others are also acceptable sacrifices. We don’t do these things to earn salvation or atone for sin. We do them out of thankfulness for what Jesus did for us and because of the change the Holy Spirit has brought about in our lives.

Through Paul’s instructions to the Colossians and from the details about the New Covenant in the book of Hebrews, we have seen that the type of musical worship offered by Hezekiah is pleasing to God and should inform our own worship practices. There are 4 things to I want you to remember about worship:

1. During Worship, all attention and focus should be directed and reflected toward God. 

2. Praise is a joyful declaration of the truths about who God is and what He has done. 

3. Corporate worship should involve reverence, awe and celebration

4. Worship is an active expression of love, honor, respect and thankfulness to God.

Major Point #3: We Can Have FELLOWSHIP and PEACE with God

Let’s READ together one more time from the last portion of today’s text: 2 Chronicles 29:31-36

This part of Hezekiah’s day of worship is all about a restored relationship, fellowship and peace with God. Once ATONEMENT was made for their sins, after they WORSHIPPED, then those with willing hearts made Thank offerings and Fellowship offerings. The FELLOWSHIP offering, also called the PEACE offering, was very special, because the people would sit down and eat a meal in the Presence of God. They placed their hand on the animals head, signifying the transference of sin and the blood was sprinkled on the altar. Then the fat, tail and internal organs were offered to the Lord as his portion. The rest could be eaten. Now that their sin had been atoned for and they had thanked and honored God, they could enjoy their relationship with Him.

The Fellowship Offering is a wonderful object lesson, like a mini-sermon, showcasing each of the three elements of worship we are talking about today. It demonstrates atonement through the transference of sin and the pouring out of blood. It shows worship as they gave thanks by offering the fat and then it demonstrates the fellowship and peace they enjoyed with God as they ate. 

They also made drink offerings which were poured out. This reminds us that Jesus’ blood was poured out for us at the foot of the cross. He paid the price, so that we could have fellowship and peace with God. In the same way that they offered sacrifices so they could approach God, Jesus’ sacrifice brought us peace with God. Jesus said:

SEE! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone HEARs my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)

Here, we see an invitation being offered. In the same way that the people ate a meal in the Presence of God when they made a peace offering, Jesus uses a meal to represent fellowship and a relationship with Him, but each person must respond to his call. Our observance of communion reminds us of this special fellowship. The longer a person refuses to answer God’s call, the more spiritually blind and hard of hearing they become. Jesus is urging you to SEE and HEAR the Truth: He has provided the way for us to enter into fellowship with him. His knock is the invitation. We must open the door to our heart to let him come in and heal us, forgive us, renew us and save us. Verse 31 tells us that those who were willing brought offerings. This was an individual act of worship. God's invitation is for everyone, but each person must choose or refuse to enter into a relationship with Jesus.

I used to wonder why the Bible sometimes refers to the Levites and Priests separately. I thought, aren’t all priests members of the tribe of Levi? When you see both terms used together, the term Levites usually refers specifically to the musicians, the Levitical singers. David kept around 300 on duty in Jerusalem offering praise and thanks to God. In Hezekiah’s day, the musicians were more diligent to consecrate themselves to be prepared for the service of God’s house. Their actions show respect and reverence for God. But I also believe that they demonstrate the value they placed on coming close to God. His Presence is precious. Because of Jesus, all Christians are now part of that special priesthood. We are all the worshippers that serve God’s house. Each person that accepts God’s invitation of salvation is consecrated, a priest, able to come before God and able to minister to His church.

Verse 36 shows us that the people of Judah were amazed at how quickly God had turned things around for their nation. They recognized that it was God who brought about this change. We should never forget this as we pray for our own nation’s leaders as God has called us to do. 1 Timothy 2:1-3 instructs:

I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgiving, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Judah had been led astray by an evil king. God wants our leaders to be saved so that we can live peaceful, godly lives. Never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit to change people’s hearts. The people were overjoyed at the sudden change that came about under Hezekiah’s leadership and they rejoiced about their restored relationship and fellowship with God.

The result of Hezekiah’s big day was gratitude and joy expressed to God through worship. Through Christ, we can enjoy our relationship with God. The people ended the day with great rejoicing. Our worship should also be celebratory. We have so much to be thankful and joyful about. We should depart from our own worship celebrations with pep in our step, a smile on our faces and hearts filled with joy.

Conclusion: Revival Comes

Hezekiah offered sacrifices to make atonement for the sins of his nation. Jesus sacrificed himself to provide atonement for the sins of the world. Hezekiah led the people in worship to offer thanks to God. We should worship to show gratitude for what Christ has done. The people offered a fellowship offering and ate it in peace before the Lord. Because Jesus offered Himself up, we can have communion and enjoy peace with God.

But this day was just the beginning of Hezekiah’s story. I’m sure you’re wondering what happened next? What became of Hezekiah…and Judah? So now, As Paul Harvey used to say: Here’s the rest of the story: After the worship of that day, Hezekiah decided to celebrate the Feast of Passover. Remember how he had the priests offer sacrifices to atone for the sins of ALL Israel, both the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the Northern Kingdom of Israel? Well he didn’t just invite his own kingdom of Judah to participate in the Passover, he sent emissaries throughout all of Israel, from the southernmost city of Beersheba to the northernmost city of Dan, inviting everyone from bottom to top to come to Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover meal. While the Southern Kingdom of Judah kept the Passover, most of the Northern Kingdom of Israel mocked the king’s representatives. But a faithful remnant of Israel did come. There had been nothing like it since the days of Solomon (before the Kingdom split in two) when the people of God gathered in Jerusalem and it was so good to be together, they held the festival for an extra week. After the Passover, the people went out and chopped down the Asherah poles, tore down the high places and destroyed the altars of pagan worship throughout Judah. They gave an offering to provide food for the priests so they could devote themselves to teaching and they offered a tenth of their flocks to provide sacrifices. In fact, they piled up the offerings high because the Lord blessed them so abundantly.

Under Hezekiah’s direction, the priests continued to offer sacrifices and make atonement for the sins of all Israel, but in the sixth year of his reign, the upper kingdom, who had refused to come and worship God, was destroyed. In 722 B.C. Israel was invaded. The Assyrians killed many of them and carried others off into captivity. God is not mocked. Even though atonement had been offered for their sins, the nation that mocked God’s invitation and refused to worship Him was destroyed. In the same way, those who mock and refuse Jesus’ invitation will be destroyed. The decision to follow God is one that each individual must make. While the nation as a whole was judged, a faithful remnant of Israel was saved. Their children would celebrate another Passover with Hezekiah’s great-grandson, Josiah.

Scripture tells us that Hezekiah did what was right in the LORD’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done. He kept first things first by prioritizing worship and honoring God. Later, when Sennacherib, the King of Assyria, invaded Judah, he mocked God and those who worshipped Him. Hezekiah's faith must have been tested as city after city fell before the mighty Assyrian invaders. But he did not waiver. 2 Kings 19, verses 14-18 records the prayer he prayed, ending with the words:

Now, LORD our God, please save us from his power so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, LORD, are God—You Alone.

God was faithful. As a result of the turnaround that had taken place in Judah under Hezekiah’s leadership, because of the arrogance and disrespect of the Assyrian king, because of the restored temple worship, for God’s own sake, for the sake of His servant David, and as a direct response to the prayers of Hezekiah and Isaiah, God acted on Judah’s behalf. Overnight, God sent an angel into the camp of the Assyrians and killed 185,000 men!!! The few who were lucky enough to awaken the next morning found themselves surrounded by dead bodies. Suddenly defeated, they retreated. Then one day as Sennacherib worshipped his fake gods in his false temple, he was murdered by his own children. The mighty Assyrian empire had fallen. GOD SAVED JUDAH.

A few moments ago, I told you that Jesus is the atoning sacrifice, not just for our sins, but also for the sins of the whole world. And He is. Jesus has provided the whole world and everyone in it with atonement, the opportunity to be forgiven, reconciled to God and put in a right relationship with Him. But a response in faith is required. Even though Hezekiah offered atonement for the sins of ALL the people, the Israelites who mocked his invitation were not forgiven. The nation that refused the invitation to come worship God was judged and destroyed. In the same way, those who refuse Jesus’ invitation will be also endure God’s judgement. Like the faithful remnant of Israel who were spared in the midst of disaster and the people of Judah who were delivered from destruction, those who place their faith, hope and trust in Jesus as Messiah, or Savior, will indeed be saved. Even in the midst of judgement upon a nation, God dealt justly with individuals, showing mercy to those who had faith. Under the New Covenant, God deals with each person individually and each person must make the decision to accept His invitation.

Invitation

The good news of Jesus Christ is that His sacrifice is sufficient to atone for the sins of the whole world. Our response should be to worship, giving thanks to God. His sacrifice provides the way for all people to have fellowship and peace with God. But we have to accept His invitation. Do you hear Jesus knocking on the door of your heart? Open the door. Ask him to come in. Accept the Invitation. Come and worship. You can enjoy fellowship with God. Jesus loves you so much that He died for you. Don’t go another day without knowing in your heart that you are at peace with God.

We offer worship to express gratitude and love to Jesus because He made the ultimate sacrifice to atone for our sins and restore our relationship with God. I encourage you to tell someone that you’ve made the decision to accept God’s invitation. They will answer your questions and pray with you. If you need prayer for any reason at all, or if you need help understanding how to begin a relationship with Jesus, it would be my great joy and privilege to help you. Any Christian friend would be glad to speak with you, minister to you and pray for you. 

Suggested Prayer

Father, I am so grateful to be able to come before you. Thank-you for providing the way through Jesus. Thank-you for desiring fellowship with me. Soften my heart through your Spirit. I pray that you would open the eyes and ears of others to see and hear the truth, so that they can understand what good news this salvation offered through Jesus Christ really is. Draw us close to you. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.