Lesson 13 Hezekiah’s Renovation and Reform 2 Chronicles 29-31
ID:
Inductive Questions (Asking the text questions like who, what, where, when,
why, & how?”)
CR:
Cross References (Comparing Scripture to Scripture, understanding the vague by
the clear.)
WS:
Word Study (Understanding definition, theological meaning, and usages in other
passages.)
The
WORD: What does the Bible say?
Context: Hezekiah’s life is recorded in 2 Kings, Isaiah,
and 2
Chronicles 29-32. This lesson will
focus primarily on the Chronicles account of Hezekiah’s assumption of power and
celebration of the Passover.
1.
ID: (2
Kings 18:1-7a; 2 Chronicles 29:1-2; 31:20-21) How does the narrator summarize Hezekiah’s
accomplishments and general spiritual condition? Who was Hezekiah compared to? Why?
2.
ID: (2 Chronicles 29) What were some of the challenges to setting in
order "the service of the house of the Lord”
(v. 35)?
3.
ID/CR:
(2 Chronicles 29:20-24) What was the
purpose(s)
of the burnt
offerings and sin
offerings mentioned in these verses?
4.
ID/CR: (2 Chronicles 30) What were the unusual or remarkable things
about Hezekiah’s Passover celebration? (Numbers
9:1-14) What other king of Judah is
specifically said to have celebrated the Passover? (2 Chronicles 35)
5.
ID/CR:
(2 Chronicles 31:1) Who does the word “Israel”
refer to in this verse? What was
different about this destroying of
the pillars, altars, etc. from previous times? (2
Chronicles 14:1-4; 17:3-4; 19:1-3)
6.
ID/WS:
(2 Chronicles 31:2-6) What three reforms
are recorded in these verses? What is
the difference between firstfruits
(re'shiyth) and tithes
(ma`aser)?
7.
ID: (2 Chronicles 31:21) What in chapters 29-31 would you point to as
indications that Hezekiah was seeking the Lord with all his heart?
The
WALK: What should I do?
1.
In 2 Chronicles 29:10-11 Hezekiah wanted to make
a covenant with the Lord so that His wrath would be turned away. Is this a proper motivation for NT
Christians? If so, is it the best
motivation? Why?
2.
The covenant that Hezekiah and Judah made with
God reminds us that each generation (and individual) must covenant to follow
God? (Joshua
24:15) Do you remember a time or times that you have done that?
3.
Does 2 Chronicles 30:9-11 remind you of a time
you have shared the Gospel? How can
these verses encourage us today?
4. What
are some principles we can draw from the collection, handling and distribution
of the firstfruits and tithes in 2 Chronicles 31:7-19?
5. Chapter’s
29-31 lists over thirty people with little more than a function they
performed. Why do you think the Bible
names people like this? Is there a
lesson for us there?
It is
interesting to note that 2 Kings 18-20 and Isaiah 36-39 say nothing of Hezekiah
restoring the temple or celebrating the Passover.
GOTQUESTIONS.ORG
Answer: Many Christians
struggle with the issue of tithing. In some churches tithing is
over-emphasized. At the same time, many Christians refuse to submit to the
biblical exhortations about making offerings to the Lord. Tithing/giving is
intended to be a joy and a blessing. Sadly, that is sometimes not the case in
the church today.
Tithing is an Old Testament concept. The tithe was a
requirement of the law in which all Israelites were to give 10 percent of
everything they earned and grew to the Tabernacle/Temple (Leviticus
27:30; Numbers
18:26; Deuteronomy 14:24; 2
Chronicles 31:5). In fact, the Old Testament Law required multiple tithes
which would have pushed the total to around 23.3 percent, not the 10 percent
which is generally considered the tithe amount today. Some understand the Old
Testament tithe as a method of taxation to provide for the needs of the priests
and Levites in the sacrificial system. The New Testament nowhere commands, or
even recommends, that Christians submit to a legalistic tithe system. Paul
states that believers should set aside a portion of their income in order to
support the church (1
Corinthians 16:1-2).
The New Testament nowhere designates a percentage of
income a person should set aside, but only says it is to be “in keeping with
income” (1 Corinthians 16:2). Some in the Christian church have
taken the 10 percent figure from the Old Testament tithe and applied it as a
“recommended minimum” for Christians in their giving. The New Testament talks
about the importance and benefits of giving. We are to give as we are able.
Sometimes that means giving more than 10 percent; sometimes that may mean
giving less. It all depends on the ability of the Christian and the needs of
the church. Every Christian should diligently pray and seek God’s wisdom in the
matter of participating in tithing and/or how much to give (James 1:5).
Above all, all tithes and offerings should be given with pure motives and an
attitude of worship to God and service to the body of Christ. “Each man should
give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under
compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2
Corinthians 9:7).
Answer: Firstfruits was a Jewish feast held in the early
spring at the beginning of the grain harvest. It was observed on Nissan 16,
which was the third day after Passover and the second day of the Feast of
Unleavened Bread. Firstfruits was a time of thanksgiving for God’s provision.
Leviticus
23:9-14 institutes the firstfruits offering. The people were to bring a
sheaf of grain to the priest, who would wave it before the Lord. A burnt
offering, a meal offering, and a drink offering were also required at that
time. Deuteronomy 26:1-10 gives even more detail on the procedure
of firstfruits.
No grain was to be harvested at all
until the firstfruits offering was brought to the Lord (Leviticus
23:14). The offering was made in remembrance of Israel’s
sojourn in Egypt,
the Lord’s deliverance from slavery, and their possession of “a land that
floweth with milk and honey.” The day of the firstfruits offering was also used
to calculate the proper time of the Feast of Weeks (Leviticus
23:15-16).
In the New Testament, the firstfruits
offering is mentioned seven times, always symbolically. Paul calls Epaenetus
and the household of Stephanas “the firstfruits of Achaia” (Romans 16:5;
1
Corinthians 16:15). His meaning is that, just as the firstfruits offering
was the first portion of a larger harvest, these individuals were the first of
many converts in that region. James calls believers “a kind of firstfruits of
His creatures” (James 1:18). Just like the sheaf of grain was set apart for
the Lord, so are believers set apart for God’s glory.
The firstfruits offering found its
fulfillment in Jesus. “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the
firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1
Corinthians 15:20). Jesus’ resurrection has paved the way for our
resurrection. Significantly, if Jesus was killed at Passover, then His
resurrection on the third day would have fallen on Nissan 16—the Feast of
Firstfruits.
The firstfruits offering is never
directly applied to Christian giving in the New Testament. However, Paul taught
the Corinthian believers to set aside a collection “on the first day of the
week” (1 Corinthians 16:2). And, just as the offering of
firstfruits was an occasion of thanksgiving, so the Christian is to give with
gladness.
In
summary, firstfruits symbolizes God’s harvest of souls, it illustrates giving
to God from a grateful heart, and it sets a pattern of giving back to Him the
first (and the best) of what He has given us. Not being under the Old Testament
Law, the Christian is under no further obligation than to give cheerfully and
liberally (2 Corinthians 9:6-7
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