“Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.”
Cross references: : 2 Kings 18:1 Or, Abi.
“He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them.”
This is a notable example for all princes, first to establish the pure religion of God, and to procure that the Lord may be honored and served aright. Which Ahaz had shut up, 2 Chron. 28:24 .
“And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.”
Meaning, all the idols, altars, groves and whatsoever was occupied in their service, and wherewith the Temple was polluted.
“Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble , to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes. trouble: Heb. commotion”
He showeth that the contempt of religion is the cause of all God’s plagues. Or, a nodding of the head and mockery.
“Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us.”
He proveth by the judgments of God upon those that have contemned his word, that there is no way to avoid his plagues, but by conforming themselves to his will. Hebrew, it is in mine heart.
“And they gathered their brethren, and sanctified themselves, and came, according to the commandment of the king, by the words of the LORD, to cleanse the house of the LORD. by the words: or, in the business of the LORD”
Or, concerning the things of the Lord.
“And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad into the brook Kidron.”
From the pollutions and filth that Ahaz had brought in.
“Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of the LORD: so they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days; and in the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end.”
Which contained part of March and part of April.
“Then they went in to Hezekiah the king, and said, We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, and the altar of burnt offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread table, with all the vessels thereof.”
Or, table where the bread was set in order.
“Then Hezekiah the king rose early, and gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the LORD.”
By this manner of speech the Hebrews mean a certain diligence and speed to do a thing: and when there is no delay.
“So they killed the bullocks, and the priests received the blood, and sprinkled it on the altar: likewise, when they had killed the rams, they sprinkled the blood upon the altar: they killed also the lambs, and they sprinkled the blood upon the altar.”
For without sprinkling of blood nothing could be sanctified, Heb. 9:21 ; Exod. 24:8 .
“And they brought forth the he goats for the sin offering before the king and the congregation; and they laid their hands upon them: forth: Heb. near”
That is, the King and the Elders, as Lev. 4:15 , for they that offered a sin offering, must lay their hands upon it, to signify that they had deserved that death, and also that they did consecrate it to God to be thereby sanctified, Exod. 29:10 .
“And he set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king's seer, and Nathan the prophet: for so was the commandment of the LORD by his prophets. commandment of the LORD: Heb. commandment by the hand of the LORD by: Heb. by the hand of”
1 Chron. 16:4 This thing was not appointed of man, but it was the commandment of God.
“And Hezekiah commanded to offer the burnt offering upon the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the LORD began also with the trumpets, and with the instruments ordained by David king of Israel. when: Heb. in the time the instruments: Heb. hands of instruments”
Which David had appointed to praise the Lord with. The Psalm which David had appointed to be sung for thanksgiving.
“Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped.”
With that Psalm whereof mention is made, 1 Chron. 16:7 .
“And the consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep.”
That is, for the holy offerings.
“But the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings: wherefore their brethren the Levites did help them, till the work was ended, and until the other priests had sanctified themselves: for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests. did help: Heb. strengthened them”
Meaning, were more zealous to set forward the religion.
“And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly.”
He showeth that religion cannot proceed except God touch the heart of the people.