The One Year Bible TLB (165 page)
Read The One Year Bible TLB Online
Authors: Tyndale
August 1King Hezekiah now sent letters throughout all of Israel, Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh, inviting everyone to come to the Temple at Jerusalem for the annual Passover celebration.
2-3
The king, his aides, and all the assembly of Jerusalem had voted to celebrate the Passover in May this time, rather than at the normal time in April, because not enough priests were sanctified at the earlier date, and there wasn’t enough time to get notices out.
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The king and his advisors were in complete agreement in this matter,
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so they sent a Passover proclamation throughout Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, inviting everyone. They had not kept it in great numbers as prescribed.
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6
“Come back to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,” the king’s letter said, “so that he will return to us who have escaped from the power of the kings of Assyria.
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Do not be like your fathers and brothers who sinned against the Lord God of their fathers and were destroyed.
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Do not be stubborn, as they were, but yield yourselves to the Lord and come to his Temple which he has sanctified forever, and worship the Lord your God so that his fierce anger will turn away from you.
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For if you turn to the Lord again, your brothers and your children will be treated mercifully by their captors, and they will be able to return to this land. For the Lord your God is full of kindness and mercy and will not continue to turn away his face from you if you return to him.”
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So the messengers went from city to city throughout Ephraim and Manasseh and as far as Zebulun. But for the most part they were received with laughter and scorn!
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However, some from the tribes of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun turned to God and came to Jerusalem.
12
But in Judah the entire nation felt a strong, God-given desire to obey the Lord’s direction as commanded by the king and his officers.
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And so it was that a very large crowd assembled at Jerusalem in the month of May for the Passover celebration.
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They set to work and destroyed the heathen altars in Jerusalem, and knocked down all the incense altars, and threw them into Kidron Brook.
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On the first day of May the people killed their Passover lambs. Then the priests and Levites became ashamed of themselves for not taking a more active part, so they sanctified themselves and brought burnt offerings into the Temple.
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They stood at their posts as instructed by the law of Moses the man of God; and the priests sprinkled the blood received from the Levites.
17-19
Since many of the people arriving from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun were ceremonially impure because they had not undergone the purification rites, the Levites killed their Passover lambs for them, to sanctify them. Then King Hezekiah prayed for them, and they were permitted to eat the Passover anyway, even though this was contrary to God’s rules. But Hezekiah said, “May the good Lord pardon everyone who determines to follow the Lord God of his fathers, even though he is not properly sanctified for the ceremony.”
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And the Lord listened to Hezekiah’s prayer and did not destroy them.
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So the people of Israel celebrated the Passover at Jerusalem for seven days with great joy.
Meanwhile the Levites and priests praised the Lord with music and cymbals day after day.
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(King Hezekiah spoke very appreciatively to the Levites of their excellent music.)
So for seven days the observance continued, and peace offerings were sacrificed, and the people confessed their sins to the Lord God of their fathers.
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The enthusiasm continued, so it was unanimously decided to continue the observance for another seven days.
24
King Hezekiah gave the people 1,000 young bulls for offerings and 7,000 sheep; and the princes donated 1,000 young bulls and 10,000 sheep. And at this time another large group of priests stepped forward and sanctified themselves.
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Then the people of Judah, together with the priests, the Levites, the foreign residents, and the visitors from Israel, were filled with deep joy.
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For Jerusalem hadn’t seen a celebration like this one since the days of King David’s son Solomon.
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Then the priests and Levites stood and blessed the people, and the Lord heard their prayers from his holy temple in heaven.
31:
1
Afterwards a massive campaign against idol worship was begun. Those who were at Jerusalem for the Passover went out to the cities of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh and tore down the idol altars, the obelisks, the shameful images, and other heathen centers of worship. Then the people who had come to the Passover from the northern tribes returned again to their own homes.
2
Hezekiah now organized the priests and Levites into service corps to offer the burnt offerings and peace offerings, and to worship and give thanks and praise to the Lord.
3
He also made a personal contribution of animals for the daily morning and evening burnt offerings, as well as for the weekly Sabbath and monthly new moon festivals, and for the other annual feasts as required in the law of God.
4
In addition, he required the people in Jerusalem to bring their tithes to the priests and Levites so that they wouldn’t need other employment but could apply themselves fully to their duties as required in the law of God.
5-6
The people responded immediately and generously with the first of their crops and grain, new wine, olive oil, honey, and everything else—a tithe of all they owned, as required by law to be given to the Lord their God. Everything was laid out in great piles. The people who had moved to Judah from the northern tribes and the people of Judah living in the provinces also brought in the tithes of their cattle and sheep, and brought a tithe of the dedicated things to give to the Lord, and piled them up in great heaps.
7-8
The first of these tithes arrived in June, and the piles continued to grow until October. When Hezekiah and his officials came and saw these huge piles, how they blessed the Lord and praised his people!
9
“Where did all this come from?” Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites.
10
And Azariah the High Priest from the clan of Zadok replied, “These are tithes! We have been eating from these stores of food for many weeks, but all this is left over, for the Lord has blessed his people.”
11
Hezekiah decided to prepare storerooms in the Temple.
12-13
All the dedicated supplies were brought into the Lord’s house. Conaniah the Levite was put in charge, assisted by his brother Shimei and the following aides: Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, Benaiah.
These appointments were made by King Hezekiah and Azariah the High Priest.
14-15
Kore (son of Imnah, the Levite), who was the gatekeeper at the East Gate, was put in charge of distributing the offerings to the priests. His faithful assistants were Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah. They distributed the gifts to the clans of priests in their cities, dividing them to young and old alike.
16
However, the priests on duty at the Temple and their families
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were supplied directly from there, so they were not included in this distribution.
17-18
The priests were listed in the genealogical register by clans, and the Levites twenty years old and older were listed under the names of their work corps. A regular food allotment was given to all families of properly registered priests, for they had no other source of income because their time and energies were devoted to the service of the Temple.
19
One of the priests was appointed in each of the cities of the priests to issue food and other supplies to all priests in the area and to all registered Levites.
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In this way King Hezekiah handled the distribution throughout all Judah, doing what was just and fair in the sight of the Lord his God.
21
He worked very hard to encourage respect for the Temple, the law, and godly living, and was very successful.
Even if we believe that it makes no difference to the Lord whether we do these things, still we cannot just go ahead and do them to please ourselves; for we must bear the “burden” of being considerate of the doubts and fears of others—of those who feel these things are wrong. Let’s please the other fellow, not ourselves, and do what is for his good and thus build him up in the Lord.
3
Christ didn’t please himself. As the Psalmist said, “He came for the very purpose of suffering under the insults of those who were against the Lord.”
4
These things that were written in the Scriptures so long ago are to teach us patience and to encourage us so that we will look forward expectantly to the time when God will conquer sin and death.
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May God who gives patience, steadiness, and encouragement help you to live in complete harmony with each other—each with the attitude of Christ toward the other.
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And then all of us can praise the Lord together with one voice, giving glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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So warmly welcome each other into the church, just as Christ has warmly welcomed you; then God will be glorified.
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Remember that Jesus Christ came to show that God is true to his promises and to help the Jews.
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And remember that he came also that the Gentiles might be saved and give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote: “I will praise you among the Gentiles and sing to your name.”
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And in another place, “Be glad, O you Gentiles, along with his people the Jews.”
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And yet again, “Praise the Lord, O you Gentiles; let everyone praise him.”
12
And the prophet Isaiah said, “There shall be an Heir in the house of Jesse, and he will be King over the Gentiles; they will pin their hopes on him alone.”
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So I pray for you Gentiles that God who gives you hope will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in him. I pray that God will help you overflow with hope in him through the Holy Spirit’s power within you.
14
I know that you are wise and good, my brothers, and that you know these things so well that you are able to teach others all about them.
15-16
But even so I have been bold enough to emphasize some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder from me; for I am, by God’s grace, a special messenger from Jesus Christ to you Gentiles, bringing you the Gospel and offering you up as a fragrant sacrifice to God; for you have been made pure and pleasing to him by the Holy Spirit.
17
So it is right for me to be a little proud of all Christ Jesus has done through me.
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I dare not judge how effectively he has used others, but I know this: he has used me to win the Gentiles to God.
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I have won them by my message and by the good way I have lived before them and by the miracles done through me as signs from God—all by the Holy Spirit’s power. In this way I have preached the full Gospel
*
of Christ all the way from Jerusalem clear over into Illyricum.
20
But all the while my ambition has been to go still farther, preaching where the name of Christ has never yet been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else.
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I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures where Isaiah says that those who have never heard the name of Christ before will see and understand.
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In fact, that is the very reason I have been so long in coming to visit you.
To you, O Lord, I pray.
2
Don’t fail me, Lord, for I am trusting you. Don’t let my enemies succeed. Don’t give them victory over me.
3
None of those who have faith in God will ever be disgraced for trusting him. But all who harm the innocent shall be defeated.
4
Show me the path where I should go, O Lord; point out the right road for me to walk.
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Lead me; teach me; for you are the God who gives me salvation. I have no hope except in you.
6-7
Overlook my youthful sins, O Lord! Look at me instead through eyes of mercy and forgiveness, through eyes of everlasting love and kindness.
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The Lord is good and glad to teach the proper path to all who go astray;
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he will teach the ways that are right and best to those who humbly turn to him.
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And when we obey him, every path he guides us on is fragrant with his loving-kindness and his truth.
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But Lord, my sins! How many they are. Oh, pardon them for the honor of your name.
12
Where is the man who fears the Lord? God will teach him how to choose the best.
13
He shall live within God’s circle of blessing, and his children shall inherit the earth.
14
Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him. With them alone he shares the secrets of his promises.