2 Chronicles 29:36 "And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly."
After the temple had been opened and cleansed, the priests and Levites began to
offer sacrifices unto the Lord on their own behalf. They brought bullocks,
rams, and lambs to offer the blood upon the altar for their atonement. They
brought "he goats" to offer as a sin offering. These things
were offered unto the Lord to consecrate the priests for the revival that was
about to take place. In the book of Hebrews we are told, "And almost
all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is
no remission." (Hebrews 9:22) Since the temple had been closed for
so many years, we can know the priests had not carried out the order of worship
as God had prescribed. They first were bringing their hearts and minds to the
place where God was the focus of their lives. They offered the blood in order
to bring back the sanctity of God's House to their hearts and minds.
I alluded to this in an earlier devotion in that I was amazed at the manner in
which Hezekiah immediately went about opening the house of the Lord. He
immediately began sanctifying the priests and Levites in order that they be
properly prepared to offer sacrifices. Hezekiah certainly had not been prepared
by his father, Ahaz. It is not in the natural realm of man to do these things. In
fact, God's Word teaches us that the things of God are foolishness unto the
natural man. So how was Hezekiah brought to the place of this great desire and
need to worship God? The answer lies in today's verse, "God had prepared
the people." When the Lord moves among His people and they respond
with a zeal to do His will, there is great joy.
The focus of worship and the means whereby our consciences are cleansed comes
through the blood. It's still the blood. But not the blood of the bullocks,
rams, lambs, or he goats. It is the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. He
must be the focus when we enter the house of God and when we begin to sing,
pray, and study God's Word. It's the blood. What can wash away my sin? Nothing
but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of
Jesus.
Today's devotion is short and to the point. My prayer for myself and for the
Lord's Church is that God would prepare us, stir us, move us to greater heights
of joy and consecration unto Him. "The thing was done suddenly."
I will borrow a prayer that I recently read concerning a young Billy
Graham, "Lord, please do it again."