◄ 2 Chronicles 30:20 ►
And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people.
Study Bible
And the LORD
This phrase emphasizes the centrality of God in the narrative. The Hebrew word for "LORD" here is "Yahweh," the covenant name of God, which signifies His eternal presence and faithfulness. In the context of 2 Chronicles, Yahweh is portrayed as the sovereign God who is actively involved in the affairs of His people. This highlights the personal relationship between God and Israel, reminding us that He is not a distant deity but one who listens and responds to His people's needs.

heard
The Hebrew word used here is "shama," which means to hear, listen, or obey. In the biblical context, it often implies not just the act of hearing but also responding to what is heard. This indicates that God is attentive to the prayers of His people. The act of hearing in this verse is not passive; it is an active engagement with the supplications of Hezekiah, demonstrating God's readiness to intervene in human affairs.

Hezekiah
Hezekiah was one of the few kings of Judah who is noted for his faithfulness to God. His name means "Yahweh strengthens," which is fitting given his role in leading a spiritual revival in Judah. Historically, Hezekiah is known for his religious reforms, including the restoration of temple worship and the celebration of the Passover. His leadership is a testament to the power of godly influence and the importance of righteous leadership in guiding a nation back to God.

and healed
The Hebrew word "rapha" is used here, which means to heal or make whole. This word is often used in the Old Testament to describe physical healing, but it can also refer to spiritual or national restoration. In this context, it signifies God's intervention to restore the health and well-being of the people. This act of healing is a demonstration of God's mercy and grace, showing that He is not only a God of judgment but also a God of compassion and restoration.

the people
The term "people" refers to the Israelites, specifically those who had gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. This collective term underscores the communal aspect of God's covenant with Israel. It is a reminder that God's dealings are often with His people as a whole, not just individuals. The healing of the people signifies a broader restoration, not just of physical health but of spiritual vitality and covenant relationship with God.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Hezekiah
The King of Judah who initiated religious reforms and sought to restore proper worship of Yahweh. He is known for his faithfulness and dedication to God.

2. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, who responds to the prayers of His people and demonstrates His power and mercy through healing.

3. The People
Refers to the Israelites who participated in the Passover celebration, despite not being fully purified according to the Law. They represent the community of believers seeking reconciliation with God.

4. Jerusalem
The central place of worship in Judah, where Hezekiah called the people to celebrate the Passover, symbolizing a return to covenant faithfulness.

5. Passover
A significant Jewish festival commemorating the Israelites' deliverance from Egypt, which Hezekiah reinstated as part of his religious reforms.
Teaching Points
The Power of Intercessory Prayer
Hezekiah's prayer for the people demonstrates the importance and effectiveness of interceding on behalf of others. Believers are encouraged to pray for one another, trusting in God's willingness to hear and respond.

God's Mercy and Grace
Despite the people's imperfections and ritual impurities, God extends His mercy and heals them. This underscores the grace of God, who looks beyond our shortcomings when we seek Him with sincere hearts.

The Importance of Corporate Worship
The gathering of the people for Passover highlights the significance of communal worship and the collective seeking of God's presence. Believers are reminded of the value of coming together to worship and celebrate God's faithfulness.

Restoration and Renewal
Hezekiah's reforms and the celebration of Passover symbolize spiritual renewal and a return to covenantal faithfulness. Christians are called to continually seek renewal in their relationship with God.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Hezekiah's leadership in 2 Chronicles 30:20 inspire us to take initiative in our spiritual communities today?

2. In what ways can we practice intercessory prayer in our daily lives, and what impact might it have on those around us?

3. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's mercy despite your imperfections. How can this experience encourage you to extend grace to others?

4. How does the concept of corporate worship in this passage challenge or affirm your current practices of gathering with other believers?

5. What steps can you take to seek spiritual renewal and restoration in your personal walk with God, drawing from Hezekiah's example?
Connections to Other Scriptures
2 Kings 20:5
This verse also highlights God's response to Hezekiah's prayer, showing a pattern of divine intervention in response to sincere petitions.

James 5:15
This New Testament passage speaks to the power of prayer and faith in bringing about healing, echoing the theme of divine response to prayer.

Psalm 103:3
This psalm praises God for His ability to forgive sins and heal diseases, reinforcing the idea of God's comprehensive care for His people.
Sermons
A National Passover At JerusalemT. Whitelaw 2 Chronicles 30:13-27
Hezekiah's Prayer for the IsraelitesJ. Orton.2 Chronicles 30:17-20
Personal Sanctification Requisite for Acceptable WorshipEssex Congregational Remembrancer2 Chronicles 30:17-20
The One Essential ThingW. Clarkson 2 Chronicles 30:17-20
The People's State and ConditionManton, Thomas2 Chronicles 30:17-20
Unfitness for the CommunionSpurgeon, Charles Haddon2 Chronicles 30:17-20
People
Asher, Dan, David, Hezekiah, Isaac, Issachar, Levites, Manasseh, Solomon, Zebulun
Places
Assyria, Beersheba, Dan, Jerusalem, Kidron
Topics
Ear, Healed, Healeth, Hearkened, Hearkeneth, Hezekiah, Hezeki'ah, Listened
Dictionary of Bible Themes
2 Chronicles 30:1-20

     7266   tribes of Israel

2 Chronicles 30:1-27

     8466   reformation

2 Chronicles 30:13-20

     7406   Passover

2 Chronicles 30:15-20

     7316   blood, OT sacrifices

2 Chronicles 30:18-20

     6028   sin, deliverance from

Library
A Loving Call to Reunion
'And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto the Lord God of Israel. 2. For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the second month. 3. For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem. …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Of Antichrist, and his Ruin: and of the Slaying the Witnesses.
BY JOHN BUNYAN PREFATORY REMARKS BY THE EDITOR This important treatise was prepared for the press, and left by the author, at his decease, to the care of his surviving friend for publication. It first appeared in a collection of his works in folio, 1692; and although a subject of universal interest; most admirably elucidated; no edition has been published in a separate form. Antichrist has agitated the Christian world from the earliest ages; and his craft has been to mislead the thoughtless, by …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The New Temple and Its Worship
'And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo: and they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. 15. And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. 16. And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Appendix v. Rabbinic Theology and Literature
1. The Traditional Law. - The brief account given in vol. i. p. 100, of the character and authority claimed for the traditional law may here be supplemented by a chronological arrangement of the Halakhoth in the order of their supposed introduction or promulgation. In the first class, or Halakhoth of Moses from Sinai,' tradition enumerates fifty-five, [6370] which may be thus designated: religio-agrarian, four; [6371] ritual, including questions about clean and unclean,' twenty-three; [6372] concerning …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Quotation in Matt. Ii. 6.
Several interpreters, Paulus especially, have asserted that the interpretation of Micah which is here given, was that of the Sanhedrim only, and not of the Evangelist, who merely recorded what happened and was said. But this assertion is at once refuted when we consider the object which Matthew has in view in his entire representation of the early life of Jesus. His object in recording the early life of Jesus is not like that of Luke, viz., to communicate historical information to his readers. …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Covenanting Performed in Former Ages with Approbation from Above.
That the Lord gave special token of his approbation of the exercise of Covenanting, it belongs to this place to show. His approval of the duty was seen when he unfolded the promises of the Everlasting Covenant to his people, while they endeavoured to perform it; and his approval thereof is continually seen in his fulfilment to them of these promises. The special manifestations of his regard, made to them while attending to the service before him, belonged to one or other, or both, of those exhibitions …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Covenanting a Duty.
The exercise of Covenanting with God is enjoined by Him as the Supreme Moral Governor of all. That his Covenant should be acceded to, by men in every age and condition, is ordained as a law, sanctioned by his high authority,--recorded in his law of perpetual moral obligation on men, as a statute decreed by him, and in virtue of his underived sovereignty, promulgated by his command. "He hath commanded his covenant for ever."[171] The exercise is inculcated according to the will of God, as King and …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Chronicles
The comparative indifference with which Chronicles is regarded in modern times by all but professional scholars seems to have been shared by the ancient Jewish church. Though written by the same hand as wrote Ezra-Nehemiah, and forming, together with these books, a continuous history of Judah, it is placed after them in the Hebrew Bible, of which it forms the concluding book; and this no doubt points to the fact that it attained canonical distinction later than they. Nor is this unnatural. The book …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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