Revival Under King Hezekiah Part 3 The LORD's People Revived After Worship Restored
Good morning to all of our Readers...
Below is the link to Heritage Baptist Church's YouTube channel where you can view the livestream of my Sunday school lesson on revival.
I am including my notes to help you understand what is going on with Hezekiah and the Jewish people in the land of Judah.
My prayer is that God will speak to our hearts, that He will change us using His wonderful word, and that He will draw us closer to Himself.
Revival Under King Hezekiah Part 3 Nov. 8, 2026
1. Several significant events happened during the first month of Israel’s calendar.
2 Chronicles 29:3-5 He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them. 4 And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street, 5 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.
First month significant events in Israel's history.
Exodus 12:1-2 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
- First month was a time of new beginnings for Israel.
Exodus 12:3-7 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: 4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. 7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
Exodus 12:13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
- First month was when the first Passover was kept.
Exodus 12:15-20 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. 16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. 17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. 18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. 19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. 20 Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.
- Time when the first feast of unleavened bread was kept.
Exodus 40:16-17 16 Thus did Moses: according to all that the LORD commanded him, so did he. 17 And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.
Exodus 40:33-35 And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. 34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
- First time that the Tabernacle was set up by Moses.
Joshua 4:15-19 15 And the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, 16 Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan. 17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan. 18 And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before. 19 And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.
- Israel crossed the Jordan River on the 10th day of the first month.
2 Chronicles 29:10-11 10 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. 11 My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense.
King Hezekiah summoned the priests and Levites to come to him rather than the spiritual leaders coming to the king first.
It was very fitting that on the first day of first month Hezekiah commanded the Temple of Jehovah be cleansed and repaired.
Reopening the Temple of the LORD and restoring right worship was right in line with all the important historical events that occurred during that first month.
2. The Levites and priests obeyed and sanctified themselves.
2 Chronicles 29:15-16 15 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. 16 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.
Notice it was the king’s command and the words of the LORD!
What this means is that Hezekiah's command had a solid foundation in the law of God given by Moses, so what he commanded aligned perfectly with what God commanded.
The priests and Levites sanctified themselves before cleansing and repairing the Temple.
They brought out all the uncleanness that they found, everything that polluted the Temple of Jehovah and disposed of it at the brook Kidron.
John 2:13-17 And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, 14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; 16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. 17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.
Jesus also cleansed the Temple when He saw that it was polluted by men trying to profit from changing Roman coins into the temple shekel, or by those selling sacrificial animals at a profit.
This is very similar to the daunting task Hezekiah faced in cleansing and repairing the Temple of the LORD.
Psalm 24:1-6 1 A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. 2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. 3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.
- Clean hands and a pure heart are required to worship Jehovah.
2 Chronicles 29:15-19 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. 16 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. 17 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. 18 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. 19 Moreover all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away in his transgression, have we prepared and sanctified, and, behold, they are before the altar of the LORD.
All those men listed in the text took 8 days to cleanse Temple and 8 days to cleanse courtyard.
- A good progress report was given to King Hezekiah.
3. Preparations were made to restore the right worship of Jehovah.
2 Chronicles 29:20 Then Hezekiah the king rose early, and gathered the rulers of the city, and went up to the house of the LORD.
- All the cleansing, purifying and repairs had a singular purpose: to glorify God by worshiping Him aright.
Psalm 63:1-8 A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. 4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: 6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. 7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. 8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.
- The LORD’s Day should be eagerly anticipated by the people of God.
2 Chronicles 29:21-24 And they brought seven bullocks, and seven rams, and seven lambs, and seven he goats, for a sin offering for the kingdom, and for the sanctuary, and for Judah. And he commanded the priests the sons of Aaron to offer them on the altar of the LORD. 22 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. 23 And they brought forth the he goats for the sin offering before the king and the congregation; and they laid their hands upon them: 24 And the priests killed them, and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel: for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.
Leviticus 4:13-20 Law required only one of each animal to be sacrificed.
Hezekiah offered 7 of each due to Judah’s idolatry, cessation of worship, preaching, praying, and sacrifice, in addition to the pollutions of the priests and Levites, their failure to maintain burning incense or lighting the lamps in Temple.
- Both sin offerings and burnt offerings made for all Israel (Not just Judah)
Hezekiah commanded that both sin and burnt offerings be given to God.
Let us compare the two classes of offerings so that we can better understand the significance of what Hezekiah did.
Burnt Offering Leviticus 1
Offered morning & evening, and on other specified days.
Focus was on devotion to God.
It was a sweet savor to the LORD.
Pictures one's complete surrender to the LORD.
Emphasis was right worship of God and His acceptance.
Pictures Christ’s perfect obedience in doing His Father's will.
Sin Offering Leviticus 4
Offered when a person became aware sin that a was committed.
Focus on dealing with sin
Pictures guilt being removed
Emphasis was forgiveness and cleansing
Pictures Christ bearing our sins
3. Preparations were made to restore the right worship of Jehovah....
2 Chronicles 29:25-26 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. 26 And the Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets.
Worship was restored as established by King David.
Notice what God says about David, Gad and Nathan. He tells us they were His prophets which means that the commands and organization that David brought to Israel's worship, came from God!
2 Chronicles 29:27-30 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. 28 And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded: and all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. 29 And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves, and worshipped. 30 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.
- The heavenly order of Jehovah worship restored and celebrated.
Psalm 81:1-4 1 To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of Asaph. Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. 2 Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery. 3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day. 4 For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.
2 Chronicles 29:31-36 31 Then Hezekiah answered and said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the LORD, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings into the house of the LORD. And the congregation brought in sacrifices and thank offerings; and as many as were of a free heart burnt offerings. 32 And the number of the burnt offerings, which the congregation brought, was threescore and ten bullocks, an hundred rams, and two hundred lambs: all these were for a burnt offering to the LORD. 33 And the consecrated things were six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep. 34 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. 35 And also the burnt offerings were in abundance, with the fat of the peace offerings, and the drink offerings for every burnt offering. So the service of the house of the LORD was set in order. 36 And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly.
God prepared His people and the proof is that all the Temple repairs, cleansing, sacrifices and praise happened quickly.
What does Hezekiah teach us about revival and our walk with the LORD?
- Hezekiah honored God and implemented spiritual reformations.
- When the service of the house of the LORD is set right, God is glorified.
- God prepared the hearts of His people for revival and they responded with joyous praise.
- It was a sudden moving of the LORD in the hearts of His redeemed people.
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