What's happening: Hezekiah is a good king. He re-established the temple services, and also held the Passover.
If you remember from a few weeks back, I believe I mentioned how the priests could no longer serve their roles when the temple was closed. Thus they had to procure regular work. Hezekiah changed all that when he called the priests back to their original calling, serving in the temple. They did, but they also needed a way to support themselves.
That's where the other Israelites came into play. The Israelites would give a tenth--a tithe--of all they had to the priests, who would live off of that. The priests were now reinstated in the temple, and now Hezekiah gave the order to resume giving tithes to the priests, too. This way the priests could continue to serve in the temple and yet still live!
Oh yeah...do you have your Bibles with you? Why don't you go get one right now? I'll be posting the really crucial passages in this article, but I can't include everything. Plus when you are holding a paper version, God may speak to you through a verse that I haven't posted on here. You got it? OK...turn to 2 Chronicles 31. That's where we'll be spending most of our time today. Let's look at v. 5-8:
"As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, olive oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything. The people of Israel and Judah who lived in the towns of Judah also brought a tithe of their herds and flocks and a tithe of the holy things dedicated to the LORD their God, and they piled them in heaps. They began doing this in the third month and finished in the seventh month. When Hezekiah and his officials came and saw the heaps, they praised the LORD and blessed his people Israel."
Wow. Before studying and doing research for this devotional, I had had no clue that this story existed. Kinda reminds me of what the Israelites' ancestors did back in the day of Moses. When they were asked to bring supplies for the tabernacle, the Israelites alive then gave way more than enough. (see Exodus 35:20-29 for details on that).
But back to Hezekiah. The Israelites brought so much to the priests that the priests couldn't use it all! The supplies, foods, etc. all piled into heaps everywhere. The priests told Hezekiah about this, and when told, Hezekiah gave the order to build storerooms to hold all the supplies. Conaniah and his brother Shimei were in charge of the storerooms, and supervised the distribution of the foods and other supplies to all of the priestly family. According to Scripture, everyone over the age of twenty got their fair share of the supplies; how big one's family was was also taken into consideration.
"This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God. In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered."
~2 Chronicles 31:20-21
Hezekiah followed God, and God blessed him for that. When Hezekiah fought the Philistines, he won. When he purged Judah of the high places, Ashtorah poles, and other idols, he was successful (see 2 Kings 18). In other words,
"Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel...And the LORD was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook." ~2 Kings 18:5,7
In what ways can you follow God today?
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