I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Chronicles 31-33.

After the Passover which Hezekiah had called the people to celebrate, the people enthusiastically followed the Lord.  They destroyed the various pagan worship sites throughout the land, both that under King Hezekiah’s rule and the land of the northern tribes which he did not control.  This same enthusiasm carried over into bringing offerings to the Temple.  Hezekiah made personal contributions of animals for the required sacrifices and required the people of Jerusalem to offer the sacrifices described in the Law of Moses.  When the people who lived outside of Jerusalem heard what was going on in Jerusalem, they too brought sacrifices to the Temple.  In fact, they brought so much that the priests and Levites in Jerusalem could not make use of it all.  So, Hezekiah organized the distribution of these goods to the priests and Levites living in the towns and villages throughout the land.  The result being that they could dedicate their time to teaching the people the Law of Moses.  Reading between the lines, I believe that the priests and Levites were tasked not just with teaching the Law of Moses, but with teaching the people other things as well (in particular, reading so that they could read the Law for themselves).

Sometime after this, Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, invaded Judah and began conquering the fortified towns.  In response, King Hezekiah worked with his advisers to devise and execute a plan to improve the fortifications of Jerusalem.  This included repairing the section of wall which had been torn down when his father was king, building a second wall around the city, and fortifying the city’s water supply.  Again in reading this I came across something I had not noticed before.  In his preparation to defend the city, Hezekiah organized all of the people into its defense.  He gathered all of the people and told them that they need not fear the Assyrians because as mighty as the Assyrian army was, God is more powerful yet.  Perhaps Sennacherib received reports of Hezekiah’s speech, or perhaps he knew the sorts of things which a king like Hezekiah would say to encourage his people.  In either case, Sennacherib and his messengers dismissed the idea that God could rescue the people of Jerusalem from his power.  I am sure that Sennacherib never came to realize his mistake, even though he was forced to withdraw from Judah without ever laying siege to Jerusalem.  However, Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem knew to whom to give credit for their salvation, as should we.  I am sure that Sennacherib remained convinced that he could have taken Jerusalem any time he wished even though a plague in his camp forced him to withdraw.