Hezekiah’s reforms revived the spiritual life of the people of Judah. One of the key actions in this revival was the celebration of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread which had not been done for many years. These days of celebration reminded the people of God’s sovereignty as well as of His special covenant with them. The feast reminded them that the people of Judah and Israel together constituted God’s chosen people. Therefore Hezekiah extended the invitation to the feast to those of the brethren left from the northern kingdom which had recently been overrun by Assyria. Most of the Israelites of the northern tribes had been take away captive and only a few of those who remained accepted.
The Chronicler tells us of Hezekiah’s prayer for those who were still ritually defiled but who wanted to take part in the worship and fellowship. He asked the Lord for mercy and forgiveness and it was granted. This demonstrates to us that God values the right heart attitude more than He values adherence to formulas, rituals and rules. These have their place for we must obey God. Yet obedience and adherence to orthodox beliefs mean nothing unless a believer is filled with a deep heart attitude that reflects a mindset of repentance. This attitude is manifested by sorrow over sin, humility, thankfulness, a desire to please God and to love and serve Him above ourselves. Those with this heart attitude may be imperfect but they are the very ones that the Lord invites to come to the eternal wedding feast of the Lamb.
Therefore the question we should ask ourselves is “Are rules and right belief more important to me than a heart changed by the mercy and love of God?” If rules are more important than sorrow over sin then it is quite possible that our own hearts have never been changed by the mercy of God. Only those who have been truly touched by God’s mercy will extend the same mercy to others.
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