◄ 2 Chronicles 30:13 ►
In the second month, a very great assembly gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Study Bible
In the second month
The second month refers to the month of Iyar in the Hebrew calendar, which corresponds to April-May in the Gregorian calendar. This timing is significant because the Passover was traditionally celebrated in the first month, Nisan. However, due to the unpreparedness of the people and the priests, King Hezekiah decided to hold the Passover in the second month, as allowed by the law in Numbers 9:10-11 for those who were unclean or on a journey during the first month. This decision reflects Hezekiah's desire to restore proper worship and his understanding of the law's provisions for exceptional circumstances.

a very great assembly
The phrase indicates a large gathering of people, suggesting widespread participation and interest in the religious reforms initiated by King Hezekiah. This assembly included not only the people of Judah but also remnants from the northern kingdom of Israel, which had recently fallen to Assyria. The gathering signifies a moment of unity and revival among the Israelites, transcending the division between the northern and southern kingdoms. It highlights the people's collective desire to return to the worship of Yahweh and to seek His favor.

gathered in Jerusalem
Jerusalem, the political and spiritual center of Judah, was the designated place for the celebration of the major feasts according to Deuteronomy 16:16. The city's significance is rooted in its status as the location of the Temple, the dwelling place of God's presence among His people. The gathering in Jerusalem underscores the centrality of the Temple in Israelite worship and the importance of communal participation in religious observances. It also foreshadows the eschatological gathering of all nations to Jerusalem, as prophesied in Isaiah 2:2-3.

to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread
The Feast of Unleavened Bread is closely associated with Passover, commemorating the Israelites' exodus from Egypt and their deliverance from slavery. It is a seven-day festival that begins on the 15th day of Nisan, immediately following Passover. The feast involves the removal of leaven from homes, symbolizing the purging of sin and the pursuit of holiness. In this context, the celebration represents a renewal of covenant faithfulness and a return to the foundational events of Israel's identity as God's chosen people. The feast also typologically points to Jesus Christ, the sinless "bread of life" (John 6:35), who delivers believers from the bondage of sin through His sacrificial death and resurrection.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Hezekiah
The king of Judah who initiated the celebration of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, seeking to restore proper worship and obedience to God.

2. Jerusalem
The central place of worship for the Israelites, where the temple was located and where the assembly gathered for the feast.

3. The Feast of Unleavened Bread
A significant Jewish festival that follows Passover, commemorating the Israelites' exodus from Egypt and their reliance on God.

4. The Assembly
A large gathering of people from Judah and Israel who responded to Hezekiah's call to return to the Lord and celebrate the feast.

5. The Second Month
The timing of the celebration, which was unusual as Passover was typically celebrated in the first month, but allowances were made due to the unpreparedness of the priests and the people.
Teaching Points
Restoration of Worship
Hezekiah's actions demonstrate the importance of returning to true worship and obedience to God's commands. This calls us to examine our own worship practices and ensure they align with biblical principles.

Unity in Worship
The gathering of a "very great assembly" signifies the power of communal worship and the unity it brings among believers. We are encouraged to seek unity in our faith communities, setting aside differences to worship God together.

God's Grace and Timing
The allowance to celebrate the feast in the second month shows God's grace and understanding of human limitations. It reminds us that God is patient and willing to meet us where we are, encouraging us to approach Him with sincerity.

Spiritual Preparation
Just as the Israelites needed to prepare for the feast, we are called to prepare our hearts for worship and service to God. This involves repentance, reflection, and a commitment to holiness.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Hezekiah's leadership in restoring the celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread inspire us to take initiative in our spiritual communities?

2. In what ways can we ensure that our worship practices are aligned with biblical teachings, similar to Hezekiah's reforms?

3. How can the concept of unity in worship, as seen in the gathering of a "very great assembly," be applied in our local churches today?

4. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's grace in allowing you to "catch up" spiritually. How does this relate to the timing of the feast in the second month?

5. Considering 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, how can the symbolism of unleavened bread influence our personal and communal pursuit of purity and sincerity in our faith journey?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 12
Provides the original instructions for the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, highlighting the importance of these observances in Israel's history.

2 Kings 18-20
Offers a parallel account of Hezekiah's reign, emphasizing his reforms and dedication to restoring true worship in Judah.

1 Corinthians 5:6-8
Paul uses the metaphor of unleavened bread to teach about purity and sincerity in the Christian life, drawing a spiritual parallel to the feast.
Sermons
A National Passover At JerusalemT. Whitelaw 2 Chronicles 30:13-27
People
Asher, Dan, David, Hezekiah, Isaac, Issachar, Levites, Manasseh, Solomon, Zebulun
Places
Assyria, Beersheba, Dan, Jerusalem, Kidron
Topics
Assembled, Assembly, Bread, Celebrate, Congregation, Crowd, Feast, Gathered, Hold, Jerusalem, Large, Mighty, Month, Multitude, Unleavened
Dictionary of Bible Themes
2 Chronicles 30:13

     4831   largeness
     5442   pilgrimage

2 Chronicles 30:1-20

     7266   tribes of Israel

2 Chronicles 30:1-27

     8466   reformation

2 Chronicles 30:13-15

     4951   month

2 Chronicles 30:13-20

     7406   Passover
     7416   purification

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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