So the couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his officials, which read: "Children of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that He may return to those of you who remain, who have escaped the grasp of the kings of Assyria. So the couriers went throughout Israel and JudahThe term "couriers" refers to messengers or runners who were tasked with delivering important messages. In the ancient Near Eastern context, these couriers were essential for communication across the vast territories of Israel and Judah. The Hebrew root for "couriers" is "רָצִים" (ratsim), which implies swift runners. This highlights the urgency and importance of the message they carried. Historically, the division between Israel and Judah was significant, and the act of sending couriers to both regions underscores a call for unity and reconciliation among God's people. with letters from the hand of the king and his officials
The "letters" were official documents, bearing the authority of the king, in this case, King Hezekiah. The phrase "from the hand of the king" indicates that these letters were not only authorized by the king but were also a direct expression of his will and intent. In the ancient world, written communication from a king was a powerful tool, often sealed with a royal seal to ensure authenticity. This reflects the seriousness of the message and the king's personal involvement in the spiritual renewal of the nation. which read 'Children of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel
The call to "return to the LORD" is a central theme in the prophetic literature of the Old Testament. The Hebrew word for "return" is "שׁוּב" (shuv), which means to turn back or repent. This is a call for repentance and a return to covenant faithfulness. By invoking "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel," the message connects the current generation with their patriarchal heritage, reminding them of the covenant promises and the faithfulness of God throughout their history. It is a call to remember their identity as God's chosen people and to renew their commitment to Him. so that He may return to you who are left, who have escaped the hand of the kings of Assyria
The phrase "so that He may return to you" suggests a reciprocal relationship between God and His people. The Hebrew concept here is one of restoration and reconciliation. The historical context is crucial; the "kings of Assyria" had been a significant threat, and many Israelites had suffered under their oppression. Those "who are left" refers to the remnant that survived the Assyrian invasions. This message is one of hope and assurance that God is willing to restore and bless those who turn back to Him, even after a period of judgment and exile. It emphasizes God's mercy and readiness to forgive and restore His people. Persons / Places / Events 1. HezekiahThe king of Judah who initiated the Passover celebration and called for the people to return to the LORD. 2. CouriersMessengers sent by King Hezekiah to deliver the call to repentance and return to God. 3. Israel and JudahThe divided kingdoms of God's chosen people, Israel in the north and Judah in the south. 4. The LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and IsraelThe covenant-keeping God of the patriarchs, emphasizing continuity and faithfulness. 5. The Kings of AssyriaRepresenting the foreign powers that had oppressed Israel, highlighting the need for divine deliverance. Teaching Points Call to RepentanceHezekiah's message is a timeless call for God's people to return to Him. Repentance is a turning away from sin and a turning back to God. God's FaithfulnessThe reference to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel reminds us of God's unchanging faithfulness and His covenant promises. Unity Among BelieversThe invitation was extended to both Israel and Judah, emphasizing the importance of unity among God's people despite past divisions. Divine DeliveranceThe mention of the remnant escaping Assyrian oppression highlights God's power to deliver and protect His people. Role of MessengersThe couriers played a crucial role in spreading the message. We, too, are called to be messengers of God's truth and love. Bible Study Questions 1. What does Hezekiah's call to return to the LORD teach us about the importance of repentance in our own lives? 2. How does the reference to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel encourage us to trust in God's faithfulness today? 3. In what ways can we work towards unity among believers, as Hezekiah sought to unite Israel and Judah? 4. How can we be effective messengers of God's call to repentance and reconciliation in our communities? 5. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's deliverance. How does this passage encourage you to trust in His protection and provision? Connections to Other Scriptures 2 Kings 18-19Provides a parallel account of Hezekiah's reign and his religious reforms, including the call to return to God. Isaiah 55:6-7Echoes the theme of returning to the LORD and receiving His mercy and pardon. Hosea 6:1Calls for Israel to return to the LORD, promising healing and restoration. James 4:8Encourages believers to draw near to God with the promise that He will draw near to them. People Asher, Dan, David, Hezekiah, Isaac, Issachar, Levites, Manasseh, Solomon, ZebulunPlaces Assyria, Beersheba, Dan, Jerusalem, KidronTopics Asshur, Assyria, Band, Chiefs, Command, Commanded, Commandment, Couriers, Escaped, Hands, Heads, Isaac, Judah, Kept, Kings, Letters, O, Officials, Order, Posts, Princes, Remnant, Return, Runners, Safe, Saying, Sons, Throughout, TurnDictionary of Bible Themes 2 Chronicles 30:6 5335 herald
5391 letters
8151 revival, corporate 2 Chronicles 30:1-10 5463 proclamations 2 Chronicles 30:1-20 7266 tribes of Israel 2 Chronicles 30:1-27 8466 reformation 2 Chronicles 30:6-9 6195 impenitence, results
6735 repentance, examples
7741 missionaries, task 2 Chronicles 30:6-10 8817 ridicule, objects of 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 ScriptureOf 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 Links 2 Chronicles 30:6 NIV2 Chronicles 30:6 NLT2 Chronicles 30:6 ESV2 Chronicles 30:6 NASB2 Chronicles 30:6 KJV
2 Chronicles 30:6 Commentaries
Bible Hub |
