International Sunday School Lesson September 22, 2024
2 Chronicles 35:1–6, 16–19
Background
The children of Israel backslide multiple times. They stopped performing the rituals described in the Torah. There were several revivals but none lasted. One revival was under the reign of King Hezekiah who became king in 726 B.C. Another was under King Josiah who came to the throne in 641 B.C. Josiah was only 8 years old when he became king and took several years before he matured and that brought about the revival of thirty year reign. Today’s lesson discusses the Great Passover celebration that Josiah held.
Passover Celebration
2 Chronicles 35:1 (ESV) Josiah kept a Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem. And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month.
Josiah held the Passover. This was the first Passover that had been celebrated in Judea in sometime. The people had misplaced the Torah and forgotten God’s law. It was found Josiah sought God and initiated the return to obedience.
2 Chronicles 30:22-24 (ESV) And Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good skill in the service of the LORD. So they ate the food of the festival for seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the LORD, the God of their fathers. [23] Then the whole assembly agreed together to keep the feast for another seven days. So they kept it for another seven days with gladness. [24] For Hezekiah king of Judah gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 7,000 sheep for offerings, and the princes gave the assembly 1,000 bulls and 10,000 sheep. And the priests consecrated themselves in great numbers.
We see here that King Hezekiah also held a Passover celebration. The Passover celebration that Hezekiah held was the largest celebration in Judea up to that time. We will later see that Josiah held a Passover celebration that was larger than the one of King Hezekiah’s.
Encouraging Ministers
2 Chronicles 35:2-3 (ESV) He appointed the priests to their offices and encouraged them in the service of the house of the LORD. [3] And he said to the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the LORD, “Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. You need not carry it on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and his people Israel.
King Josiah encouraged those in the ministry to perform their work. We should do the same. Support your pastor. Encourage your pastor. The job is extremely hard and often very discouraging.
Numbers 8:19 (ESV) And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the people of Israel, to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the people of Israel, that there may be no plague among the people of Israel when the people of Israel come near the sanctuary.”
The Levites were given to the priests as helpers. Churches have their Levites today. God bless the helpers in the church. Praise God for the helpers in the church. Pastors cannot do everything inside the church. Be willing to be one of those helpers. God will bless you.
Worship Right
2 Chronicles 35:4-5 (ESV) Prepare yourselves according to your fathers’ houses by your divisions, as prescribed in the writing of David king of Israel and the document of Solomon his son. [5] And stand in the Holy Place according to the groupings of the fathers’ houses of your brothers the lay people, and according to the division of the Levites by fathers’ household.
There was a correct way that they needed to perform this ritual. It is so important that we do things the way God has instructed us to do it. Do not make up your own way of doing things inside the house of God.
1 Samuel 15:22-23 (ESV) And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. [23] For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.”
This is one of the prime examples of failure in the Old Testament. Saul disobeyed God’s instructions. God told him to destroy everything but he wanted to pocket a few choice things. He tried to explain it away as a method of increasing the gift to God. Saul was lying. The disobedience cost Saul the kingdom.
Minister
2 Chronicles 35:6 (ESV) And slaughter the Passover lamb, and consecrate yourselves, and prepare for your brothers, to do according to the word of the LORD by Moses.”
We should consecrate ourselves before worship. We should pray to be in the correct frame of mind. Worshiping God is not putting on a big show. It should come from our innermost being and be directed toward God.
Ephesians 4:11-13 (ESV) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, [12] to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, [13] until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
Ministers are given to the church to help prepare Christians. So we see that God gives the ministers to the church and gives helpers in the church to minister to the ministers.
Execute The Plan
2 Chronicles 35:16-17 (ESV) So all the service of the LORD was prepared that day, to keep the Passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD, according to the command of King Josiah. [17] And the people of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days.
The plan was executed. It is not enough to talk about doing the right thing. Actions speak louder than words.
Great Passover
2 Chronicles 35:18-19 (ESV) No Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as was kept by Josiah, and the priests and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. [19] In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept.
Notice that this scripture does not say Josiah had the first Passover in the Kingdom. There had been other Passovers in Judea. What the scripture is saying is that this Passover of Josiah was bigger and more elaborate than any other Passover that had been performed previously. Hezekiah had also had a very large Passover. His Passover was larger than any Passover up to that time. But about 50 years later when Josiah had his Passover it was larger than Hezekiah’s Passover.
Conclusion
The main point I want to reiterate for today’s lesson is that we should worship God in the manner that he commands.
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