Coming Back to the Covenant
2 Chronicles 29:35-36 (NIV)
"There were burnt offerings in abundance, together with the fat of the fellowship offerings and the drink offerings that accompanied the burnt offerings. So the service of the temple of the Lord was reestablished. Hezehiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about for His people, because it was done so quickly."
All throughout the books that outline the days of the kings, we see that there were times when the leaders took the people the people in either the right direction or the wrong direction. In all of God's dealings with His people, when they did wrong a change would be necessary to guide them back into proper worship. This would often come through the downfall of the leaders who were responsible for the people. Sometimes it seemed as though the entire nation felt the affects of the judgment as well. In time though, God would raise up a leader or leaders who would return to the ways of worship that were true and right, and there would be peace, prosperity and blessing for the land.
Hezekiah became king of Judah at a time when revival was greatly needed. There had been a run of kings who had moved themselves and the people of Judah away from the ways of the Lord. Several of his ancestors had strayed from the true worship of the covenant and his father Ahaz had even closed the temple of the Lord and set up high places in every town to burn to other gods instead. King Hezekiah wasted no time when he became king. In the very first month of his reign, he re-opened the doors of the temple, he confessed the unfaithfulness to the covenant and the evil done by those before him and he reinstituted proper worship according to the covenant. Hezekiah was a man of reform. He purified the temple, the priests, the people and the worship practices of Judah. He was such an inspirational leader that the people responded as he did and there was a great day of revival. The people, being rededicated to the Lord then brought their sacrifices and offerings for worship and there was an explosion of worship! The number of burnt offerings were so great that the priests were not able to keep up with them, they needed to enlist the help of other Levites to help skin the animals. What a great time of revival and celebration that must have been.
In the old covenant, there were many different types of sacrifices and offerings but we know that they were "types" or "foreshadows" of a greater covenant. The sacrifices all point to the supreme sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God and the offerings represent His blood and life offered up to God in order that we would have justification and fellowship with Him. The burnt offering was completely consumed as a fragrant offering to the Lord to represent atonement with God. The life of Jesus was completely consumed in death on the cross as the pleasing aroma of His work on the cross pleased the Father bringing reconciliation of a lost world to Himself (see 2 Corinthians 5:19). The fellowship offering or peace offering, was one that was shared with God receiving the best (fatty) portions, the priests and Levites their portions, and the people eating the rest. It was a type of covenant meal that represented their fellowship, the peace between them and God, and the Shalom Peace (health, wholeness, prosperity, perfection and rest). Jesus is indeed our peace. His sacrifice was one of bringing peace to us as well as peace and fellowship between us and God and with one another. The drink offerings were wine that was poured out along with the burnt offerings as a part of the sweet aroma which brought the expression of the covenant between the people and God to the memory of Him. It was a representation of the precious blood of Jesus that was poured out for the forgiveness of sins bringing us into the New Covenant.
King Hezekiah's reforms were needed because the ways and worship according to the covenant that they were under had been corrupted. The people of God had been called out of the ways of the other nations to be a peculiar people, a covenant people, how could they get off track so easily and lose their way over and over again? It was largely due to the kings or the leaders that were placed over the people of God. They had a responsibility to lead the people in the right ways and to teach them the ways of the covenant. If the leaders were good, the people followed in the right ways; if the leaders were bad, the people were led into sin and wickedness. King Hezekiah recognized the need for reform and instituted it boldly, he was a voice proclaim that error had taken place and he set out to correct it. In spite of far the people and nation had fallen away from the way they were supposed to be, when this great leader sounded the alarm, repentance of the people followed and they returned to the ways of the covenant. And Hezekiah and the people rejoiced at what God had done and how quickly it had happened.
So what does this story teach us about today? While some would say that it is a story of calling people back to God, I believe it is more than that. If the old covenant is a shadow of the new, and the nation of Israel a shadow of the Church then we need to look deeper into the message of this story. Like the nation of Israel, the Church is in a covenant relationship with the Lord. It is not a covenant of the blood of bulls and goats but a New Covenant, an everlasting covenant made through the blood of Jesus. This covenant, like the old, has certain ways that it is efficacious. The old covenant was the covenant of the law of Moses, "if you obey my commands, you will be blessed; if you do not keep my commands, you will be cursed" (see Deuteronomy 28), but the New Covenant is the covenant of GRACE. It is not based on works, the ability to keep the law, or any type of performance or merit that we can contribute...it is based simply on the love of God sending his Son to die in our stead, receiving the punishment and curse for our sin and disobedience. It is a covenant of salvation by GRACE through faith in which we are freely justified and made righteous through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The parallel that I see from this story to the life of the Church is this. The people of God can be led astray by the leadership and seduced into worship that is not according to the covenant that we are under. The temptation of the Church to return to return to old covenant, legalist and works based attempts to righteousness is as strong and as common as returning to idolatry was for old covenant Israel. This has been a problem that has plagued the Church from its very beginning. While many from religious circles claim that we "Hyper-Grace" people (a term meant to be derogatory that I proudly claim) are bringing some new kind of false teaching. I say if they could see past the picture of the ten commandments posted on their walls and really read Paul's letters and learn how to correctly understand the relation of the New Testament to the old, they would see that the GRACE message is THE GOSPEL.
Paul constantly spent his time arguing with the religious and the legalist that the true gospel was not of works or the law but of GRACE. He calls the old covenant (engraved in stone) a ministry of death (see 2 Corinthians 3), and a covenant with which God found fault with (see Hebrews 8). In the Church of Galatia, we see that people had been led astray largely because the leadership above them had forgotten the way of the covenant that they were under and led them into a different way; a way that was wrong and needed correcting. They were returning to trying to live according to the old covenant and attempting to gain righteousness through the law. Paul sounded the alarm for them and was a voice of revival of the truth and reform back to the way of the New Covenant. In Galatians 3:1-3 he writes, "You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?" They had started well but turned back. They needed correction and Paul was bold enough to bring it.
Today, just as it has been throughout the history of the Church, many believers are led away from the true way of the New Covenant into legalism and old covenant ways by leaders in religious circles. There still needs to be the continuous voice of those willing to sound the alarm, teach the way of the New Covenant and bring reform and revival to God's people. The GRACE revolution that is sweeping through so much of America is long overdue and I bless each and every one of my fellow co-laborers as we reestablish the proper service of the temple of God built with living stones. The abundance of what is brought through the sacrifice of our Lord is incredible and the supply is endless. The benefits pour over us in inexhaustible measure. It is through the true Gospel, the Gospel of GRACE that we have fellowship with Him and because of that we offer our sacrifice of praise, the calves of our lips (see Hosea 14:2 KJV). As we boldly proclaim the correction needed for the people of God by sharing the good news, revival and reform continues to come daily. Praise God for what He is bringing about for His people the Church and for How quickly He is accomplishing it!
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King Hezekiah's reforms were needed because the ways and worship according to the covenant that they were under had been corrupted. The people of God had been called out of the ways of the other nations to be a peculiar people, a covenant people, how could they get off track so easily and lose their way over and over again? It was largely due to the kings or the leaders that were placed over the people of God. They had a responsibility to lead the people in the right ways and to teach them the ways of the covenant. If the leaders were good, the people followed in the right ways; if the leaders were bad, the people were led into sin and wickedness. King Hezekiah recognized the need for reform and instituted it boldly, he was a voice proclaim that error had taken place and he set out to correct it. In spite of far the people and nation had fallen away from the way they were supposed to be, when this great leader sounded the alarm, repentance of the people followed and they returned to the ways of the covenant. And Hezekiah and the people rejoiced at what God had done and how quickly it had happened.
So what does this story teach us about today? While some would say that it is a story of calling people back to God, I believe it is more than that. If the old covenant is a shadow of the new, and the nation of Israel a shadow of the Church then we need to look deeper into the message of this story. Like the nation of Israel, the Church is in a covenant relationship with the Lord. It is not a covenant of the blood of bulls and goats but a New Covenant, an everlasting covenant made through the blood of Jesus. This covenant, like the old, has certain ways that it is efficacious. The old covenant was the covenant of the law of Moses, "if you obey my commands, you will be blessed; if you do not keep my commands, you will be cursed" (see Deuteronomy 28), but the New Covenant is the covenant of GRACE. It is not based on works, the ability to keep the law, or any type of performance or merit that we can contribute...it is based simply on the love of God sending his Son to die in our stead, receiving the punishment and curse for our sin and disobedience. It is a covenant of salvation by GRACE through faith in which we are freely justified and made righteous through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The parallel that I see from this story to the life of the Church is this. The people of God can be led astray by the leadership and seduced into worship that is not according to the covenant that we are under. The temptation of the Church to return to return to old covenant, legalist and works based attempts to righteousness is as strong and as common as returning to idolatry was for old covenant Israel. This has been a problem that has plagued the Church from its very beginning. While many from religious circles claim that we "Hyper-Grace" people (a term meant to be derogatory that I proudly claim) are bringing some new kind of false teaching. I say if they could see past the picture of the ten commandments posted on their walls and really read Paul's letters and learn how to correctly understand the relation of the New Testament to the old, they would see that the GRACE message is THE GOSPEL.
Paul constantly spent his time arguing with the religious and the legalist that the true gospel was not of works or the law but of GRACE. He calls the old covenant (engraved in stone) a ministry of death (see 2 Corinthians 3), and a covenant with which God found fault with (see Hebrews 8). In the Church of Galatia, we see that people had been led astray largely because the leadership above them had forgotten the way of the covenant that they were under and led them into a different way; a way that was wrong and needed correcting. They were returning to trying to live according to the old covenant and attempting to gain righteousness through the law. Paul sounded the alarm for them and was a voice of revival of the truth and reform back to the way of the New Covenant. In Galatians 3:1-3 he writes, "You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?" They had started well but turned back. They needed correction and Paul was bold enough to bring it.
Today, just as it has been throughout the history of the Church, many believers are led away from the true way of the New Covenant into legalism and old covenant ways by leaders in religious circles. There still needs to be the continuous voice of those willing to sound the alarm, teach the way of the New Covenant and bring reform and revival to God's people. The GRACE revolution that is sweeping through so much of America is long overdue and I bless each and every one of my fellow co-laborers as we reestablish the proper service of the temple of God built with living stones. The abundance of what is brought through the sacrifice of our Lord is incredible and the supply is endless. The benefits pour over us in inexhaustible measure. It is through the true Gospel, the Gospel of GRACE that we have fellowship with Him and because of that we offer our sacrifice of praise, the calves of our lips (see Hosea 14:2 KJV). As we boldly proclaim the correction needed for the people of God by sharing the good news, revival and reform continues to come daily. Praise God for what He is bringing about for His people the Church and for How quickly He is accomplishing it!
Grace to you,
Pastor Tony,
Freedom Church, USA
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