The incidents of chapter 29 were limited in their scope to the people of Jerusalem, but the restoration of heart, which had taken place there, was immediately followed by a call to all Israel and Judah. Letters were written to Ephraim and Manasseh, the two nearest tribes of the kingdom of Israel, bidding them come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to hold the passover (Exodus 12:3-283Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: 4And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. 5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 6And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. 7And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. 8And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. 10And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. 11And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's passover. 12For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. 13And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. 14And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. 15Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. 16And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. 17And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. 18In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. 19Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. 20Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread. 21Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. 22And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. 23For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. 24And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. 25And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service. 26And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? 27That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped. 28And the children of Israel went away, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. (Exodus 12:3‑28); Lev. 23:4-84These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. 5In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord's passover. 6And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. 7In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. 8But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. (Leviticus 23:4‑8)) in the second month. It was properly to be observed in the first month of the year, but neither were the priests hallowed in sufficient number, nor were the people gathered together to Jerusalem.
From Beer-sheba to Dan, the extreme south to the far north, the proclamation was to be sounded, calling the people back to the worship of the true God, to hold the long neglected passover.
An earnest appeal it was, that the couriers carried throughout Israel and Judah (verses 6-9), and those to whom it was addressed, had they not been blinded by Satan to their own good, should have taken heed to it, but for the most part they laughed at and scorned it.
Still there were some of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun who humbled themselves, and came to Jerusalem (verse 11); and as to Judah, the hand of God was upon them to give them one heart to do the commandment of the king and the princes, by the word of the Lord. So that a very great number assembled at Jerusalem to hold the feast of unleavened bread (including the passover).
Those who came to Jerusalem, took away the altars which Ahaz had made (chapter 28:24), and all the incense altars, and cast them into the brook Kidron. The passover was slaughtered on the proper day, though of the second month, and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and hallowed themselves.
The state of the strangers from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, long associated with the evils of idol worship, was not what it should have been, and they ate the passover without cleansing themselves, but Hezekiah prayed for them, and the Lord healed the people. (See as to the Christian's ordinance in this connection. 1 Cor. 11:27-3227Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:27‑32)).
With great gladness, the feast of unleavened bread was held. Those whose hearts were closest together in the knowledge and fear of God—those Levites who had understanding in the good knowledge of the Lord, were encouraged by Hezekiah.
The energy of the moment, led the whole congregation to take counsel to observe other seven days, and it was done with gladness. Offerings of large numbers of bullocks and sheep were given by Hezekiah and the princes, and a great number of the priests hallowed themselves.
The whole congregation of Judah with the priests, Levites and all that came out of Israel, and the "strangers" from Israel and from Judah, rejoiced, and there was great joy in Jerusalem, for nothing like this had occurred since Solomon's days. Even the priests, backward as we have seen in attending to the service of God, are seen blessing the people, and praying acceptably to God.
So did that Blessed One show Himself to be the unchanging One of grace, ever mindful of any return of heart to Himself.