A Brief Outline of Lectures on Hezekiah
Read carefully 2 Chronicles 29.
“Then Hezekiah said, Now ye have consecrated yourselves unto the Lord, come near.” What is consecration? The margin reads, “Filled your hand.” Yes, if the Holy Ghost reveals the immutable person and work of Christ, the effect is, we are filled with Christ; and that is consecration. If this is not so, we shall be taken up with men, and things, and so-called churches of men. But if the doors are open, the lamps lighted, Christ revealed, He, He will engross every thought and desire. O, to live on account of Christ, as He lived on account of the Father! And if we are thus consecrated to Him, thus filled with Him, then the consecrated things will be in abundance. Six hundred oxen, and three thousand sheep. Nay, we are not our own. Burnt-offerings in abundance, with the fat of peace-offerings, and drink-offerings! What untold delight of heart, filled with all the fullness of Christ! “So the service of the house of the Lord was set in order.” When Christ by the Spirit has His true place, then the house is in order. All else that man calls order is simply the house in disorder.
“And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly.” What God did then in Judah, has He not done now in Christendom? Is it the hand of God, or another sect? Has God, during the last fifty years, opened the doors, and revealed the way into the holiest? The believer, by the one offering of Christ, perfected, as to the conscience, in immutable continuity? — and all this in direct contrast with the Judaism into which Christendom had sunk. Has not God, by the Spirit, awakened His people in all parts of the world — in Java, in Russia, throughout Europe, America, Australia? The thing is of God, and done suddenly. Souls are being brought from the dark regions of unbelief to the unclouded presence of God, with joy and gladness. Is there a doubt that this work is of God? To Him be all praise! O, what grace and mercy to us in these last days!
The Passover
2 Chronicles 30
We shall now find some very important church truth typified in this chapter. The order is very striking. We have had the doors open — the full gospel of God; the grace that brings the prodigal right into the presence of the Father. Then, the lamps giving their full, perfect light; the Holy Ghost taking of the things of Christ, and showing them unto us; the infinite value of His one sacrifice; our immutable perfection by that offering, accepted in all the sweet savor of the burnt-offering, the Lamb of God — the joy, gladness, and worship.
Now the invitation goes forth to come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover unto the Lord God of Israel. And in wisdom and counsel of the king, the princes and all the congregation, this must be, not in the appointed time, the fourteenth day of the first month, but in the second month. For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently, neither had the people gathered themselves together at Jerusalem. (2 Chron. 30:33For 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. (2 Chronicles 30:3)).
If we read carefully Luke 22:1-201Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. 2And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people. 3Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. 4And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them. 5And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money. 6And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude. 7Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. 8And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat. 9And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? 10And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. 11And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? 12And he shall show you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. 13And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover. 14And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. 15And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: 16For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 18For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 19And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. (Luke 22:1‑20), we see how the Lord’s supper took the place of the Passover. “With desire have I desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer.” The last Passover before He suffered: Himself the fulfillment of it. He then presented Himself to faith, no longer the body of the lamb, or the cup of the Passover. The Passover looked forward — the Lord’s supper is a remembrance. “This do in remembrance of Me.” The blessed Lord Himself, our Passover, is slain. It is no longer the wine of the Passover, but the cup, in remembrance of His blood shed for us. But they were to come to Jerusalem, to the house of the Lord. Is there any such house of the Lord now? any place of worship, or earthly sanctuary? No, there is no such place now. All this belonged to the first covenant, or to Judaism. “Then, verily, the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary” (Heb. 9:11Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. (Hebrews 9:1)). What, then, have we now, if all the system of worldly sanctuaries, called the house of God — places of worship with divine service; all this is simply Judaism; not a vestige of which have we found in the New Testament. What have we, as the true center of gathering? Have we not Christ Himself? Jesus says, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:2020For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20)). I know that in millennial days to come, Jerusalem shall be the city of the Great King. But let us remember that at present He, as their King, is cut off, and has nothing; and that now the only place of gathering is to Him, the rejected One.
But why did they keep the Passover on the fourteenth day of the second month?
If we turn to Numbers 9:1-121And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season. 3In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it. 4And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover. 5And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel. 6And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day: 7And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the Lord in his appointed season among the children of Israel? 8And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you. 9And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 10Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the Lord. 11The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it. (Numbers 9:1‑12), we shall find a very distinct reason given there. The keeping of the Passover in the first month is confirmed: but there were some men who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the Passover on that day. The question was brought before the Lord; and the answer of the Lord was, that if any were unclean by reason of a dead body, they should keep the Passover on the fourteenth day of the second month. Thus Hezekiah acknowledged the defiled state of Israel. Is it not so with the church of God? Is it in its first condition, or second? Has it become defiled by the dead body of the world? O, does it not become us thus to own the sad, defiled, ruined state of the church as a testimony for Christ?
Now we come to a very important point. The invitation and responsibility to keep the passover was as extensive as the atonement. The sin-offering, the reconciliation, was made for ALL Israel, ALL Israel are invited, and responsible, to come and keep the Passover. So they “make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even unto Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover unto the Lord God of Israel, at Jerusalem; for they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written.” This deeply important principle as to the Lord’s table, also, is little understood. The analogy is striking; souls everywhere, who have been led to own the Holy Ghost in the assembly, like the lamps in the sanctuary, have been also led next to remember the Lord’s death, in the breaking of bread. Nay, more, they have learned from holy Scripture that the church had not done it of a long time, in such sort as it was written. I am not aware of an instance for seventeen centuries, where Christians broke bread as it was written; until within about the last fifty years. There was always something omitted, or added, to what was written. I need not dwell on the Mass. But what were we doing? Take one thing added, which we all thought right — a minister administering the sacrament. Was this written in the inspired Word? Where? Disciples came together to break bread, or “we come together” (Acts 20). In 1 Corinthians 10; 11, is there a thought of such a person at the Lord’s table? This it not a question of the gifts of Christ: the evangelist to preach the gospel, and the teacher to teach the church of God. But at the Lord’s table, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, being many, are one bread, and one body; for we are all partakers of that one bread.” Place a man unscripturally to administer, and the communion is lost sight of! It is the expression, essentially, of equal co-partnership in that blood, and in that one body. Blessed fact, every redeemed sinner has equal partnership in the reconciliation; every washed soul whiter than snow! Fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus cleanseth us from all sin.
Where it is service, then all are not alike. Just as in a firm — one servant may have a pound per week, whilst a foreman may have three. But copartners are all equally alike. In the equal co-partnership, fellowship, communion of His blood, communion of His body. There are no servants, and no foreman, in Scripture to administer the sacrament. No, for a long time the Lord’s supper had not been kept as it was written. O, the grace, the love our Father has, to have restored it in these last days, before the coming of the Lord. But have we understood the heart of Christ in this? The invitation, and the responsibility to gather to His name, to break bread as it is written? Is not the invitation to do so as wide as the atonement? The responsibility reaches every reconciled child of God on earth. Not only Judah owning allegiance to Hezekiah, but to every Israelite in the revolted tribes. Not only those gathered, and owning allegiance, to Christ, but every redeemed soul in every revolted sect on earth, from Beersheba even unto Dan. As there was the perfect substitution offered, the seven goats FOR ALL ISRAEL: we must understand here Israel as a type of the whole redeemed church of God, whatever their outward position. And this is a great truth, that every believer, passed from death unto life, stands in all the immutable perfection of Christ, accepted in the Beloved — sins and iniquities to be remembered no more, no more! Is not the Lord’s table, as it is written, the true place for every one of them? Yes, the basis of gathering to Christ to break bread, our Passover, is as wide as the atonement. Does not Jesus say to every reconciled soul, “Do this in remembrance of Me”? And would He not have each one enjoy communion with Himself? Other questions will arise, but the basis of true fellowship is seen to be equal to the extent of the atonement.
So the posts passed from city to city, but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them. O, when did not men despise the message and the messengers of the Lord? It was so in the days of Noah, of Lot: yea, when the Son of God walked in the midst of men. And even so now, the present work of God in love is despised of men. Nevertheless, divers humbled themselves and came. Also in Judah, the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the commandment of the king, and of the princes, by the Word of the Lord. And is not the hand of the Lord seen now gathering souls to Christ, and giving them one heart? If it is not this, it is only another sect in self-will. Yes, it is the hand of the Lord. Reader, are you asleep, or awake; can you discern the present heart and hand of the Lord? If so, it is a little thing to be laughed to scorn.
The next point in order is this: when the Lord had thus gathered a company to keep the Passover, “They arose, and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for incense took they away, and cast them into the brook Kidron” (2 Chron. 30:12-1412Also in Judah the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the commandment of the king and of the princes, by the word of the Lord. 13And there assembled at Jerusalem much people to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great congregation. 14And they arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for incense took they away, and cast them into the brook Kidron. (2 Chronicles 30:12‑14)). Thus, where the Lord has now gathered a company to break bread, as it is written, the first thing is to put away from themselves everything inconsistent with the holiness of His presence. Just as when the doors were opened, the cleansing away of the rubbish began in the very holiest.
The holiest we enter in perfect peace with God. There, surely, holiness becomes that holy place. This is a solemn point to all whom the hand of the Lord doth gather, to keep the Lord’s supper, as it is written.
(Continued and to be Continued)