What role did the priests play in the events of 2 Chronicles 29:35? Setting the scene • 2 Chronicles 29 records King Hezekiah’s swift restoration of temple worship after years of neglect under Ahaz. • Verse 35 comes at the climax of a single, jam-packed day of cleansing, re-dedication, and sacrifice. • The priests—Aaron’s descendants—stand at the center of the action, fulfilling God-given duties laid out in Exodus and Leviticus. Specific tasks the priests performed • Consecration of themselves first (29:15–16, 34) • Supervising the cleansing of the sanctuary and altar utensils (29:18–19) • Slaughtering and sprinkling blood for sin offerings on behalf of all Israel (29:21–24; cf. Leviticus 4:27–35) • Arranging and burning the burnt offerings, including: – “many burnt offerings” (29:35a; cf. Leviticus 1) – “the fat of the peace offerings” (Leviticus 3) – “drink offerings for every burnt offering” (Numbers 15:5–10) • Skinning and preparing the animals—so many that Levites had to assist until more priests became ceremonially clean (29:34) • Re-ordering the daily liturgy, ensuring every offering was carried out “just as written in the Law of the LORD” (29:31–35) Why their role mattered in verse 35 • Priestly obedience allowed “the service of the house of the LORD” to be “established” or “set in order” (29:35b). • Their actions provided atonement and fellowship for the nation, reopening access to God after years of apostasy (cf. Hebrews 9:22). • By fulfilling the sacrificial system, they modeled the holiness of God and the necessity of substitutionary sacrifice—truths ultimately pointing forward to Christ, our great High Priest (Hebrews 10:11–14). Key takeaways • The priests were indispensable mediators, literally restoring temple service through hands-on sacrifice. • Their faithfulness, even when numbers were low, shows that God values obedience over convenience (1 Samuel 15:22). • Verse 35 reminds us that true worship is ordered according to God’s Word, not human preference (John 4:24). |
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