What is the meaning of 2 Chronicles 29:22? So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and splattered it on the altar • Bulls were required for sin offerings on behalf of leaders and the whole assembly (Leviticus 4:3-14). Hezekiah’s first act, therefore, was corporate repentance. • The priests—not the king or Levites—handled the blood, underscoring God’s prescribed order (Numbers 18:1-7). • Blood splattered on the altar symbolized life poured out in place of the guilty (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22). By beginning with bulls, the most costly animals, Judah acknowledged the gravity of its previous unfaithfulness (2 Chronicles 28:24). • This sets the tone for the entire revival: cleansing must precede worship (Psalm 24:3-4; 1 John 1:7). They slaughtered the rams and splattered the blood on the altar • Rams were central to consecration rituals (Exodus 29:15-18). After sin was dealt with, the people dedicated themselves afresh to God’s service. • The sequence—bulls, then rams—mirrors Moses’ ordination of priests (Leviticus 8:14-21), showing Hezekiah’s desire to align fully with Scripture. • Rams also recall substitution: God provided a ram for Isaac (Genesis 22:13). The imagery points forward to the greater Substitute who would come (Romans 5:8). • By repeating “splattered the blood,” the text stresses that every stage of worship depends on shed blood, anticipating “the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself” (Hebrews 9:14). And they slaughtered the lambs and splattered the blood on the altar • Lambs evoke daily continual offerings (Exodus 29:38-42) and the Passover deliverance (Exodus 12:3-13). Including them affirmed ongoing, not merely momentary, devotion. • Lamb imagery culminates in the Messiah: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). The Chronicler’s readers would later see these sacrifices fulfilled in Jesus (1 Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 5:6). • Three kinds of animals—bulls, rams, lambs—paint a complete picture: – Bulls: atonement for sin – Rams: consecration for service – Lambs: continual fellowship and redemption • The altar, cleansed and anointed with blood, became a meeting place between God and a restored nation (Hebrews 10:19-22). summary 2 Chronicles 29:22 records a deliberate, ordered return to covenant worship under Hezekiah. Bulls, rams, and lambs were sacrificed in accordance with the Law, and their blood was splattered on the altar to signify forgiveness, consecration, and ongoing communion with God. The verse underscores that true revival begins with repentance, follows God’s revealed pattern, and ultimately points to the perfect sacrifice of Christ, whose blood alone secures lasting access to the Father. |
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