◄ 2 Chronicles 30:6 ►
So the couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his officials, which read: "Children of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that He may return to those of you who remain, who have escaped the grasp of the kings of Assyria.
Study Bible
At the command of the king
This phrase refers to King Hezekiah, who reigned over Judah. Hezekiah was known for his religious reforms and efforts to restore worship of Yahweh. His command signifies the authority and initiative taken by a king who sought to bring spiritual renewal to his people. This reflects the biblical principle that leaders are responsible for guiding their people in righteousness.

the couriers went throughout Israel and Judah
The couriers were messengers tasked with delivering the king's message. Their journey throughout Israel and Judah indicates the divided kingdom context, where Israel (the northern kingdom) and Judah (the southern kingdom) were separate entities. This effort to reach both regions highlights Hezekiah's desire for unity and collective repentance among all the descendants of Jacob.

with letters from the king and his officials
The letters were official documents, underscoring the seriousness and formality of the message. The involvement of the king's officials suggests a coordinated effort, emphasizing the importance of the message and the need for widespread dissemination. This reflects the biblical theme of using written communication to convey divine instructions, as seen in other instances like the letters of Paul in the New Testament.

which read: “Children of Israel, return to the LORD
The call to "return" is a plea for repentance and restoration of the covenant relationship with God. The term "Children of Israel" is a reminder of their identity as God's chosen people, descendants of the patriarchs. This echoes the prophetic calls for repentance found throughout the Old Testament, such as in the books of Hosea and Joel.

the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel
This phrase emphasizes the covenantal relationship established with the patriarchs. By invoking the names of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (Jacob), the message reminds the people of their heritage and the promises God made to their forefathers. It underscores the continuity of God's faithfulness and the call to uphold their part of the covenant.

so that He may return to those of you who remain
The conditional nature of this statement highlights the biblical principle of reciprocal relationship with God. The idea of God "returning" to His people is a common theme in the prophets, where divine favor and presence are contingent upon the people's repentance and obedience.

who have escaped the grasp of the kings of Assyria
This refers to the historical context of the Assyrian threat, which had already led to the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel. The mention of those who "escaped" suggests a remnant theology, where a faithful few are preserved by God. This concept is seen throughout the Bible, where God preserves a remnant for His purposes, as in the stories of Noah and the exiles returning from Babylon.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Hezekiah
The king of Judah who initiated the Passover celebration and called for the people to return to the LORD.

2. Couriers
Messengers sent by King Hezekiah to deliver the call to repentance and return to God.

3. Israel and Judah
The divided kingdoms of God's chosen people, Israel in the north and Judah in the south.

4. The LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel
The covenant-keeping God of the patriarchs, emphasizing continuity and faithfulness.

5. The Kings of Assyria
Representing the foreign powers that had oppressed Israel, highlighting the need for divine deliverance.
Teaching Points
Call to Repentance
Hezekiah's message is a timeless call for God's people to return to Him. Repentance is a turning away from sin and a turning back to God.

God's Faithfulness
The reference to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel reminds us of God's unchanging faithfulness and His covenant promises.

Unity Among Believers
The invitation was extended to both Israel and Judah, emphasizing the importance of unity among God's people despite past divisions.

Divine Deliverance
The mention of the remnant escaping Assyrian oppression highlights God's power to deliver and protect His people.

Role of Messengers
The couriers played a crucial role in spreading the message. We, too, are called to be messengers of God's truth and love.
Bible Study Questions
1. What does Hezekiah's call to return to the LORD teach us about the importance of repentance in our own lives?

2. How does the reference to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel encourage us to trust in God's faithfulness today?

3. In what ways can we work towards unity among believers, as Hezekiah sought to unite Israel and Judah?

4. How can we be effective messengers of God's call to repentance and reconciliation in our communities?

5. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's deliverance. How does this passage encourage you to trust in His protection and provision?
Connections to Other Scriptures
2 Kings 18-19
Provides a parallel account of Hezekiah's reign and his religious reforms, including the call to return to God.

Isaiah 55:6-7
Echoes the theme of returning to the LORD and receiving His mercy and pardon.

Hosea 6:1
Calls for Israel to return to the LORD, promising healing and restoration.

James 4:8
Encourages believers to draw near to God with the promise that He will draw near to them.
Sermons
Letters to Ephraim: GenerosityW. Clarkson 2 Chronicles 30:1, 10, 11
Preparations for a Grand National PassoverT. Whitelaw 2 Chronicles 30:1-12
Four Reasons for RepentanceW. Clarkson 2 Chronicles 30:6-9
People
Asher, Dan, David, Hezekiah, Isaac, Issachar, Levites, Manasseh, Solomon, Zebulun
Places
Assyria, Beersheba, Dan, Jerusalem, Kidron
Topics
Asshur, Assyria, Band, Chiefs, Command, Commanded, Commandment, Couriers, Escaped, Hands, Heads, Isaac, Judah, Kept, Kings, Letters, O, Officials, Order, Posts, Princes, Remnant, Return, Runners, Safe, Saying, Sons, Throughout, Turn
Dictionary of Bible Themes
2 Chronicles 30:6

     5335   herald
     5391   letters
     8151   revival, corporate

2 Chronicles 30:1-10

     5463   proclamations

2 Chronicles 30:1-20

     7266   tribes of Israel

2 Chronicles 30:1-27

     8466   reformation

2 Chronicles 30:6-9

     6195   impenitence, results
     6735   repentance, examples
     7741   missionaries, task

2 Chronicles 30:6-10

     8817   ridicule, objects of

Library
A Loving Call to Reunion
'And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto the Lord God of Israel. 2. For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the second month. 3. For 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. …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Of Antichrist, and his Ruin: and of the Slaying the Witnesses.
BY JOHN BUNYAN PREFATORY REMARKS BY THE EDITOR This important treatise was prepared for the press, and left by the author, at his decease, to the care of his surviving friend for publication. It first appeared in a collection of his works in folio, 1692; and although a subject of universal interest; most admirably elucidated; no edition has been published in a separate form. Antichrist has agitated the Christian world from the earliest ages; and his craft has been to mislead the thoughtless, by …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The New Temple and Its Worship
'And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo: and they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. 15. And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. 16. And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Appendix v. Rabbinic Theology and Literature
1. The Traditional Law. - The brief account given in vol. i. p. 100, of the character and authority claimed for the traditional law may here be supplemented by a chronological arrangement of the Halakhoth in the order of their supposed introduction or promulgation. In the first class, or Halakhoth of Moses from Sinai,' tradition enumerates fifty-five, [6370] which may be thus designated: religio-agrarian, four; [6371] ritual, including questions about clean and unclean,' twenty-three; [6372] concerning …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Quotation in Matt. Ii. 6.
Several interpreters, Paulus especially, have asserted that the interpretation of Micah which is here given, was that of the Sanhedrim only, and not of the Evangelist, who merely recorded what happened and was said. But this assertion is at once refuted when we consider the object which Matthew has in view in his entire representation of the early life of Jesus. His object in recording the early life of Jesus is not like that of Luke, viz., to communicate historical information to his readers. …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Covenanting Performed in Former Ages with Approbation from Above.
That the Lord gave special token of his approbation of the exercise of Covenanting, it belongs to this place to show. His approval of the duty was seen when he unfolded the promises of the Everlasting Covenant to his people, while they endeavoured to perform it; and his approval thereof is continually seen in his fulfilment to them of these promises. The special manifestations of his regard, made to them while attending to the service before him, belonged to one or other, or both, of those exhibitions …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Covenanting a Duty.
The exercise of Covenanting with God is enjoined by Him as the Supreme Moral Governor of all. That his Covenant should be acceded to, by men in every age and condition, is ordained as a law, sanctioned by his high authority,--recorded in his law of perpetual moral obligation on men, as a statute decreed by him, and in virtue of his underived sovereignty, promulgated by his command. "He hath commanded his covenant for ever."[171] The exercise is inculcated according to the will of God, as King and …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Chronicles
The comparative indifference with which Chronicles is regarded in modern times by all but professional scholars seems to have been shared by the ancient Jewish church. Though written by the same hand as wrote Ezra-Nehemiah, and forming, together with these books, a continuous history of Judah, it is placed after them in the Hebrew Bible, of which it forms the concluding book; and this no doubt points to the fact that it attained canonical distinction later than they. Nor is this unnatural. The book …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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