May the mumbling commence!
What things do we have to throw out into our figurative Kidron Valley? As we worship the Lord, what kind of things do we bring into the sanctuary that has impeded the praise of our Lord? They are important questions to ask. They are questions that King Hezekiah asked, because he knew that his fathers had forsaken the Lord. And he also knew that the Lord had sent some of the people into captivity because of it. King Hezekiah was ready to lead the people back to the Lord. So Hezekiah gathered all the priests and Levites and ordered them to clean out and to consecrate both themselves and the temple. Read about their response to the king’s order below:
When they had assembled their brothers and consecrated themselves, they went to purify the temple of the Lord. The priests went into the sanctuary of the Lord to purify it. They brought out to the courtyard of the Lord’s temple everything unclean that they found in the temple of the Lord. The Levites took it and carried it to the Kidron Valley. They began the consecration on the first day of the first month, and by the eighth day of the month they had reached the portico of the Lord. For eight more days they consecrated the temple of the Lord itself, finishing on the sixteenth day of the first month. (2 Chronicles 29:15-17)
So the first eight days were spent cleansing and consecrating first the priests and Levites then the entrance up to the sanctuary. It would be like us the cleansing and consecration of the entryway, the fellowship hall, and the bathrooms. It took more than a week to clean out these things! Then, it took another eight days to cleanse and consecrate the sanctuary (and Sunday school rooms). Talk about a spring cleaning! Their Kidron Valley must have begun to fill in with all the unclean items removed from the Temple of the Lord.
Then the sacrifices to reestablish fellowship with the Lord began. The priest resumed their role in the sacrifices, and the Levites resumed their role of leading the praising of the Lord. The people were invited to bring sacrifices and thank offerings. The priests were overwhelmed by the response – so much so that they had to call in the help of the Levites, who had been more conscientious about consecrate themselves than the priest had.
And Hezekiah sent messages throughout Judah and all Israel to invite people to come and celebrate the Passover, even though it was too late in the year to do so. Though many ridiculed his messengers, some people humbled themselves and came. Some of the people who came were not ceremonially clean, but Hezekiah prayed for them so that the Lord would accept their efforts at returning to the Lord. Even though the Passover was celebrated late, the people were so enamored with the joy of the celebration that everyone decided to celebrate the Passover twice as long.
Even then, the cleansing and consecration was not completed. The people went home to their towns and cleansed them as well. Read about it from the first verse of 2 Chronicles 31:
When all this ended, the Israelites who were there went out to the towns of Judah, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. They destroyed the high places and the altars throughout Judah and Benjamin and in Ephraim and Manasseh. After they had destroyed all of them, the Israelites returned to their own towns and to their own property.
Yet more fodder for the Kidron Valley! Again, I ask the question: What do we have that should be thrown into our figurative Kidron Valley? What do we have in our homes, neighborhoods or church buildings that are for the worship of others things? Do we have items of nationalism? What about items that guide us to follow strictly the business model – you know, the bottom line attitude? What about the worship of the things that we feel our denomination or congregation alone adds to the worship of the Lord? What about that dynamic pastor or preacher?
What does the care of our homes say to those around us? What about the things that we expose ourselves to through the internet or through TV or through video games? I fear that my Kidron Valley would get quite full. How about yours? Ours? Let’s make sure that all our worshipful attitude is focused on the only worthy candidate – the Lord. I will close with a couple of verses from Psalm 67:
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine upon us,
that your ways may be known in all the earth,
your salvation among the nations.
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you. (Verses 1-3a)
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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