2 Chronicles 30:13

2 Chronicles 30:13 says, And there assembled at Jerusalem much people to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great congregation.  A very large congregation then assembled in Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of unleavened bread.  We as individual Christians need to gather often to celebrate our new life given to us by putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  We should not just do this on special occasions like Christmas and Easter but should do so at least weekly.  Verse fourteen adds, And 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.  They began to remove the altars to false gods that were in Jerusalem.  When we become Christians, we need to remove all false gods from our lives, and as a body of believers, when we gather to worship God, we need to make sure we have not allowed any false ideas to proclaimed, and if we see that they have been, we need to remove them.  Verse fifteen continues, Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the second month: and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought in the burnt offerings into the house of the Lord.  When they killed the Passover sacrifice, the priests and Levites were ashamed and cleansed and sanctified themselves, which they should have done beforehand.  The people were ready for the celebration, but the priests and Levites weren't ready to offer the sacrifice.  To effectively worship God, we must be purified and sanctified by the blood of Jesus Christ and those in charge of the worship service should certainly be so.  Verse sixteen states, And they stood in their place after their manner, according to the law of Moses the man of God: the priests sprinkled the blood, which they received of the hand of the Levites.  At least after they sanctified themselves the priests and Levites conducted the service in accordance with God's law.  We need to always conduct our worship services in accordance with the laws of God.  This doesn't mean by a specific order of service, but by doing things for God's honor and glory under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse seventeen adds, For there were many in the congregation that were not sanctified: therefore the Levites had the charge of the killing of the passovers for every one that was not clean, to sanctify them unto the Lord.  The Levites killed the sacrifice, which was not in accordance with God's law, which specified that the priests alone could do so.  In our worship services, we need to make sure that they are carried out in accordance with God's will.  Many people were not ceremonial clean, so the priests and Levites had to kill the Passover for everyone who was not clean.  We are spiritually unclean and can only have God's judgment pass over us by accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, since He is the only One Who is spiritually clean and qualified to do so.  Verse eighteen continues, For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good Lord pardon every one.  Several people, many from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulon being specified did not purify themselves before participating in the Passover meal, so Hezekiah prayed and asked God to forgive them.  If people who are not saved participate in worship services today, we cannot purify them, but we can ask God to help them come to Jesus Christ so they can be purified.  Verse nineteen says, That prepareth his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.  Hezekiah's prayer was that those who we not spiritually purified would be, and that should be our prayer for the lost people of the world today.  We should never look down on them but should lift them up to God by prayer. Verse twenty adds, And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.  God listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.  I believe the people had a change of heart and repented and were purified in God's sight and not that Hezekiah was able to bring them forgiveness without them confessing and asking for forgiveness, just as Jesus Christ intercedes for all sinners with the Father, but it does them no good, unless they accept Him as their Savior and Lord and ask for forgiveness.  We cannot bring anyone to God's saving grace by our own abilities, but we can only bring them to God in prayer.  Then, it is up to them to accept the gift of salvation and God will forgive them if they do.