“For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, ‘May the good LORD pardon everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.’ So the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.” (2 Chronicles 30:18-20)
When Hezekiah called all of Israel to partake of the Passover it had been years since they had done so. That is a shameful truth, but the reality nonetheless. It was an ignorant and bedraggled bunch that gathered to take the Passover and they simply didn’t know what they were doing and didn’t prepare properly. This too was shameful.
Yet, they wanted to do what was right and so God reckoned their flawed worship as forgivable. This speaks not of the glory of the people, but of the grace of God. God is gracious to accept us in our imperfection and bear with us in our process of growth. This first Passover was a victory though imperfectly celebrated, it was still celebrated. Their sacrifices were less than ideal, but still were made and God reckoned that as a good thing.
We cannot confuse this grace with permission to offer God less than our best – I suspect if such poor preparation happened the next year, God would have had a different attitude toward those who didn’t make progress in their knowledge and behavior. It isn’t a condoning of ignorance, but it is a reminder that you don’t have to have it all figured out in order to begin. Start where you are, and God will heal the broken and the foolish that are willing to humble themselves before Him.
“But go you and learn what that means, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Matthew 9:13)
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites