Revival
The revival under Hezekiah is a model of repentance for the Church and a foretaste of the Gospel. First, He consecrated the priests and they “went into the inner part of the house of the Lord to cleanse it” (2 Chron. 29:15-16). That is a beautiful picture of repentance, which begins by emptying ourselves of everything that defiles us. Keep in mind that in the New Testament believers are called a royal priesthood, and their bodies are temples of God. Once the temple was empty Hezekiah ordered the sin offering. The sin offering was a blood offering only. The carcass of the sacrificed animal was disposed of outside the walls of the city. Jesus is our sin offering. After shedding His blood, His body was entombed outside the walls of the city. Thank God that our sins are forgiven, but that by itself will not bring revival.
Then Hezekiah ordered the burnt offering, which sacrificed the whole body of the animal. “Then Hezekiah commanded that the burnt offering be offered on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song to the Lord began also, and trumpets, accompanied by the instruments of David king of Israel” (vs. 27). The whole body of the animal was sacrificed for the burnt offering. Burnt literally means “that which ascends.” Did you know that at one time there were 244 trained musicians who led a choir of 4000, and there was music in the temple day and night?
In the New Testament, we are the burnt offering. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1). It is not enough to know that our sins are forgiven. We must yield ourselves to Him as living sacrifices, then the music begins in our temples as He fills us with His Spirit. When that happens you will “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).
As believers we are to consider ourselves to be alive in Christ and dead to sin. “Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires” (Romans 6:12). That is our responsibility and the next verse tells us how, including one negative instruction and two positive instructions. “Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness” (Romans 12:13). Personal revival and victory comes when we clean out the temple through genuine repentance, consecrate ourselves, and our bodies to God as instruments of righteousness.
Dr. Neil
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