Hezekiah Big Passover

One runner dey race for one dusty road, one sealed letter dey im hand. E reach one village, read am out for di square, and run go di next one. And di next one. All di way from di desert for south reach di far north. Na invitation.

Hezekiah don become king of Judah. Im papa, King Ahaz, don lock di doors of di temple and set up altars for other gods all over Jerusalem. Hezekiah, for im very first month, open di doors again and make dem clean and repair di temple. Now e want more. E want make di people keep di Passover, di big feast wey dey remember how God rescue Israel from Egypt. People don neglect am for long time. And Hezekiah want invite no be only Judah, but di people of di north too, di tribes of Israel, wey Assyria don crush dia own kingdom. Dem don carry many of dia families go. Di ones wey remain don scatter and break.

Problem dey with di timing. Dem suppose keep Passover for di first month, but di priests wey don make demselves ready no reach, and di people never get time to gather. So di king, im officials and di whole assembly agree to keep am for di second month instead. Then di runners go out, with letters from di king, from Beersheba for south reach Dan for north. And dis na di message wey dem carry. People of Israel, come back to Di Lord, di God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, so dat e go come back to una wey remain. Make una no dey stubborn like una papa-papa dem. Come to im sanctuary. Serve Di Lord una God. Because Di Lord una God get grace and mercy, and e no go turn im face from una, if una come back to am.

Di runners go from town to town for Ephraim and Manasseh, reach Zebulun. And people laugh dem. Dem mock dem. Make we come Jerusalem? After all dis? But no be everybody laugh. Some people from Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humble demselves and come. And for Judah, God give di people one heart to do wetin di king ask. One very big crowd gather for Jerusalem. First, dem scatter di altars for other gods wey still full di city, and throw dem inside di Kidron valley. Then dem kill di Passover lambs. Di priests and Levites, wey shame catch because dem no ready before, make demselves holy and take dia places. But many of di visitors from north never get chance to purify demselves as di law demand. Dem still chop di Passover. So Hezekiah pray for dem. Make di good Lord pardon everybody wey set dia heart to seek God, di God of dia papa-papa dem, even if dem no dey clean by di rules of di sanctuary. And Di Lord hear Hezekiah, and heal di people.

For seven days dem keep di Feast of Bread Wey No Get Yeast with big joy. Every day di Levites and priests dey praise Di Lord with loud instruments. Hezekiah talk words wey encourage di Levites wey serve well. And then, when di seven days finish, di whole assembly agree to continue for another seven days. Hezekiah give one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep for di people to share. Im officials give one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep more. Judah and di visitors from Israel and di foreigners wey dey live for di land all celebrate together. Big joy dey Jerusalem. Nothing like am don happen since di days of Solomon, more than two hundred years before. At last di priests and Levites stand up and bless di people. And God hear dia voice. Dia prayer rise reach heaven, God holy home.

To move Passover go di second month no be something wey Hezekiah just cook up by imself. Back for di wilderness, di book of Numbers record say some men no fit keep Passover on time because dem no dey clean by di law. God come give one rule. Anybody wey no dey clean, or wey dey far for long journey, fit keep di Passover one month later, for di second month, for di fourteenth day.

Hezekiah big Passover. You go find am for Second Chronicles, chapter thirty. One king wey invite everybody make dem come home, some wey laugh, many wey come, and one God wey get grace and mercy, wey no dey turn im face away. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Who you fit invite make e come back to God, and how?