God Hears Those Who Set Their Heart

 

II Chronicles 30:18 For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon everyone 19 who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary's rules of cleanness.” 20 And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. 21 And the people of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness, and the Levites and the priests praised the Lord day by day, singing with all their might to the Lord.

Here we are once again looking at the reign of Hezekiah.  Once again we see God hearing his plea as he had done something very few of the kings had done: reinstituting the celebration of Passover.  This hit at the core of Jewish faith, acknowledging their covenant with God and need for the shed blood of God's Lamb to cover over their sin, providing deliverance from their slavery.  This is one of those passages where we see the great mercy and grace of God.  He is not a mean Master, demanding minute obedience to every legalistic detail; He is longing to hear our deserved humble praise.