Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of II Chronicles Chapter 30
Metaphysically Interpreting II Chronicles 30:1-27
30:1And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto Jehovah, the God of Israel. 30:2For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the assembly in Jerusalem, to keep the passover in the second month. 30:3For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves in sufficient number, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem.30:4And the thing was right in the eyes of the king and of all the assembly. 30:5So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beer-sheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem: for they had not kept it in great numbers in such sort as it is written. 30:6So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may return to the remnant that are escaped of you out of the hand of the kings of Assyria. 30:7And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, who trespassed against Jehovah, the God of their fathers, so that he gave them up to desolation, as ye see. 30:8Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were; but yield yourselves unto Jehovah, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever, and serve Jehovah your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you. 30:9For if ye turn again unto Jehovah, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that led them captive, and shall come again into this land: for Jehovah your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him.
30:10So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them. 30:11Nevertheless certain men of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves, and came to Jerusalem. 30:12Also upon Judah came the hand of God to give them one heart, to do the commandment of the king and of the princes by the word of Jehovah.
30:13And there assembled at Jerusalem much people to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the second month, a very great assembly. 30:14And 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. 30:15Then 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 burnt-offerings into the house of Jehovah. 30:16And they stood in their place after their order, according to the law of Moses the man of God: the priests sprinkled the blood which they received of the hand of the Levites. 30:17For there were many in the assembly that had not sanctified themselves: therefore the Levites had the charge of killing the passovers for every one that was not clean, to sanctify them unto Jehovah. 30:18For 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 is written. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, The good Jehovah pardon every one 30:19that setteth his heart to seek God, Jehovah, the God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. 30:20And Jehovah hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people. 30:21And the children of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised Jehovah day by day, singing with loud instruments unto Jehovah. 30:22And Hezekiah spake comfortably unto all the Levites that had good understanding in the service of Jehovah. So they did eat throughout the feast for the seven days, offering sacrifices of peace-offerings, and making confession to Jehovah, the God of their fathers.
30:23And the whole assembly took counsel to keep other seven days; and they kept other seven days with gladness. 30:24For Hezekiah king of Judah did give to the assembly for offerings a thousand bullocks and seven thousand sheep; and the princes gave to the assembly a thousand bullocks and ten thousand sheep: and a great number of priests sanctified themselves. 30:25And all the assembly of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the assembly that came out of Israel, and the sojourners that came out of the land of Israel, and that dwelt in Judah, rejoiced. 30:26So there was great joy in Jerusalem; for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem. 30:27Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy habitation, even unto heaven.
November 6, 1898: II Chronicles 30:1-13
Judah at this time was still under the reign of the good king Hezekiah. As his name implies (the might of Jehovah) he was “strong in the Lord and the power of his might,” and through the use of this power succeeded in accomplishing the reforms for which he is noted.
Realizing that it was the divine plan that the people should be united in their worship of God, and knowing how they had been prevented from gathering in their religious center, Jerusalem, through captivity and by being led astray by wicked kings, he issued a proclamation calling them to gather together at Jerusalem to keep the feast of the passover. The origin and meaning of this feast is recorded in the 12th chapter of Exodus and should be read in connection with this lesson.
What bearing does this history have upon us as individuals? None, only as it describes mental conditions through which we have passed or are now passing in our soul growth. As our rise from the Adam man with its sense consciousness to the Christ man with the realization of spiritual Being, is pictured in the characters and incidents recorded in the Bible, so the study of these lessons will teach us which thoughts to deny a foothold in mind and which thoughts to cultivate and hold, if we desire harmony in our universe. Like the children of Israel we have been brought up out of Egypt (darkness of ignorance), into the promised land (knowledge of Truth) and we would celebrate with thanksgiving our pass(ing) over from bondage into liberty.
1. I AM, the king, desires all the faculties (all Israel and Judah) to unite at the center of consciousness (Jerusalem) to continue this Passover into still greater realization of Truth.
2-4. We know that when we are first released from the bondage of the old ignorant ideas that we need time to assimilate this new Truth and are not ready for advanced work at once.
5-7. So we direct our thoughts to every part of our mentality, recognizing the fact that, although these mental forces have been used on the mortal plane (in the hands of the Assyrians) they are still Spiritual (children of Israel), and must return to Spiritual use and be in turn blessed by the Spirit.
7. “As ye see.” It is expected of us that we learn by experience, and if our thoughts (our fathers and brothers) have brought us direful results, we should . . .
8. Yield to the promptings of the Spirit and enter into communion (the sanctuary) with our God, for ...
9. Our God is Love, and when we come into his Love (turn again unto the Lord) its influence reaches out and brings all that belongs to us (our mothers and children) under its protection.
10. The condition under which we receive this blessing is that we turn unto or “field ourselves unto the Lord.” We may refuse to do this like Ephraim and Manasseh, thus putting off true happiness for awhile. Ephraim and Manassah received special invitations from the king and were tribes that refused with scorn to accept them. From the prominence given these tribes, we conclude there must be some special esoteric meaning in it for us in this connection. Ephraim, fruitfulness, occupied a position near the center of Palestine. Manasseh, who causes to forget, held the largest territory of anyone of the tribes and was located upon the Northern boundary. Intellect is the most fruitful of all our faculties and is near to Spirituality. Manasseh may mean subconscious mind, which is a large part of our mentality, stored with seemingly forgotten knowledge and is upon the border of conscious mind. The first, through self confidence, the latter because not yet awake to the fact that its store of knowledge is for the use of the spirit, refuse to listen to the voice of God calling them to active service.
11-12. But some intellectual thoughts and some knowledge from the storehouse of our subconscious mind, and especially the more Spiritual part of our natures (Judah) unite as one to do the will of God.
13. When we examine ourselves we find quite a gathering of forces at our Spiritual center, and “as a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump,” we look upon this as a prophesy of spiritual dominion even unto the “ends of the earth.”
– UNITY magazine.
December 5, 1915: II Chronicles 30:13-27
What do the burnt offerings of bullocks and sheep represent? The transmutation of life and substance from a material, physical base to the spiritual.
Where does this transmutation take place? In mind and body.
What is the altar? It is that place in consciousness where the sacrifice of the personal is willingly made.
What is the first step in transmutation? An earnest desire for Spirit and the expression of Spirit in all the mind and body processes.
In generation what is the course of the life currents? Downward. They go to the generative center and are wasted in sense ways.
What is the course of the life currents in regeneration? Upward. When this change in the life flow takes place, then body regeneration begins.
December 5, 1915: II Chronicles 30:13-27
The elaborate ceremonies of the ancient Hebrew worship seem absurd to moderns, and viewed apart from their symbolism, they have but little to recommend them as religious rites. But they had deep significance in the development of the soul, which explains the hold they had on the people. Every outward religious rite has an inward grace. The form is the exercise of the soul in its childhood before it realizes the real meaning of life. With this understanding before us we can be charitable with the crude and even barbaric religious ceremonies of the Hebrews.
In the study of things pertaining to religion we should keep in mind the three activities of consciousness: spiritual, psychical and physical. The spiritual is the realm of absolute principles, the psychical the realm of thought images and the physical the manifestation. The well-balanced, thoroughly developed man, of which Jesus is type, comprehends and consciously adjusts himself to spirit, soul and body as a whole, and thereby fulfills the law of his being. Those who are on the way to this attainment have various experiences, which are symbolically set forth in these scriptures.
The Hebrew nation is represented in the contexts of this lesson as in a state of idolatry, drunkenness, oppression, and widespread neglect of true religious worship. The brazen altars of Baal were set up in the sacred temple. The people were following the psychical and material instead of the spiritual, and national weakness was everywhere apparent. They were paying large yearly tribute to the Assyrians to keep the peace, and the people were taxed beyond endurance. This all represents the man or woman who has lost sight of the true God and is swamped in the waves of materiality.
The remedy is at hand waiting for those who are strong in I Am power. Hezekiah's name means “Jehovah strengthens.” Human strength is too weak to carry out the necessary reforms, but there is a king who receives his strength from God, and his name is Jehovah, the Supreme I Am expressed in man. The first step is the cleansing of mind and body. Read how many days they spent in carrying out the unclean things that were in the temple. This means that we shall purify our minds and bodies in order that the Spirit may come in and do the regenerative work. Some people think it necessary to cleanse the mind only, and let the body take care of itself. But Truth reveals that we shall in all ways fulfill the law of purity. Whoever defiles his body with impure thoughts, lustful passions, or decaying food will find his progress retarded at some point.
The burnt offerings of bullocks and sheep on the altar represent the transmutation of the physical forces to the next higher plane of action. This is a process of body refinement that pertains to those who follow Jesus in the regeneration. The altar represents the place in consciousness where we are willing to give up the lower to the higher, the personal to the impersonal, the animal to the God. The life forces of those living in generation flow down to the generative center in the body and are spent in the material. This brings death to the body. When, through a sincere desire for things spiritual, man lifts up his mind, there is a complete reversal of these life forces. Instead of the downward flow the currents start toward the heart, and a process of body rejuvenation begins. Then there is rejoicing in the man, and he sings praises unto the Lord. This is represented by the “singing with loud instruments unto the Lord.” When this blessed realization of the regeneration comes to consciousness the voices of men are heard by the Lord, and their prayers ascend “even unto heaven.”
– UNITY magazine.
April 14, 1929: II Chronicles 30:1-9
What is the metaphysical meaning of the words, King Hezekiah? Metaphysically, King Hezekiah means the expression of spiritual strength in the executive power of the mind.
What are the meanings of the names, Israel and Judah, and what do they represent? What do Ephraim and Manasseh represent? The word Israel means “prevailing with God;” the word Judah means “praise.” They represent the spiritual consciousness, which has been attained by overcoming and by praising. Ephraim and Manasseh represent the will and the understanding.
In this lesson why is King Hezekiah moved to call together the whole house of Israel, and to reestablish the worship of Jehovah in Jerusalem? In this Scripture “all Israel” (symbolizing the spiritual consciousness in man) is described as being in a state of idolatry and spiritual darkness. The people (thoughts) by superstitions and ignorance had been led away from God and were becoming submerged in materiality. When, in this state of consciousness, the executive power (represented by King Hezekiah) receives spiritual quickening and beholds the necessity of rectifying the widespread neglect of religious worship, it is moved to call together all the spiritual thoughts, and to congregate them in the consciousness of peace (Jerusalem) and to reestablish the worship of Jehovah within the soul.
The king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the assembly in Jerusalem, to keep the passover. What is the metaphysical meaning of the “passover”? The passover means the passing from a lower to a higher state of consciousness. The passover is a natural experience through which one passes as the result of spiritual meditation and prayer. Earnest affirmations and realizations gradually become rooted deep in consciousness, and the old error states lose their hold and pass away. During an experience of this kind the whole man is uplifted, and the whole thought realm is exalted. The passover is always looked upon as a season of feasting and of thanksgiving.
In individual consciousness, how do we send messages “throughout all Israel and Judah”? We send messages “throughout all Israel and Judah,” or throughout the whole consciousness, by making statements of Truth, silently or audibly, and then directing our attention to the various centers of consciousness.
What is the meaning of the admonition, “Be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were; but yield yourselves unto Jehovah, and enter into his sanctuary”? This Scriptural statement is a denial of inherited stubbornness and opposition, and is an affirmation of unity with the ever-living One.
What is the meaning of the assurance, “Jehovah your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him”? This calls attention to the loving forgiveness of God, which dissolves every transgression of the law and brings man into a new state of mind and of body.
April 14, 1929: II Chronicles 30:25-27
In verse 26 we read that the ultimate result of the return to Jehovah was “great joy in Jerusalem.” Explain. When man worships God aright and establishes peace within his heart there is a complete reversal of the life forces. Instead of the downward flow, the currents start toward the heart, and a process of rejuvenation begins in the body. There is rejoicing in the man, and he sings praises unto the Lord.
September 9, 1934: II Chronicles 30:1-9,13
What three activities of consciousness have to do with the study of religion? The spiritual, the mental, and the physical all should be considered in this study.
Distinguish briefly between them. The spiritual is the realm of absolute ideas; the mental, the realm of thought activity, and the physical, the realm of manifestation of both ideas and thoughts. Spirit, soul, and body must all be included in the regeneration through Christ.
What is the result of developing the mental and material consciousness and of neglecting the spiritual consciousness? A state of irreligion characterized by materialism or sensuality ensues, and national as well as individual weakness becomes apparent.
How can such a state be remedied? The power of the I AM, the supreme deliverer active in man's consciousness, is sufficient to remedy all ills and errors to which he may become subject.
Name the proper beginning of such a reform. As Jesus in working His miracles always began with what was at hand, so must we begin with our mind, soul, and body, and reform our own consciousness.
Why is it not enough to cleanse the mind only, and leave the body to be influenced by it indirectly? Because the law of purity must be obeyed on all three planes of being. The forces of mind and body must be harmonized, and this can be done most easily by working on the three planes simultaneously.
Explain the command “Turn again unto Jehovah ... that he may return to the remnant that are escaped of you out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.” God is without variableness, therefore it is we who have turned away from the Spirit of good, and it is we who must turn again to God, if we would save ourselves further suffering and inharmony.
What do the burnt offerings of bullocks and sheep on the altar represent? They represent the transmutation of the physical forces to the next higher plane of action through the sacrifice of sense impulses.
Explain the term the “sanctuary” of God. The sanctuary of God is the central calm of man’s inner nature, which is entered most readily through meditation and prayer in the silence.
How are the forces of the body set free to express themselves aright? By a lifting up of the mind in a sincere desire to know God and to live the inner life more deeply and truly, the bodily forces are set free and a rejuvenating process begins.
September 10, 1939: II Chronicles 30:13-22
What is indicated by the statement that a “very great assembly” gathered at Jerusalem in the second month to keep the Passover? The feast of the Passover represents a “passing over” from one consciousness to another in this instance from a lower to a higher state. That a very great assembly presented itself for this rite indicates that the whole consciousness of man leads him to acquiesce in the change under the direction of the will (the king).
Why was unleavened bread customary in this feast? In the beginning unleavened bread denoted the haste with which the Children of Israel departed from Egypt. Later it took on the added significance unlimited substance; bread representing universal substance. Man's thought derived from universal substance is likewise unlimited at its source.
What preparation for the change of mind from the lower to the higher did the people, acting under Hezekiah's orders make? BY removing all the altars for incense (to be offered to idols) from Jerusalem and casting them into the brook Kidron, the people set aside definitely the worship of materiality. They thus prepared themselves for orderly thinking in harmony with Truth.
Why were the priests and the Levites said to have killed all the animals for the offerings to Jehovah? The priests and the Levites symbolize man's natural religious tendencies. These are not necessarily spiritual, nevertheless it is through them that man naturally draws near to God and learns to serve God. The religious nature is man's normal approach to God, and the way as a rule lies open. Therefore the priests and the Levites were appointed to offer sacrifices to Jehovah on the altar.
Hezekiah prayed for the people who had not prepared themselves by the prescribed ceremonial cleansing to observe the Passover, and God heard his prayer. What does this mean? The name Hezekiah means “Jehovah has strengthened.” Prayer offered in the consciousness of divine strength cannot fail of its object. The prayer of faith cleanses the mind and heart of man preparing him to partake of the substance of life.
What part of Hezekiah's prayer is a good affirmation for present-day use? “The good Jehovah pardon every one that setteth his heart to seek God, Jehovah, the God of his fathers” is a good prayer today, because it states the divine law with respect to those who seek to know God.
What helped to make the healing of the people complete? The fact that they kept the feast with praise and great gladness, “singing with loud instruments unto Jehovah,” made the people receptive to the healing power of the Spirit. Those who follow Jesus in the regeneration experience joy and rejoicing as they become conscious of the transmuting process within them through which a refining of mind and body takes place.
Interpret Hezekiah's comforting speech to the Levites, who had good understanding in the service of Jehovah. The strength of Jehovah (Hezekiah) inspires those whose natural religious tendencies are instinct with wisdom and understanding. These qualities give strength.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 01-10-2014
