Passover: Difference between revisions

As soon as King Hezekiah was enthroned, he made the decision to keep the Passover, with the hope that his nation would be at peace and protected by God’s grace. Hezekiah sent his couriers throughout the two kingdoms of Judah and Israel to deliver the news to come to [[Jerusalem]] to celebrate the Passover. However, most of the Israelites in the north, because they had not kept the Passover for about 250 years since the time when Israel was divided into two kingdoms, ridiculed the couriers and their message. In the end, only the people of the southern Kingdom of Judah kept the Passover with the Israelites in the north who humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem to keep it.<ref name="히스기야 유월절">{{Cite web|url=https://www.studylight.org/study-desk.html?q1=2+Chronicles+30%3A1-12&q2=&ss=0&t1=eng_n84&t2=eng_kjv&t3=eng_nas&ns=0&sr=1&ot=bhs&nt=wh&hv1=1&b=verse&d=3|title=2 Chronicles 30:1–12|quote=}}</ref> After keeping the Passover, the people removed all the [[Idol|idols]] from inside the temple and also broke down the altars that were being used to sacrifice and worship other gods, not even knowing they were committing idolatry.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.studylight.org/study-desk.html?q1=2+Chronicles+31%3A1+&q2=&ss=0&t1=eng_n84&t2=eng_kjv&t3=eng_nas&ns=0&sr=1&ot=bhs&nt=wh&hv1=1&b=verse&d=3|title=2 Chronicles 31:1|quote=}}</ref><br>Three years later, Assyria, a powerful nation at the time, invaded and besieged Israel in the north and surrounded Samaria, the capital city of Israel, eventually capturing it after three years. Northern Israel, which did not celebrate the Passover, was completely destroyed around 721 BC.<ref>[https://www.esv.org/resources/esv-global-study-bible/introduction-to-1-2-kings/ Introduction to 1–2 Kings], 《ESV》</ref> The Bible explains that the fundamental cause of the destruction of Northern Israel was because they violated God’s covenant.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.studylight.org/study-desk.html?q1=2+Kings+18%3A9-12&q2=&ss=0&t1=eng_n84&t2=eng_kjv&t3=eng_nas&ns=0&sr=1&ot=bhs&nt=wh&hv1=1&b=verse&d=3|title=2 Kings 18:9–12|quote=}}</ref><br>In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah, the Assyrian army also invaded Judah in the south, conquered many cities, and narrowed their siege on Jerusalem. God promised salvation to Judah in the south, which celebrated the Passover, and sent an angel to fight against the Assyrian soldiers. As a result, over 185,000 Assyrian soldiers were killed overnight and the Assyrian army retreated.<ref name="남 유다 구원">{{Cite web|url=https://www.studylight.org/study-desk.html?q1=2+Kings+19%3A30-35&q2=&ss=0&t1=eng_n84&t2=eng_kjv&t3=eng_nas&ns=0&sr=1&ot=bhs&nt=wh&hv1=1&b=verse&d=3|title=2 Kings 19:30–35|quote=}}</ref> According to the promise contained in the Passover, Judah in the south was protected from disasters and escaped its destruction.