Day 134 – February 23, 2024: II Chronicles 27-30 and Psalms 122-123

Let’s start with the psalms that we have for our readings. They are both categorized as Psalms of ascent, which literally means psalms of going up. They are both pilgrim psalms with the readers, or those saying out loud the words making their way to Jerusalem and on their way up toward Jerusalem, literally, they are able to cry out that they, just like Psalm 121, lifting their eyes up to the Lord. 123 begins with to you I lift up my eyes, again, to see Jerusalem perched on its hill. 122 gives us the phrase: I was glad when they said let us go to the house of the Lord.

This then takes us to the reforms of Hezekiah who was able to do right according to what God wanted him to do in a way that hadn’t been seen since the days of David. Notice that he reinstalls the passover but since so much time had passed when they last had a passover festival not everyone knew how to do it. But he prays to God and asks for grace for their shortcomings and God grants it. Even though the worship isn’t perfect or even what was prescribed, at least they tried. I find that fascinating. Our worship is stilted and confused, and yet I think we are trying. I pray that the grace of God be extended to us like in the days of Hezekiah.