Temple Cleaning

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Chronicles 29:1-11

TO CHEW ON: "He brought in the priests and the Levites, assembled them in the square on the east side and said, 'Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your fathers. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary.'” 2 Chronicles 29:4,5

What are you most likely to do when your room gets messy?
- clean it up
- nothing

When Hezekiah, Uzziah’s great-grandson became Judah’s king, one of the first things he did was a clean-up job, even though the mess wasn’t in his room and it was a mess he hadn’t made. In the first month of his reign King Hezekiah called together the priests and Levites and told them to clean up the temple.



The reasons for cleaning it up were more than that Hezekiah was a neat-freak. After thirty two years of being ruled by evil kings (his father Ahaz and his grandfather Jotham), Hezekiah knew there was a connection between worshiping God and having His blessing. He wanted God’s blessing more than anything. And so he told the priests and Levites to take everything that didn’t belong in the temple out so that they could again worship God there.

We could compare what Hezekiah did in the temple with the house cleaning that sometimes needs to be done in our hearts. If you don’t feel close to God and you’d rather not talk to Him every day, maybe it’s because there’s a mess in your heart. And how would you clean up such a mess?

You could take a pretend walk with God through every ‘room’ in your heart. As you go through each room – the home room, the school room, the friends room, the TV room, the computer room – ask Him to show you if there is anything that needs cleaning up. If there is, ask Him what you need to do to clean it up.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to clean up the messes in my heart. Amen.



MORE: A Clean Room
What is the state of your bedroom right now? Does it need a cleaning? Here are some hints to help you get and keep a tidy room.


30-Minute bedroom clean-up
1. 10 minutes: Straighten your bed. Now put everything that is out of place on your bed.
2. 10 minutes: Set an oven timer for 10 minutes and see if you can beat the clock at putting everything away.
3. 10 minutes: Dust flat surfaces with a feather duster. Vacuum the floor (or get it ready for an adult to vacuum).

Keep it tidy
1. Keep a laundry hamper in your room and throw dirty laundry in it instead of on the floor.
2. Hang up all clothes once a day.
3. Return dirty dishes, pop cans and juice boxes to the kitchen every day.
4. Organize your shelves and desk so there is a place for each thing. Return everything to its spot once a day.

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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