“Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us.”
My Notes
What Does 2 Chronicles 29:10 Mean?
Hezekiah declares his intention: "Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us." The covenant renewal is motivated by the desire to end divine anger. Hezekiah diagnoses the nation's condition correctly: God's wrath is upon them because of previous kings' unfaithfulness (verse 6). The remedy is covenant renewal.
The phrase "in mine heart" (im-levavi — in my heart, in my interior) establishes that the covenant renewal begins with a personal, internal decision by the king. Before the nation agrees, Hezekiah has already decided. The leader's heart precedes the community's commitment. The revival starts with one person's internal resolution.
The purpose — turning away God's fierce wrath (charon aph — burning anger, heated fury) — is explicitly stated. Hezekiah doesn't pursue covenant renewal for spiritual enrichment or institutional improvement. He pursues it because the nation is under divine judgment and the only remedy is return to the covenant. The motivation is survival, not sentimentality.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What revival decision is 'in your heart' that hasn't yet become public action?
- 2.How does Hezekiah's honest motivation (turning away wrath, not spiritual enrichment) model urgent covenant renewal?
- 3.What does one person's internal decision producing a national movement teach about how revival starts?
- 4.Where do you need to return to the original covenant rather than looking for a new program?
Devotional
It's in my heart. Hezekiah makes a decision before the nation makes a decision. The king resolves internally to renew the covenant, and the resolution precedes every public act that follows — the temple cleansing, the Passover celebration, the national worship revival.
The motivation is brutally honest: God's fierce wrath is on us. The previous kings abandoned the covenant (verse 6: 'our fathers have trespassed'). The temple has been shut (verse 7). The worship has ceased. And the consequence is divine fury that Hezekiah can feel. The covenant renewal isn't optional spiritual enhancement. It's emergency response to active divine judgment.
The 'in mine heart' establishes that every revival begins with one person's interior decision. Before the priests are assembled, before the Levites are consecrated, before a single instrument plays — Hezekiah decides. Alone. In his heart. The personal conviction precedes and produces the national movement.
The covenant Hezekiah wants to renew isn't a new covenant. It's the old one — the Sinai covenant, the one his fathers abandoned. The remedy for covenant-breaking isn't a new program. It's a return to the original commitment. You don't need a different covenant. You need to keep the one you have.
Hezekiah's revival will be one of the most thorough in Judah's history: the temple is cleansed (verses 15-19), the sacrifices resume (verses 20-35), and the Passover is celebrated for the first time since Solomon (30:26). All of it traces back to this verse: one king's heart-level decision to make a covenant that had been broken.
Every revival in history started the same way: one person decided. In their heart. Before anything changed externally. What decision is in your heart that hasn't yet become action?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
My sons,.... So, as the father of his people, he speaks of them in the most tender and affectionate manner:
be not now…
To make a covenant - To renew the covenant under which the whole people were constantly considered, and of which…
Here is, I. Hezekiah's age when he came to the crown. He was twenty-five years old. Joash, who came to the crown after…
a covenant Cp. 2Ch 15:12.
his fierce wrath R.V. his fierce anger.
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture