Heaps of Firstfruits (2 Chronicles 31)
Mercy becomes structure. After the great Passover (yesterday’s “pardon over perfection”), Hezekiah orders worship, supports priests and Levites, and the people bring firstfruits and tithes until they lie in “heaps” (Hebrew aremot). Note the timing: from the third to the seventh month—wheat harvest to ingathering—Shavuot to Sukkot. “Honey” here is likely date syrup (debash), not bees’ honey. The Chronicler closes with a triad: Hezekiah did what was good, right, and faithful, seeking God with all his heart—and so he prospered (tsalach: God-given success).
Culture and history: store chambers (lishkot) ring the temple; in Hezekiah’s day Judah used royal-stamped lmlk jars—archaeological evidence of organized storage and distribution. Administration becomes a form of worship when done be’emunah (faithfully).
Theology: grace births ordered generosity; the tithe sustains Word and worship (Deuteronomy 14:22–29), anticipates Malachi’s “storehouse,” and blossoms in gospel giving (2 Corinthians 9:6–11). Priests living from the altar prefigure the church’s shared stewardship (1 Corinthians 9:13–14). Revival requires systems.
Cross-references: Nehemiah 10:37–39; 13:10–14; Malachi 3:10; Proverbs 3:9–10.
Hymn: “We Give Thee but Thine Own.”
Prayer Lord of abundance, order my mercy into faithful practices. Make my giving joyful, my planning honest, and my heart whole toward you. Prosper the work that serves your Name, and feed many from the “heaps” of your grace. Amen.
Narrated version of this devotional on 2 Chronicles Chapter 31