The God of Second Chances (October 26, 2025)
- Brian Lee
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
2 Chronicles 30:13–27
INTRODUCTION: THE GOD WHO MEETS US AT THE WELL
It was noon in Samaria. A woman came alone to draw water. This is how the Bible remembers her (John 4:1-42).
4:4 Now he [Jesus] had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. 7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”
Five marriages had ended in disappointment, and the man she lived with now wasn’t her husband. She was done with religion, done with people, and maybe done with hope.
People avoided her. They probably judged her and gossiped about her, but apparently, Jesus looked for her. In that encounter, Jesus crossed every barrier—race, gender, morality, and shame—to invite a sinner into the joy of salvation. She came thirsty for water but left filled with life.
“28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.” (John 4:28-30)
Grace turned her isolation into an invitation; having met Jesus, she now ran out to tell others about the Savior.
This is what God does. He meets us at our lowest and calls us to Himself again. He is the God of second chances.
Today's passage takes us centuries earlier: God's Second Chance at Passover
Centuries before that day at the well, another invitation went out. It was from the Kingdom of Judah to the northern tribes of Israel. You see, they had been at odds with each other. That they did not like each other would be the understatement of the year.
King Hezekiah, one of Judah’s faithful kings, sent messengers “throughout all Israel and Judah” with an urgent call:
“O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that He may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria.” (2 Chronicles 30:6)
Like the Samaritan woman, the northern tribes had long turned away from God.
Their kingdom had fallen to Assyria. Their people were scattered and humiliated.
By every measure, their story was over.
Yet God, through Hezekiah, offered them a second chance. He invited them to come to Jerusalem for the Passover—a feast that celebrated deliverance, forgiveness, and belonging.
As we look at this passage in 2 Chronicles 30:13–27, we’ll see that our God is indeed the God of second chances. He invites the unworthy, He provides for the unready, and He restores joy to His people.
1. GOD INVITES THE UNWORTHY (vv. 1–12, 13)
Hezekiah had inherited a kingdom in ruins. His father Ahaz had closed the temple doors, silenced the priests, and filled Jerusalem with idols. But as soon as Hezekiah became king, he reopened the temple and reestablished worship.
Then he did something extraordinary: he sent couriers north with this message:
“O people of Israel, return to the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that He may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria.” (v. 6)
Think about that. The northern kingdom was already gone—its cities destroyed, its people scattered. Why send an invitation to people who no longer have a nation? Because God never forgets His covenant mercy.
10 So the couriers went from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. 11 However, some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.
Apparently, some people mocked and laughed at the invitation (v. 10). Why?
Maybe the legalists said, “It’s the wrong month! You can’t celebrate Passover late!”
Maybe the pragmatists said, “Where was God when our nation fell? Why bother now?”
But others humbled themselves and came (v. 11).
Those who responded discovered what that Samaritan woman would one day find—
that the heart of God beats with mercy for the undeserving. There’s always a remnant that hears grace even through the noise of cynicism.
2. GOD PROVIDES A SECOND CHANCE (vv. 2–3, 14–20)
Chronicles says,
“The king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the Passover in the second month.” (v. 2)
That was unusual. Passover was supposed to be celebrated on the fourteenth day of the first month (Nisan)—the anniversary of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.
As Exodus 12:6 commands:
“You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.”
Leviticus 23:5 repeats,
“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord’s Passover.”
So why the delay? Verse 3 explains:
“They could not keep it at that time because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient number, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem.”
The temple had been cleansed, but the people were not yet ready. The priests were too few, too slow, too hesitant after years of corruption. Yet Hezekiah remembered God’s word in Numbers 9:6–13:
“Tell the Israelites: When any of you or your descendants are unclean because of a dead body or are away on a journey, they are still to celebrate the Lord’s Passover, but they are to do it on the fourteenth day of the second month at twilight.”
It was God’s built-in provision for people who had missed the first chance. Hezekiah seized that mercy and applied it to the whole nation. He was saying, “We may be late, but we’re not too late for grace.”
When the people gathered, verse 14 says,
“They set to work and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for burning incense they took away and threw into the brook Kidron.”
Revival always begins with repentance. The false altars must fall before true worship rises. But even then, many came unclean, “not according to the sanctuary’s rules of cleanness” (v. 18).
So Hezekiah prayed,
“May the good Lord pardon everyone who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary's rules of cleanness.”
And we read:
“The Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.” (v. 20)
That’s the gospel in miniature. God’s grace meets imperfect repentance with perfect mercy.
3. GOD RESTORES JOY TO HIS PEOPLE (vv. 21–27)
What began in repentance ended in rejoicing.
“The people of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness.” (v. 21)
In fact, they were so full of joy that they extended the feast another seven days!
“So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.” (v. 26)
Forgiven people cannot keep silent. Worship broke out like spring after a long winter.
The Passover reminded them that they were saved by the blood of the lamb.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread reminded them to live as a purified people.
Both feasts pointed forward to Jesus Christ, the true Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7), who was sacrificed to free us from sin and unite us as one family in His kingdom.
Where guilt had divided, grace now united.
People from Judah and the remnant of Israel worshiped together again.
APPLICATIONS
Application 1: Don’t let cynicism or pride keep you from God’s grace.
God still sends invitations to the unworthy. Maybe you’ve mocked, delayed, or grown disillusioned, but the call remains: “Return to the LORD, that he may return to you.”
Application 2: God’s mercy meets us where we are, not where we should have been.
You may feel unprepared, unworthy, or late in your obedience. But if your heart turns to seek him, he will meet you there. He built a second chance right into his covenant, so that none who desire him are ever too late.
Application 3: Let God’s forgiveness heal your relationships.
The Passover united north and south; grace still unites divided hearts. If God has forgiven you, extend that same mercy to someone else this week. Joy deepens when forgiven people forgive others.
CONCLUSION
Hezekiah’s Passover teaches us the same truth that the cross of Christ proclaims:
Our God is the God of second chances.
He invites the unworthy.
He provides a way for the unready.
And he restores joy to those who return.
So, if you’ve missed your “first chance,” if you’ve drifted or delayed, remember:
It’s not too late. The door of mercy is still open.
The God who welcomed prodigals and pardoned rebels still says, “Return to me.”
And when we do, joy returns to worship.
CLOSING PRAYER
Father,
You are the God of second chances.
You call us back when we have wandered, and You meet us with grace when we return.
Forgive our pride and our delay.
Cleanse the altars of our hearts and teach us to worship You in spirit and truth.
May the joy of forgiveness heal our relationships and unite Your church in praise.
Restore to us the joy of Your salvation, and let our worship overflow with gratitude to the Lamb who was slain.
In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
