When Partial Obedience is Better Than None

“For a multitude of the people, [even] many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every one [That] prepareth his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though [he be] not [cleansed] according to the purification of the sanctuary. And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.” (2Ch 30:18-20 AV)

This is an interesting passage and a hard one to apply.  Israel had, for many decades, slipped into idolatry.  This revival was right around the time of the ten northern tribes exile into Assyria.  Either this was just prior to, or immediately after, Assyria’s carrying away of Israel.  So, the four tribes of the northern kingdom who participated in this Passover were either those who knew judgment was coming and wished to worship before the chastisement, or they were the remnant that was not immediately carried away.  These four tribes were the ones directly to the north of Benjamin.  They would have been the last to be invaded or the last to be carried away.  At any rate, it appears there were those of the north who wished to do right but time and opportunity did not allow them to be completely right when they did so.  At this point, a partial step of faith and obedience is better than none at all.  And that is the point.

Sometimes, we wish those who are not right with God to get everything right all at once.  But it doesn’t work that way.  It wasn’t that these four tribes didn’t want to.  Traveling to Jerusalem against the general opinion of their brethren took courage and faith.  It took expense on their part.  It took integrity on their part.  It was simply an issue of opportunity and time.

We are not saying that we should accept partial obedience when full obedience can be had.  We are not saying we need to show grace when someone, who can take a full step, refuses to because he is writing his own rules.  We are not saying that we should pray and ask the LORD to show grace on someone who is halfway there because he refuse to go the last mile.  We are simply observing that a king prayed for his brothers who wanted to do right but ran out of time.  Sincerity was never the question.  Ability was.