King Manasseh
Manasseh, son of King Hezekiah, became the King of Judah, at the age of 12 and reigned for 55 years, the longest period ruled by a Hebrew King. (2 Chronicles.33:1. (697- 642 BC) He did evil in the eyes of the Lord and was the most evil King of Judah.
He followed the detestable practices of the nations around.(33:2.)
He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had demolished.(33:3.)
Erected altars to the Baals+ made Asherah poles+ worshipped all the starry hosts.(33:3.)
Sacrificed his sons. (33:3.)
Practiced sorcery, divination, witchcraft, consulted mediums and spiritists.(33:6.)
- Didn’t pay attention to God’s words.(33:10)
Led Judah to do more evil than the pagan nations.v9.
LORD got very angry and punished them.(33:11)
-Assyrian army took Manasseh as a prisoner.
- Put a hook on his nose.
-Chained him with Bronze shackles.
-Took him as captive to Babylon.
Repentance and prayer.
In captivity, he came to his sense, repented, humbled himself and prayed to the LORD.v12.
Lord answered his prayer..
Lord heard his prayer, forgave his sins and brought him back to Jerusalem as King.
2 Chronicles 33:14-17, we read how Manasseh corrected his earlier mistakes. He got rid of the foreign gods,. removed the images, ..altars..threw them out of the city.(33:15)
Restore the altar of the Lord…told Judah to serve the LORD.(33:16)
The people however, continued to sacrifice at the high places, but only to the Lord their God. ( 33:17) Though he removed idolatry from the land, he could not remove idolatry from the hearts of his people.Their worship continued at the high places as if Lord is another pagan deity.
Hezekiah was one of the best Kings of Judah but he failed to properly train his son in faith. As a result, his son bacame the most evil King of Judah
2 important lessons we can learn from the life of King Manasseh.
- God is full of compassion and mercy. God is willing to forgive and forget if we confess and come back to Him.
2.Sin even if forgiven, can have a long and lasting impact. Though he changed his life, the damage caused to his people remained a dark legacy throughout the remainder of his life.
How is our life in the sight of God?
What is our influence on the people around us?
Rev.C.V.Abraham.