Manasseh

The subject of prodigals has been on many blogs. Sunday’s Father’s Day sermon brought to mind another one – Manasseh.

Hezekiah’s stories have been discussed here, especially the additional fifteen years God granted him. It wasn’t enough time, though, to see his son, Manasseh, grown. Only twelve when he ascended his father’s throne, he was old enough to do evil in the sight of God.

Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem: But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. [2 Chronicles 33:1-2 KJV]

The Bible doesn’t tell us about his advisors, whether they were good or bad, but we could expect he had a bit of both and made his own decisions. The next verses detail just how far away from God he reached, until it is summed up in:

So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel. [2 Chronicles 33:9 KJV]

God reached out to them, as He does to us today.

And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken. [2 Chronicles 33:10 KJV]

The problem with all prodigals, whether people or nations. They will not hearken, they will not listen. There is a list of errs:

And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. [2 Chronicles 33:6 KJV]

I haven’t heard of children sacrificed, but I do know of horoscopes (observed times) being checked by Christians. Here it is listed along side much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. I don’t know about you, but I absolutely do not wish to provoke the Lord to anger. As Massaneh continued to do.

God used Assyria to humble Massaneh, to place him bound in Babylon. Do we need to be humbled before we return to Him in prayer? Must we wait for affliction?

And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God. [2 Chronicles 33:12-13 KJV]

When will we know that the Lord, He is God?

Michelangelo's Hezekiah-Manasseh-Amon. (Wiki Commons)