2 Kings 21:1 – 18 “Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed, and he raised up altars for Baal. He made an Asherah pole, as King Ahab of Israel had done, and he worshiped and served all the host of heaven.
Manasseh also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem I will put My Name.” In both courtyards of the house of the LORD, he built altars to all the host of heaven. He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did great evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
Manasseh even took the carved Asherah pole he had made and set it up in the temple, of which the LORD had said to David and his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will establish My Name forever. I will never again cause the feet of the Israelites to wander from the land that I gave to their fathers, if only they are careful to do all I have commanded them—the whole Law that My servant Moses commanded them.”
But the people did not listen and Manasseh led them astray, so that they did greater evil than the nations that the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.
And the LORD spoke through His servants the prophets, saying, “Since Manasseh king of Judah has committed all these abominations, acting more wickedly than the Amorites who preceded him, and with his idols has caused Judah to sin, this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah that the news will reverberate in the ears of all who hear it.
I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab, and I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes out a bowl—wiping it and turning it upside down. So I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hands of their enemies. And they will become plunder and spoil to all their enemies, because they have done evil in My sight and have provoked Me to anger from the day their fathers came out of Egypt until this day.’”
Moreover, Manasseh shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end, in addition to the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, doing evil in the sight of the LORD.
As for the rest of the acts of Manasseh, along with all his accomplishments and the sin that he committed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And Manasseh rested with his fathers and was buried in his palace garden, the garden of Uzza. And his son Amon reigned in his place.“
Hezekiah has the distinction of being one of the few righteous kings in Judah. But when God grants Hezekiah fifteen more years of life, Hezekiah fathers a son who will be remembered as the worst and most evil king Judah ever sees. Manasseh is born three years into that fifteen – year extension, and Hezekiah dies when Manasseh is twelve years old. Now, twelve years should be enough time to groom a future king and to train him in the ways of God. But if Hezekiah makes any such attempts with Manasseh, the training fails to take.
What has gone wrong with Manasseh?
- Hezekiah fails to invest time in Manasseh’s training or to take him to the temple to worship. Perhaps Hezekiah views his worship as a private matter and assumes that somehow Manasseh will make the right choices when he is older.
- We have no idea how careful or lax Hezekiah has been in his choice of palace servants and advisors. Perhaps there have been those who have been biding their time, simply waiting for Hezekiah to die so that they can manipulate Manasseh to serve their own ends.
- When Hezekiah dies, Manasseh is just entering puberty, a volatile time for anyone. Given the wrong encouragement and the wrong guidance, Manasseh might be sorely tempted to plunge into every fertility cult available. Once hooked on sex, Manasseh can be easily swayed to restore all the cults that his father has tried to eliminate.
- Evidently, there are those in Jerusalem who have been enduring Hezekiah’s reforms without supporting them. Now that cults are freely available, leading citizens of Jerusalem are more than happy to revert. “But the people did not listen and Manasseh led them astray, so that they did greater evil than the nations that the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.” Let’s face it, if the citizens of Jerusalem had not WANTED to become corrupt, they could have resisted and protested. As far as we can tell, the silence from God worshipers is deafening; nobody is making so much as a single peep.
- As a result of Manasseh’s wickedness and the compliance of the rest of Judah, God warns that He is about to “wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes out a bowl,” handing the Judeans over to their enemies.
APPLICATION: How bad do things have to become before God says, “Enough!” Today, nations are engulfed in flood – tides of evil. Christians are being martyred in many parts of the world and countries that previously maintained high standards are beginning to resemble ancient Jerusalem under Manasseh. When we are tempted to despair, we should remember the promises of Psalm 11:3 – 7.
“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”
The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD is on His heavenly throne. His eyes are watching closely; they examine the sons of men.
The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked; His soul hates the lover of violence.
On the wicked He will rain down fiery coals and sulfur; a scorching wind will be their portion.
For the LORD is righteous; He loves justice. The upright will see His face.”
God is still on His throne and is still in control! We must continue to fast and pray and not to lose heart! Even in the day of the most wicked kings, there were still those who worshiped the Living God and who did not bow to the Baals or engage in Asherah worship or burn children to Molech. Let us be counted among the righteous and let us work tirelessly to tell others about the wonder, the glory, and the majesty of our God!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives, even when things become difficult. In the mighty and precious Name of the Lord Jesus we pray. Amen.
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