Manasseh was 12 years old when he became King of Judah and reigned for 55 years. In 2 Chronicles 33, it says, “He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.”
It’s a repeating pattern we see throughout the books of Kings and Chronicles. One king will follow the Lord, but often the next one will not. Having several thousand years of hindsight, it’s easy to wonder what in the world they were thinking.
Didn’t they see how God cared for and prospered them when they walked in His ways? Didn’t they see how He disciplined them when they didn’t?
What were they thinking? Better yet, what am I thinking? Don’t I make the same mistake?
There are seasons when I’m intently seeking and obeying God. There are other seasons I’m not quite as fervent, times when I go my own way, independent of God. The Bible calls that sin.
What was Manassah guilty of?
Idol worship. “He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had demolished; he also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles.”
Manassah violated the the first two of the ten commandments God gave to Moses: “You shall have no other gods before me and you shall not make for yourself an idol…” Manassah not only broke both commandments, but he also led the people of Judah in breaking them.
“The Lord spoke to Manassah and his people, but they paid no attention.”
I don’t know about you, but that verse sobers me. God spoke, but they paid no attention. Do you do that? Has God spoken to you? Convicted you of a certain sin? Has He clearly led you to accomplish something for Him?
Have you paid attention to Him?
Manassah didn’t listen, so God brought the Assyrians against him. They “put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.”
For his own good and for the good of the Israelites, God disciplined Manassah.
This story ends well though. “In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.”
God responds again. “And when he prayed to Him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to him, so He brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom.”
It wasn’t too late for Manassah to humble himself. He turned from his wicked ways and gave himself to the Lord. “Then Manassah knew that the Lord is God.”
Throughout the Bible, we see God’s desire for people to know Him, to know He alone is God. He is grieved when we have other gods before Him.
James 4:6 says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
We’re most proud when we go our own way, independent of God. When we do, God is faithful to oppose us, so that we’ll submit ourselves to Him and experience His grace.
If you find yourself going your own way, putting yourself and your interests ahead of God, it’s not too late to turn around, to change your direction. Don’t wait for God’s discipline. Submit to Him today.