It is far easier for the
world and those who follow its pattern to follow the pattern of sin, than to
depart from sin and think about its consequences. Below is a true Biblical
historic narrative, and let us learn some lessons from it. The back ground of
the passage below is, Hezekiah, was the father of Manasseh, who was the King of
Judah and did much evil in the sight of God. Narrative of the rule of Kings in
the Old Testament times in 2 Chronicles 32-34 shows the generations of 4 Kings,
Hezekiah, his son Manasseh, and his son Amon and Josiah.
2 Chronicles chapter 32 continues and
concludes the history of the
reign of Hezekiah.
I. The descent which Sennacherib made upon him and the care he took to fortify
himself, his city, and the minds of his people, against that enemy (v. 1–8).
II. The insolent blasphemous letters and messages which Sennacherib sent him
(v. 9–19).
III. The real answer God gave to Sennacherib’s blasphemies, and to Hezekiah’s
prayers, in the total rout of the Assyrian army, to the shame of Sennacherib
and the honour of Hezekiah (v. 20–23).
IV. Hezekiah’s sickness and his recovery from that, his sin and his recovery
from that, with the honors that attended him living and dead (v. 24–33)1. Matthew Henry Bible Commentary
Religious policies of Manasseh
There are three aspects of
Manasseh's religious policy which the writer of Kings considered
deplorable: the religious reaction which followed hard upon his accession; its
extension by the free adoption of foreign cults; and the bitter persecution of
the prophetic party. Manasseh reversed some of the religious reforms of his
father Hezekiah,
possibly for the economic reasons described above, restoring polytheistic
worship in the Temple. He also built altars to pagan gods. His
reign may be described as reactionary in relation to his father's; and Kings
suggests that he may have executed supporters of his father's reforms. During
Manasseh's half-century the popular worship was a medley of native and foreign
cults, the influence of which was slow to disappear.[13]
Such a reaction involved the
persecution of those who had bitterly condemned the popular syncretism. The
prophets were put to the sword (Jer. ii. 30). "Innocent blood"
reddened the streets of Jerusalem
(II Kings xxiv. 4). For many decades those who sympathized with prophetic ideas
were in constant peril.[13]
According to
2 Chronicles 33:11-13,
Manasseh was on one occasion brought in chains to the Assyrian king, (possibly
Esarhaddon), presumably for suspected disloyalty. The verse goes on to indicate
that he was later treated well and restored to his throne. However, neither
Kings
nor Assyrian records mention this incident.
[2]
The severity of Manasseh's imprisonment brought him to repentance. According to
one of the two Biblical accounts (
2 Kings 21 does not have
the account of Manasseh's captivity or repentance), Manasseh was restored to
the throne, (
2 Chronicles 33:11-13) and
abandoned
idolatry, removing foreign
idols (
2 Chronicles 33:15) and
enjoining the people to worship in the traditional Israelite manner.
2
1Manasseh was twelve
years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem:
2 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.
3 For
he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and
he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of
heaven, and served them.
4 Also
he built altars in the house of the Lord, whereof the Lord had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever.
5 And
he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of
the Lord.
6 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.
7 And
he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of
which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in
Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my
name for ever:
8 Neither
will I any more remove the foot of Israel from out of the land which I have
appointed for your fathers; so that they will take heed to do all that I have
commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances
by the hand of Moses.
9 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.
10 And the Lord spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but
they would not hearken.
Consequences of sin:
11 Wherefore
the Lord brought upon them
the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the
thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
12 And
when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and
humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,
13 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.
14 Now
after this he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of
Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate, and compassed
about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in
all the fenced cities of Judah.
15 And
he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built in
the mount of the house of the Lord, and in Jerusalem, and cast them
out of the city.
16 And
he repaired the altar of the Lord, and sacrificed
thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel.
17 Nevertheless the people
did sacrifice still in the high places, yet unto the Lord their God only.
18 Now
the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer unto his God, and the words of
the seers that spake to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, behold, they are written in
the book of the kings of Israel.
19 His
prayer also, and how God was intreated of him, and all his sins, and his
trespass, and the places wherein he built high places, and set up groves and
graven images, before he was humbled: behold, they are written among the
sayings of the seers.
20 So
Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house: and Amon
his son reigned in his stead.
21 Amon
was two and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned two years in Jerusalem.
22 But
he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as did Manasseh his father: for Amon
sacrificed unto all the carved images which Manasseh his father had made, and
served them;
23 And
humbled not himself before the Lord, as Manasseh his
father had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more.
24 And
his servants conspired against him, and slew him in his own house.
25 But
the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and
the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead. 2 Chronicles 33.
In the
case of Manasseh, he cried out to God, after he was greatly afflicted and God
heared his cry and extended his territory and he began to do some good in the
sight of God. 22 But he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as did Manasseh his father: for Amon
sacrificed unto all the carved images which Manasseh his father had made, and
served them. Manasseh when he cast out the images did not utterly deface
and destroy them according to the law, which requires Israel to burn the images with
fire, Deut 7:5. So it was very easy for his son Amon to find them, and he very
soon set them up after the death of his father, and started sacrifices to them
and led the nation of Judah
again into idolatry. As we read this Biblical narrative we know that Amon
reigned only for 2 years and then his servants conspired against him and slew
him. Then Josiah the boy King reigned and he was only 8 years old when he begin
to reign and he did what was right in the sight of the Lord. Here we see the
history of 4 Kings, and how they ruled and it is very interesting to see
whether they genuinely love the Lord, or the lords of the nations around them! God is a God of generations and there is
definitely a blessing for obedience and curses for disobedience in God’s book.
Age of
Eros and continuum of sin, is not spoken much in today’s context. When a
thought is formed it can be affected by the flesh, world and the evil
supernaturalism. Here we have a choice, and we can make the choice pleasing the
world or based on God’s written Word. Whatever choice we make, it becomes a
habit and it gets repeated in our life. If we make a wrong choice, which is
unbiblical that becomes a habit and norm and become very natural and eventually
out of control, and slowly goes into bondage if not dealt Biblically. As one is
on a slippery slope, eventual total control by the events and choices become possible.
My
calling here for the readers is, pay attention to the choices and get help
before things become out of control. Jesus is our hope today, tomorrow and for
ever, and He is willing to forgive our trespasses, but the question here is
would we want to continue in sin because of forgiveness! Do we take forgiveness
for granted and continue in sin? 1What shall we say then?
Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God
forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Rom
6:1-2. After we had been forgiven and delivered, sin must neither condemn nor
control us.
Let us study this picture closely before we
conclude that sin and its devastating effects.
The
above picture shows the age of Eros and the continuum of sin. The choice one
makes has a huge impact in the life of a person, people around and in the case
of rulers it does affect nationally. The choices we make are indeed affected by
other factors which are explained in the picture, and this will lead either to
blessing or destruction. The lesson we learn here is that as leaders, people
who are in a position of authority, and as individuals we are called to make
the right choices because the consequences of sin can be devastating. The only
way we can make a right choice is when we analyse any decision based on God’s
Word, because His Word is inerrant.
Websites and
end notes:
2 Chronicles
32 in the
Illustrated Online Bible Study. ... King
James Version (KJV)
2 CHRONICLES 32. ... as we keep our ground if our faith fail not,
Luke 22:32. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manasseh_of_Judah
Manasseh was the first king of Judah who would not have had a
direct experience ... the longest in the history of ... Regarding the Hezekiah/Manasseh
...
For further reading:
1. Millard
J. Erickson. Christian Theology.
Grand Rapids:
Baker Book House: 1983-85.
2. R.T.
Kendall. Understanding Theology,
Developing a Healthy Church in the 21st Century. 1996.
3. Jay E.
Adams. A Theology of Christian
Counseling, More than Redemption. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979.
4. Louis
Berkhof. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,
1996.
5. Robert
P Lightner. Handbook of Evangelical
Theology, Historical, Biblical, and Contemporary Survey and Review. Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker Book House, 1986.
6. Charles
Ryrie. Basic Theology. Chicago: Moody Press,
1986, 1999.
7. A. H.
Strong. Systematic Theology. New Jersey: Fleming H.
Revell Co, 1907.
8. Wayne
Grudem. Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994.
9. Steven
W. Waterhouse. Not By Bread Alone,
An Outlined Guide To Bible Doctrine. Amarillo: Westcliffe Press, 2007.
10. John
Theodore Muller, Th.D. Christian
Dogmatics, A handbook of Doctrinal Theology for Pastors, Teachers, and
Laymen. St. Louis,
Mo: Concordia Publishing House,
1934.
11. Prayers To Move Your Mountains.
Nashville:
Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000.
12. John White. Parables, the
Greatest Stories ever Told. Illinois:
Inter varsity Press, 1988, 1999.
13. ESV Study Bible. English
Standard Version. Crossway Bibles, Wheaton,
Illinois: Publishing ministry of
Good News publishers, 2008.
14. The Matthew Henry Study Bible. King
James Version. Iowa
falls: World Bible Publishers, Inc. 1990.
