2 Chronicles 33
Are you familiar with the story of
Manasseh, king of Judah? If you asked me
this question I would have said, “Sure!
He was perhaps the most wicked of all Judah’s kings!” This is true.
But I came across his story again yesterday in my devotional reading. It was one of those readings that stuck in my
head all day and kept coming back to mind, keeping me from focusing on other
work.
Manasseh became king at age twelve when
his father, Hezekiah, died. Scripture
does not tell us that he had wise advisers or counselors as other young kings
had. A twelve-year-old king with
absolute power and great wealth is a recipe for disaster! It turned out badly. He rebelled against God and turned back to
the wicked practices of the nations Israel replaced in Canaan. He rebuilt the pagan shrines and put up
altars to the Baals and Ashteroth. He
worshiped these gods and even offered his sons in the fires. He brought all of these images into the
temple in Jerusalem and established a pagan priesthood. He practiced fortune-telling and sorcery and
used mediums and necromancers to summon evil spirits posing as people who had
died.
Not only did Manasseh participate in such
abominations; he also led the people of Judah astray as well. The text says they did more evil than the nations God destroyed in Canaan. God was not silent while all of this was
going on. God sent prophets to warn
Manasseh and God spoke to him and the people but the scripture says they did
not listen.
Finally, God brought the Assyrians to deal
with this wicked king. They took him off
to Babylon in chains and with a hook in his nose. The next verses are the ones that stuck in my
brain all day yesterday. “And when he was in distress, he entreated
the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his
fathers. He prayed to him, and God was
moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem
into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew
that the LORD was God” (2 Chronicles 33:12, 13).
First two thoughts: I should never give up praying for someone to
come to faith because it is never too late for God to work in his heart. No person is too wicked for God to save. Ok, those are two easy ones to see.
But the thing that worked in my heart and
mind all day is the unfathomable grace of God!
Manasseh could not have turned his own hardened heart toward God. In his grace and mercy God managed
circumstances in such a way that Manasseh recognized his hopeless distress and
his own helplessness. It was God who
worked in Manasseh’s heart and turned that sinful heart to repentance. God drew this evil man to himself. This is the grace of God! This is the same grace he demonstrated toward
me. He turned my heart and drew me to
himself. I was as helpless and hopeless
as Manasseh and never would have turned to God unless he drew me with his
grace.
Manasseh returned to Jerusalem and tore
down the shrines, idols, and altars. He
removed all the foreign gods and restored the temple worship. He commanded the people to worship the God of
Israel. He was a completely changed
man. God changed him. Thanks be to God for the marvelous grace with
which he called us, drew us, and saved us!
