King Manasseh (2 Chronicles 33:1-20)

Introduction

Biblical Timeline (Kings in Judah)

Hezekiah (715-686) - Godly King

Manasseh (686-642) - Wicked King

Amon (642-640) - Wicked King

Josiah (640-609) - Godly King

4 Short reigning Kings (609-586) - Wicked Kings

Exile of Judah (586)

King Manasseh (686-642)

Sin is a deadly action that will destroy our lives, our relationships, and progressively gets worse and worse.

In the life of King Manasseh, we see the depths of sinfulness we can find ourselves.

Bible talks about Sin as a deadly action to avoid. However we continue to indulge in it and reap the consequences of it. Without Jesus, we can’t win the battle with temptation and sin.

Romans 6:23 (NLT)

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NASB95)

13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

Manasseh’s Wickedness (2 Chronicles 33:1-9)

Manasseh’s Reign (1-2)

2 Chronicles 33:1–2 (ESV)

1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.

2 phrases used by the Author to categorize Kings as good or bad. (“He did what was evil...”, “He did what was good...”) This was based upon their reign as obedient to YHWH and the Law.

abomination n., something that is an abomination which causes horror and disgust in others (The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible 2017: n. pag. Print.)

Deuteronomy 18:9–14 (ESV)

9 “When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer 11 or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, 12 for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you. 13 You shall be blameless before the Lord your God, 14 for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do this.

Manasseh’s Sin (3-8)

Reversal of righteous Acts (3)

2 Chronicles 33:3 (ESV)

3 For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had broken down, and he erected altars to the Baals, and made Asheroth, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.

Degrade the House of God (4-8)

What he did (4-6)

2 Chronicles 33:4–6 (ESV)

4 And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem shall my name be forever.” 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. 6 And he burned his sons as an offering in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and used fortune-telling and omens and sorcery, and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger.

He built alters in the Temple (4-5)

House of the Lord is the Temple built by Solomon.

He worshipped and sought false gods (6)

Compare the List here in verses 6 with the list in Deut 18, we see they are very similar.

Why it was so wrong (7-8)

2 Chronicles 33:7–8 (ESV)

7 And the carved image of the idol that he had made he set in the house of God, of which God said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever, 8 and I will no more remove the foot of Israel from the land that I appointed for your fathers, if only they will be careful to do all that I have commanded them, all the law, the statutes, and the rules given through Moses.”

The Temple represented God’s presence with His people. It was the location of the priest service of sacrifices and worship from the people. The ark of the Covenant was located here (His Throne). The articles of worship were present here (alter of incense, table of Show-bread, Candlestick, Alter).

Manasseh turned the Temple for the Worship and dedication to YHWH alone into a place to worship multiple deities. first 2 commandments:

“You shall have no other gods before me.”

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.”

Progression of Sin.

We do not know much about Manasseh except a little about his father and his actions written about. We might be asking, “How could he do such things?”

Progression of Sinful passions

One Image - Porn or adultery

One Drink - Alcoholic

One Smoke - Addict (mugshots of the progression of addiction)

This is not to say this progression is inevitable, however, continuing to indulge in sinful practices can lead us into deeper pit of dependency and more deadly actions.

It does not take long of indulging is sinful actions that we find ourselves doing things we never thought we would. (lying, stealing, more deadly actions)

Manasseh’s Influence (9)

Sinful Influence (9)

2 Chronicles 33:9 (ESV)

9 Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel.

Because of the actions of Manasseh, He led the entire nation astray to worship the gods of the nations.

We need to remember that our sins do not only affect us, even though that is a lie we tell ourselves, but all those around us. (Family, friends, victims)

Shed innocent Blood (2 Kings 21:16)

2 Kings 21:16 (ESV)

16 Moreover, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides the sin that he made Judah to sin so that they did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.

Shed innocent Blood - Oppressing the poor and eliminating opposition.

2 Kings 24:3–4 (ESV)

3 Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the Lord, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4 and also for the innocent blood that he had shed. For he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord would not pardon.

The exile of Judah is closely linked to the actions of Manasseh.

Manasseh’s Repentance (2 Chronicles 33:10-13; 18-20)

Lord’s Judgment (10-11)

2 Chronicles 33:10–11 (ESV)

10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention. 11 Therefore the Lord brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks and bound him with chains of bronze and brought him to Babylon.

Manasseh’s Humility (13; 18-20)

2 Chronicles 33:13 (ESV)

13 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.

Humble prayer

Knew the Lord was God.

2 Chronicles 33:18–20 (ESV)

18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, behold, they are in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 19 And his prayer, and how God was moved by his entreaty, and all his sin and his faithlessness, and the sites on which he built high places and set up the Asherim and the images, before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the Chronicles of the Seers. 20 So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his house, and Amon his son reigned in his place.

There is no depth of sin in which God will not hear a humble plea.

Our Sins separate us from God.

Isaiah 59:1–2 (ESV)

1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Continuing in sin keeps us separated from God.

God does hear a humble plea for mercy and grace.

Luke 18:13–14 (ESV)

13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus telling a parable about the prayers of a Pharisee and a Tax Collector.

God hears the prayers of the humble.

God’s grace is sufficient to save all

Romans 5:20–21 (ESV)

20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God will hear our humble plea.

“You don’t know what I have done, God will never hear me or forgive me.”

“They are to far from the Lord, they will never come to Him.”

God will hear every humble plea.

You or they are never to far gone.

Pray or keep praying.

Manasseh’s Transformation (2 Chronicles 33:14-17)

Manasseh rebuilds Jerusalem (14)

2 Chronicles 33:14 (ESV)

14 Afterward he built an outer wall for the city of David west of Gihon, in the valley, and for the entrance into the Fish Gate, and carried it around Ophel, and raised it to a very great height. He also put commanders of the army in all the fortified cities in Judah.

When God forgave Manasseh, He was so grateful and changed by God’s love and grace that he went back to Jerusalem and changed to honoring God. He built up Jerusalem.

Manasseh rebuilds the Temple (15-16)

2 Chronicles 33:15–16 (ESV)

15 And he took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord, and all the altars that he had built on the mountain of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem, and he threw them outside of the city. 16 He also restored the altar of the Lord and offered on it sacrifices of peace offerings and of thanksgiving, and he commanded Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel.

He reversed all the evil actions he did in the Temple. Reestablish the Temple and Worship of YHWH.

God can do incredible things in the life of those who submit humbly to Him.

We might be thinking that we have ruined our lives out of the realm of repair. God’s grace and the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives can do incredible healing, freedom, and transformation.

God can do the work in our hearts and others we are praying for.

Ephesians 3:20–21 ESV

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Manasseh’s past influence persists (17)

2 Chronicles 33:17 (ESV)

17 Nevertheless, the people still sacrificed at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.

Even though Manasseh changed, his influence persisted in the lives of the Israelites.

We need to understand that even if we are changed by our encounter with God, that might not change what our sin did in the lives of others.

Lessons from King Manasseh

1. There are great depths of sin we can go if we pursue our sinful passions and live them out. Our sinful choices and actions will destroy us and those around us.

2. There is no depth of sin where the grace and mercy of God cannot save us.

3. There is an incredible work of restoration God can do in a life humble to him.

Benediction

Romans 15:5-6 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.