What Is Your Legacy?

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. 10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention.

2 Chronicles 33:17 ESV

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

2 Chronicles 34:31–33 ESV

31 And the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. 32 Then he made all who were present in Jerusalem and in Benjamin join in it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 33 And Josiah took away all the abominations from all the territory that belonged to the people of Israel and made all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not turn away from following the Lord, the God of their fathers.

Introduction/ Background:

· Under King David and his son Solomon, the kingdom had been united and prosperous.

· King Solomon's son, Rehoboam, caused the kingdom to be split through his foolish politics. The northern kingdom was called Israel and was composed of 10 of the 12 tribes, while the southern kingdom was called Judah and had two tribes (Benjamin and Judah).

· The prophets foretold the coming destruction and exile of Israel and Judah because of their sins. Some kings listened and repented, while other did not.

· Hezekiah, one of the best kings of Judah, was Manasseh's father. Manasseh likely would have been living when the angel of God slaughtered the 185,000 Assyrians in ch. 32 (see also II Kings 18-19) and even served as coregent for about 10 years during Hezekiah’s reign, beginning at the age of twelve.

· Josiah was about six years old when Manasseh, is grandfather, died, and eight when he took the throne of his father Amon.

· The worst and best periods in Judah's history since king David were separated by only one generation, and just a few years.

I. "Manasseh misled Judah...to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel." (33:9)

A. Manasseh's sins:

1. Rebuilt altars throughout the land (which his father Hezekiah tore down)

2. Intentional rebellion

3. Forbidden in Deut. 12:1-14

4. Erected idols and false gods

5. Built pagan altars in the temple

6. Practiced child sacrifice (Deut. 12:29-31)

7. Witchcraft, divination, sorcery, etc.

8. Placed an idol in the temple

B. Manasseh's chief sin was placing an idol in the temple

1. Our instinct is to think that the child sacrifice was the greatest sin in the list, but placing an idol in the temple is at the end of the list and receives the most attention by the number of words.

2. First two commands: "You shall have no other gods before me" and "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments." (Deut 5:6-10)

C. Even Manasseh’s repentance was not complete, since he left the altars throughout the land.

1. Manasseh did make genuine, heart-felt, repentant efforts to undo his errors.

2. But, anything short of whole-hearted, all-out devotion to God opens the door for future sins to creep in.

3. By leaving the altars (“high places”) throughout the countryside, he left an open invitation and constant temptation for the people to revert to idolatry. God knew that would be the case, and that is the reason for His explicit command NOT to have any altars except the one in the temple at Jerusalem.

4. Example of ground ivy: you have to pull it out by the roots. Surface cleaning is only temporary.

5. Application: It is possible to be genuine, and still leave a legacy of disobedience.

a) Fathers, you may genuinely love your children and wives, and you may genuinely desire them to serve God.

b) But if you leave altars in the countryside—that is, if you disobey explicit commands in scripture—you are setting up your children to fall into the very same sins that you have fallen prey to.

c) Some may even still have an idol in the temple; that is, while they come to God’s house to worship, it’s not God they’re worshipping, but something else (self, a leader, the “good ‘ol days,” socializing, games, etc.).

d) Tear down those altars. ALL of them. It will not suffice to give God half-hearted devotion.

D. What was the outcome of Manasseh’s idolatry?

1. Exile into Babylon (33:11)

a) Hebrew word “chowach” probably means “hook” here, referring to the practice of putting a hook through the nose

b) Translated “hook” in the KJV in Job 41:2—“Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?”

2. His son followed in his sins, but did not repent.

3. The nation fell back into idolatry.

4. He left a legacy of wickedness.

II. Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the LORD their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the LORD, the God of their fathers. (34:33)

A. Josiah and Manasseh contrasted

1. Manasseh

a) Rebuilt altars throughout the land

b) Erected idols and false gods

c) Built pagan altars in the temple

d) Practiced child sacrifice

e) Did not listen to God (33:10), but instead sought answers through witchcraft, divination, sorcery, etc.

f) Placed an idol in the temple

g) Lost God’s Word (perhaps even intentionally purged it)

h) Led the people to sin

2. Josiah

a) Tore down altars

b) Tore down idols and false gods

c) Cleaned and restored the temple

d) Holds the greatest Passover since Samuel, offering over 30,000 of his own livestock for the sacrifice, in the manner which the Law had prescribed

e) Sought God in prayer for answers and guidance

f) Dedicated temple to service of God

g) Found God’s Word

h) Led the people to God

B. Josiah’s legacy

1. “He did right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father David and did not turn aside to the right or the left.” (34:2)

2. Josiah’s whole hearted commitment to God was obvious to all who knew him.

a) It was contagious

b) He influenced the nation toward God

c) If this is the type of father you are, then keep up the good work!

d) His death was mourned by the nation

III. What is the legacy that you are leaving?

A. Influence of godly fathers (From “Pastors, Don't Use Mother's Day to Bash Dads,” by Paul Coughlin)

1. “Sociologist Brad Wilcox from the University of Virginia found that…’Conservative evangelical fathers spend more time with their children, hug and praise them more, are less likely to yell at them, and commit the lowest levels of domestic violence than any other group in America.’

2. These fathers are "also the most active, emotionally engaged husbands and fathers in America" whose wives report the highest levels of "happiness, love and affection." These superior fathers and husbands are also more likely to "discipline their children, monitor their viewing habits, and know where they are at any given time"…They "balance their traditional, authority-minded approach to parenting with a large measure of involvement and affection."

3. Fathers excel when it comes to discipline, play, and challenging their children to embrace life's challenges. They are more likely to partake in physical play with children, which is more important than many realize. Play "promotes social skills, intellectual development, and a sense of self-control." The playful side to fathers teaches their children how to regulate their feelings and behavior as they interact with others. Children who roughhouse with fathers usually learn quickly that biting, kicking and other forms of physical violence are not acceptable.

4. The amount of time fathers devote to child rearing increased 170 percent between 1965 and 1998.

5. The largest factor in predicting whether a child will graduate from high school, attend college, avoid crime or drugs, and get pregnant before 18 is the presence of a father in the child's life.

6. This same report from the Department of Health and Human Services states: "Girls with active dads demonstrate higher levels of mathematical competence, and boys with more nurturing fathers display higher levels of verbal acumen. It is worth noting, of course, that girls tend to struggle more with math and boys tend to struggle more with language. Having an active, emotionally invested father appears to help children overcome the intellectual weaknesses typically associated with their sex."

7. One study of seventh graders found that boys who had close relationships with their fathers were more likely to control their feelings and impulses, to obey rules at school and home, and to make good moral judgment.

8. This same study found that boys with involved fathers had fewer school behavior problems and that girls had more self-esteem.

9. Boys and girls who are exposed to the nurture of a father, and who see a father being nurturing to their mother and other adults, are much less likely to associate masculinity with predatory sexual behavior and hyper-aggressiveness.

10. Fathers help their children, especially their daughters, develop the self-control and the sense of self-worth that protects them from premature sexual intercourse and teenage pregnancy.”

Conclusion

Fathers, Mothers, and leaders in general: what kind of legacy are you leaving for your children and the next generation? Are you, like Manasseh, hoarding up idols and living in rebellion to God’s commands? While there are exceptions—and Josiah was one such exception—your rebellion will be perpetuated throughout generations to come. Or, are you, like Josiah, obedient and repentant? Your legacy will live on through your children.

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