The Reign of Manasseh

 

Isa 3:4 "I will give children to be their princes, And babes shall rule over them.

The prophecy concerning the immediate future of Judah and Jerusalem continues. Not only would God remove all the gifted men of the land, but he would see to it that children take the reigns of government. This quite literally came to pass when Manasseh became king at the ripe old age of 12. He went on to be one of the most wicked kings in the history of the nation!

His actions while in charge give proof to the truth found in Ec 10:16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, And your princes feast in the morning! Woe to the nation whose ruler is like a petulant child!

 

Let’s turn to 2Ki 21 and look at the track record of this childish king! Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; he raised up altars for Baal, and made a wooden image, as Ahab king of Israel had done; and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4 He also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, "In Jerusalem I will put My name." 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 6 Also he made his son pass through the fire, practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger. 7 He even set a carved image of Asherah that he had made, in the house of which the LORD had 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; 2Ki 21:8 "and I will not make the feet of Israel wander anymore from the land which I gave their fathers-only if they are careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that My servant Moses commanded them." 9 But they paid no attention, and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.

Skipping down to verse 16 we see one more of the sins of Manasseh highlighted: 2Ki 21:16 Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin by which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the LORD.

 

This blatant idolatry and the spilling of innocent blood, (can you say legalized abortion?) stirred up the wrath of God as we read in 2 Kings 21,beginning at verse 11.

 

Then in, 11 "Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations (he has acted more wickedly than all the Amorites who were before him, and has also made Judah sin with his idols), 12 "therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle. 13 'And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab; I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.

 

If this isn’t a wakeup call to the nations, I don’t know what is! God will not put up with idolatry Isa 42:8 says, “I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.

And He hates the shedding of innocent blood!

Pr 6:16 These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:

 17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood,

Thankfully, this was not the end of Manasseh’s story. Later in life he came to repentance over his sins and God forgave him. Leaving us with a forever reminder that there are no sins that Jesus didn’t pay for on the cross!