2 Kings 21 ~ walk in the way of the Lord

Two Assyrian kings leave records of political dealings with King Mannaseh. Esarhaddon and his son, Ashurbanipa. c 668 BC. The records leave evidence of the Chronicles account of King Mannaseh.



2 Kings 21

David Cochran Audio Bible, English Standard Version

1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4 And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem will I 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 And he burned his son as an offering and used fortune-telling and omens and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. 7 And the carved image of Asherah that he had made he set in the house of which the Lord 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 not cause the feet of Israel to wander anymore out of the land that I gave to their fathers, if only they will be 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 did not listen, and Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations had done whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel.


10 And the Lord said by his servants the prophets, 11 “Because Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations and has done things more evil than all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols, 12 therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster [evil] that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. 13 And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plumb line of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. 14 And I will forsake the remnant of my heritage and give them into the hand of their enemies, and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies, 15 because they have done what is evil in my sight and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.”

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.

17 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh and all that he did, and the sin that he committed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 18 And Manasseh slept with his fathers and was buried in the garden of his house, in the garden of Uzza, and Amon his son reigned in his place.

19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. 20 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as Manasseh his father had done. 21 He walked in all the way in which his father walked and served the idols that his father served and worshiped them. 22 He abandoned the Lord, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the Lord. 23 And the servants of Amon conspired against him and put the king to death in his house. 24 But the people of the land struck down all those who had conspired against King Amon, and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place. 25 Now the rest of the acts of Amon that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 26 And he was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza, and Josiah his son reigned in his place.


It's amazing how one generation is different from the next. I read an article from a FB friend saying a daughter of a Christian family had been raised in the Church, her parents sent her to a Bible College - she said due to the culture Christian kids have the same problems as non-christian. She said it was merely good luck she discovered she was in love with Jesus Christ in college because she always believed God was good idea, but most of the time in their busy lives, she believed Church activities were a social obligation. Her father was always so busy with his career, they never sat down and told her of the amazing Love Father God is.

Hezekiah, Eli, Samuel - all have children who were looking at a different Path. My grandmother Anita taught a Methodist Sunday School adult class for 42 years. Her adopted son, who was damaged at birth, was so violently opposed to Christianity - he wouldn't hush if the subject came up and go into a high pitched, on going rant. I frequently left the building if he started. He fairly hummed with anger. My grandmother said she would not stop praying for him. When my uncle was 78 years old, he discovered he enjoyed Joel Osteen on television. One day he heard about the book by Rick Warren, "The Purpose Driven Life." It's very difficult to be handicapped and adopted from an era in history when adoption was considered shameful. My grandparents were actually my uncle's 2nd adoption in his 3rd year of life & they were always quite loving to him. The first adoption went horribly badly - my uncle was burned and beaten.

Reading "The Purpose Driven Life" gave my uncle the hope he was part of God's plan. He had finally arrived at a teachable moment in his life. He no longer rants, talking incessantly. He no longer hums with anger. Jesus Christ has saved his life. God called my uncle's name in the Book of Life. My mom and I cried. My mom said she knows there is a party in Heaven and my grandmother is dancing.

Always pray.

You'd think Hezekiah would have prayed for his son Manasseh.... Hezekiah knew well that Jehovah was a jealous God. We had an excellent discussion in my minister's Sunday School class on God's jealousy. There is a famous celebrity who said she wanted to be part of God until she heard He said He is a jealous God. It sounds rather like the husband who kills the lover, when he discovers sharing his wife's affections. We try so hard to make God like us. God wants to set us apart - to be holy. Like He is. When we do not seek to grow spiritually in Christ, we are likely to wander.

What is Baal worship? Mostly it is sacrificing a child to please Baal who in turn provides prosperity. God expects us to be new creatures in Jesus Christ, to be set apart from what the would accepts as acceptable behavior. He Really doesn't want us to participate in the the body of Christ, open up our 'horrorscope' and play Biblical numbers decoding wisdom. Nope. God never wanted His Church to be like a wisdom cult enabling one to participate more fully when further initiated. God never wanted us to rejoice we are just a little lower than the heavenly beings - to take that Grace and then abuse it with Voodoo or the occult because we might get the attention of a lower god or spirit. God says He is always available to hear us when we call on Him, humbly, and admit we are His people, His creation and we do not save ourselves from our sins.

So.... doesn't it seem like a King, a righteous man, like Hezekiah would have prayed diligently for his son Manasseh? Perhaps Hezekiah did. Although Kings does not record Manasseh's conversion - we are told to read Chronicles. Manassah did repent - he did cry out to God for help - Manassah was saved. Really. Chronicles says so. And I believe it - I believe God's Word is the Way, the Truth and the Life opening our souls to Love the LORD for giving us His Word. And I believe God hears us when we call to Him with open hearts. I love the Lord, my Father God, because He Loved me first.

Father God, in the book of Acts You tell us "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household" and in You will I hope and pray. You have given us baptism, to receive Your Holy Spirit only because Jesus Christ died to save sinners. You live in me, actively since I believed in You.

Father God, You raised Jesus to life, raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because in Your Word it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him. Jesus is Lord.

You've told us always to pray with hope. I will continue to pray for others that Your Love and Your Hope will fill lives with Your Light. Thank You for calling to my uncle, for writing his name in Your Book of Life. Thank You for telling us of Hezekiah's son.

Father, speak the Word, sanctify us through and through. May our whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.


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