Case in point: King Manasseh of Judah

I was reading Isaiah 35 (which prophecies about the healing ministry of our LORD and SAVIOR Jesus Christ, (as David Guzik explains here) and the next chapter involved King Hezekiah, the faithful king of Judah who turned the people back to the true worship of the LORD and away from idolatry. King Hezekiah fell deathly ill in the “prime of his life,” as the king himself put it (Isaiah 38) and the LORD granted him mercy and added 15 years to his life. According to the commentary in my study Bible, King Hezekiah was mostly mourning his death because he had no heir, no son to take his throne and carry on his name. Which makes sense since we don’t hear of the king having any other children in the accounts found in Isaiah 38, 2Isaiah 38, 2
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,  

WP-Bible plugin Kings and 2 Chronicles. Apparently three years after the LORD acted to extend his life, King Hezekiah had a son, Manasseh — who took over the throne at 12 when his father died.

Now the accounts in 2 Kings 21 and 2 Chronicles 33 both open with the fact that King Manasseh “reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem,” which I thought was an indicator of how well he must have ruled, that he had kept his father’s standard of holiness unto the LORD. But alas, the next verses reveal a very disgusting king unworthy of the throne.

2 But 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 broken down; he raised up altars for the Baals, and made wooden images; 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 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 Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger. 7 He even set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God 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; …

In addition to sacrificing his children in fire and worshiping creation instead of the CREATOR and honoring all kinds of demons and setting up idols in the LORD’s temple and practicing black magic — King Manasseh also “shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another… (2 Kings 21:162 Kings 21:16
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
16 Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. from...: Heb. from mouth to mouth  

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King Manasseh basically destroyed everything his father King Hezekiah had worked diligently to restore in terms of faithful worship to the LORD. By his acts, King Manasseh turned the people of Judah into harlots — they behaved worse that the people of all the nations the LORD had destroyed around them. So GOD surely sent punishment upon King Manasseh and the people — but not before HE warned them. But of course they didn’t heed HIS words delivered by HIS prophets (2 Kings 21:92 Kings 21:9
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
9 But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel.  

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Now, unless King Hezekiah had neglected his parental duties and failed to teach his only son about worshiping the LORD who spared him from war and literally turned back the hands of time to preserve his life… then King Manasseh must have had some knowledge of the ONE TRUE GOD.

The LORD’s fury:

2 Kings 21:122 Kings 21:12
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
12 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.  

WP-Bible pluginTherefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle. 13And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down. 14And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies; …

The LORD brought “such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah” that the ears of all who heard about it “tingled.” The king and the people were defeated and taken to Babylon in captivity — but the king’s life was spared.

A remarkable thing happens — as the fallen King Manasseh finds himself between a rock and a hard place. The king, brought to the lowest low he had never imagined, humbles himself and cries out to the ONE TRUE GOD WHOM he had been ignoring and disrespecting and had also been teaching the people to do.

2 Chronicles 33:122 Chronicles 33:12
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
12 And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,  

WP-Bible plugin Now when he was in affliction, he implored the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, 13 and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.

Here was a king who had done such evil and wickedness before the LORD, so wicked as to be considered worse than that of the wickedness of the pagan kingdoms that had surrounded them — doing what we all do when we start feeling a little pain and feel at a loss. And the most amazing thing is — the LORD accepts his repentance. As the English Standard Version put it, “God was moved” by his prayerful plea. The LORD who sees the intent of everyone’s heart and mind listened and acknowledge fallen Manasseh’s plea for mercy and forgiveness… and found him to be sincere.

Just as suddenly as the Babylonians had stormed in and conquered the people, so suddenly was King Manasseh restored in Jerusalem on the throne. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.

I do believe that King Hezekiah must have trained Manasseh as a boy in the ways of the LORD, but perhaps because he was so young he strayed away. And the GOD WHO was so real to his father was only a distant figure to him. Maybe that’s why it was so easy for King Manasseh, crowned as a boy, to turn aside to wickedness. And it took for him, to reach a very dark place in his life, to cry out to this distant figure WHOM he knew his father had believed in… Manessah was banking on his father’s faith. He knew that there was no sorcery, no witchcraft, no mediums, no sun, moon or star to save him. Only the GOD WHOM his father would speak of could really help him, if HE was as great as his father had claimed. The Possessor of Heaven and Earth again showed his might. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.

I think true disciples of Christ have such moments — when we experience challenging situations and the LORD leads us through, restores us, lifts us up and turns away HIS wrath and pours upon us HIS blessings. I don’t know about you, but at such occasions I am stunned, nearly speechless for there are no words to truly describe the goodness of the LORD. Those moments reinforce and feed my faith — I know that the LORD is GOD, and besides HIM there is no other.

And what did a repentant and grateful King Manasseh do once he was returned to Jerusalem?

2 Chronicles 33:152 Chronicles 33:15
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
15 And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city.  

WP-Bible pluginHe took away the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD and in Jerusalem; and he cast them out of the city. 16 He also repaired the altar of the LORD, sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel.

If GOD accepted the repentant plea of a man who committed such abomination before HIM, the mercies of GOD are open to all… to ALL.

If you don’t yet know the LORD or perhaps you do and there is some unconfessed sin plaguing your heart, then I invite you to do as King Manasseh did and cry out to the LORD. No matter who you are, where you are or what you have done — GOD’s mercies are deep enough and HIS love wide enough to forgive you and restore you to the rightful place you belong — with HIM.

Glory be to GOD for the great things HE has done!