Tim Maas Supporter Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

By my reading, two differing views of Manasseh -- who became king of Judah at the young age of twelve, and thus had an exceptionally long reign of fifty-five years -- are given in Scripture.

2 Kings 21 presents him as an evil ruler with no redeeming qualities, who was one of the prime factors in Judah being taken into exile in Babylon.

However, 2 Chronicles 33 indicates that, although his reign was initially characterized by idolatry and even by Manasseh's sacrifice of his own children to false gods, he was chastened and reformed as a result of Judah's exile. He pleaded to God, and God brought him back to his kingdom, where Manasseh restored the worship of God, and rebuilt Jerusalem and Solomon's temple.

Taken together, these two accounts to me are powerful examples of both God's discipline, and His forgiveness if that discipline leads to repentance.

June 17 2022 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht Supporter Arizona Bible College graduate and Dallas Seminary graduate

2 Chronicles 33:1-20:
"The son of Hezekiah and father of Amon, king of Judah, who succeeded his father when he was only twelve years of age.” (2 Kings 20:21; 21)

"Like many of us, Manasseh was raised in a good home where he was taught who God is, and yet he chose to walk away. He rebelled against his father and the Lord, leading Israel into idolatry and immorality. But Manasseh repented from his evil ways, turned back to the Lord, and received God's forgiveness." 

The Man Whose Policy Was Wrong

Manasseh, the prodigal king of the Old Testament, was overwhelmed by Assyrian forces and in the twenty-third year of his reign was taken as a prisoner to Babylon where he lingered for twelve years. During these years he turned to God and was restored to freedom and his kingdom. For the next twenty years left to him, he sought to undo the wrong of the past. His long reign of fifty-five years, the longest in Jewish history, closed not inauspiciously. He died a penitent, and left a son who followed his father in his sins but not in his repentance.

Gathering together what we can of Manasseh’s life, it would seem that he was a man of policy:

His policy of idolatry. How he hated the first two commandments of Sinai:

'1 And God spoke all these words, saying,

2 I am the LORD thy God,
which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image,
or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.', 

And he reversed the reforms of his father! How exceedingly bold he was in his idolatry! 

His policy of immorality. Idolatry and immorality go together, thus in rejecting God there came the worship of the Syrian Venus. This action let loose a flood of iniquity over the land of Judah. "Manasseh placed an Asherah pole in the house of the LORD. This pole was actually a carved image of an elongated male sexual organ. One worshiped Asherah by committing adultery or fornication with the 'priestesses' of Asherah (who were actually prostitutes) beneath the Asherah pole. This worship was abominable enough in and of itself, but Manasseh set this Asherah image up in the temple of the LORD! Nathan https://precepts.wordpress.com/2007/08/16/contradictions-the-repentance-of-manasseh/

His policy of persecution. Manasseh allowed nothing to stand in the way of license and open evil. Martyrdom became the cost of service. Idolatry was set up under the pain of death.

His policy of destruction. God’s truth testified too plainly against the sins of king and people. So complete was this destruction of the Word of God that when Josiah, Manasseh’s grandson, came to the throne, a copy of it was found in the Temple. [Just ONE!]

But Manasseh’s eyes were opened to his sinful condition, and he sobbed out the misery of his helpless and craven soul. The occasion of his repentance was affliction. In the prison-house of Babylon he prayed. As to the character of his repentance, he besought the Lord and humbled himself before the God of his fathers and prayed unto Him. Penniless and penitent, his cry for mercy came from a broken heart, and God graciously received this prodigal king. Alas, however, he stopped short of being out-and-out for God! He allowed the high places of idolatry to remain. It will not be possible to doubt God’s grace in heaven in the ages to come if we can but catch a glimpse of Manasseh—godly-reared, apostate, idolatrous, devilish, stricken, humbled, repentant Manasseh!

Lockyer -- https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/all-men-bible/Manasseh-Man

June 19 2022 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeffrey Johnson Supporter

Who was Manasseh? (2 Chronicles 33:1–20)

The son of Hezekiah, Manasseh, revived idolatry and became guilty of shameful oppression. 

The King of Judah, who was the son and successor of King Hezekiah. (2Ki 20:21; 2Ch 32:33) Manasseh's mother was Hephzibah. He was 12 years old when he ascended the throne as the 14th king of Judah after David and ruled for 55 years (716-662 B.C.E.) in Jerusalem. (2Ki 21:1) He did what was bad in Jehovah's eyes, rebuilding the high places his father had destroyed, setting up altars to Baal, worshipping "all the army of the heavens," and building false religious altars in two temple courtyards. He made his sons pass through the fire, practised magic, employed divination, and promoted spiritistic practices. Manasseh also put the graven image of the sacred pole he had made into the house of Jehovah. He seduced Judah and Jerusalem "to do worse than the nations that Jehovah had annihilated from before the sons of Israel." (2Ki 21:2-9; 2Ch 33:2-9) Though Jehovah sent prophets, these were not heeded. Manasseh was also guilty of shedding innocent blood in great quantity (2Ki 21:10-16), which, according to the literature of the Jewish rabbis, included that of Isaiah, who they say was sawed apart at Manasseh's command.​

While in captivity, Manasseh repented, humbled himself, and prayed to Jehovah. God heard his request for favour and restored him to the kingship in Jerusalem. (2Ch 33:12, 13) Manasseh thereafter "built an outer wall for the City of David," put military chiefs in Judah's fortified cities, and removed the foreign gods and the idol image from Jehovah's house, as well as the altars he had built "in the mountain of the house of Jehovah and in Jerusalem." Manasseh prepared the altar of Jehovah and began to sacrifice upon it, encouraging others also to serve Jehovah. However, the people were still sacrificing on the high places, though to Jehovah. 2Ch 33:14-17

Conclusion

A lesson for us today:

While in captivity, Manasseh repented and continued to pray to God, who forgave him and restored him to the kingship in Jerusalem, where he promoted true worship.​—2 Chronicles 33:2-17.

Manasseh repented in prison and pleaded for mercy. In response to this sincere repentance, Jehovah was "ready to forgive"​—even in this extreme case.​—2 Chronicles 33:9-13.

If we have sinned, as we read the account of Manasseh, we can see that God will also forgive us, even if our sins are not as great as those of Manasseh.

14 hours ago • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report