BIBLE PASSAGE:
And when he prayed to him, the LORD was moved by
his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him
back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh
knew that the LORD is God.
(2 Chronicles 33:13)
MEDITATION:
Have you ever thought,
“God may forgive others, but He could
never forgive me for the things I have done”?
You may have dishonored God by avoiding His house of worship, or by
failing to obey His command to bring your tithes and offerings to Him
(which God clearly says is an act of robbing Him!). Or perhaps your sins
have been so vile in the eyes of man, that you don’t believe God could
ever witness them without pouring out His wrath on you.
First of all, don’t believe the devil’s lie that you cannot be forgiven.
Secondly, realize that the entire Bible is for our benefit, including
the Old Testament.
In the book of 2 Chronicles, let’s look at Manasseh who became a king
when he was only twelve years old. Think about being that age and
having anything and everything that you want. As we can imagine,
he became a person with no boundaries or restrictions (including
those created by God).
Look at his ‘body of work’:
(2 Chronicles 33:2)
He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He participated in the detestable
practices of the nations the Lord had driven from the presence of the
Israelites. (Note: These practices were so vile that God did not want the
Israelites exposed to them).
(2 Chronicles 33:3)
His father (Hezekiah) had demolished the altars built in high places
for worshipping idols, however Manasseh had them rebuilt and even
erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles for worshipping
goddesses. He bowed down to, and worshipped the stars (astrotheology)
as if they were deities.
(2 Chronicles 33:4-5)
He desecrated the temple of the Lord by building altars to all the stars
in both the outer and inner courts of the holy temple reserved for the
Lord (he replaced God’s rightful place with idols – in His own temple!)
Sounds bad already doesn’t it?
….but wait, there’s more.
(2 Chronicles 33:6)
Manasseh sacrificed his children in the fire (in the Valley of Ben Hinnom).
He practiced divination (seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown
by supernatural means). He also practiced witchcraft (black magic including
the invocation of evil spirits). He searched for omens and consulted with
mediums (communications with the dead) and spiritualists (communications
with spirits, séances, etc.). He did so much evil in the sight of the Lord that
it aroused God’s anger.
(2 Chronicles 33:7)
He disrespected God by taking a manmade
image and placing it in God’s temple.
(2 Chronicles 33:9)
He led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, and as a result,
they did more evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed before
the Israelites. When the Lord spoke to Manasseh (and the people)
about their wickedness, they ignored His warning. In His wrath,
God brought the army commanders of the king of Assyria against
the king and the people of his kingdom. Manasseh was taken as a
prisoner, removed from his kingdom, and moved to Babylon (they
placed a hook in his nose and bound him with bronze shackles).
(2 Chronicles 33:12)
In a similar fashion as the prodigal son, Manasseh came to his
senses and pleaded with God. In his distress he sought the favor
of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the
God of his ancestors.
We see in 2 Chronicles 33:13 that God heard Manasseh’s plea,
observed his humbleness, and saved him from his punishment.
How did Manasseh respond? He became a humble man focused
on doing good in the eyes of the Lord.
ACTION:
As you know God does not show favoritism, so all sin is evil in His eyes.
There is no such thing as big sins or little sins; all sin is sin in the eyes
of God. That means that all sins deserve punishment, but all sinners can
be forgiven. Manasseh did some unimaginable evilness that resulted in
not only his punishment, but the suffering of the people of his kingdom
as well, (because they had been led astray by the king).
Yet God forgave him, and He will forgive you as well. Don’t allow the
magnitude of your sins in your own eyes to prevent you from asking
the Lord for forgiveness. And when you are forgiven, you too can
become a humble person with a desire to do good in the eyes of God.
Maybe you feel hopelessly enslaved to sin right now. If you do, you
don’t have to remain there – go to the Hope for the hopeless, be
honest and admit that sin has a grip on you, and ask the God who loves
you to forgive you and help you break free from what is controlling you.
Pray,
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your forgiveness.
I pray that I will show my thankfulness through my
humbleness and my desire to do what is considered
good in Your eyes.”
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