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Chronicles chapter 33 reminds me that many of the decisions we make
early in life have unintended consequences both for ourselves and
others. Wisdom is not a word generally associated with youth. The
chapter begins, “Manasseh
was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem
fifty-five years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord“.
There
was nothing innocent in his worship of false gods. “He
built altars in the temple of the Lord… He sacrificed his sons in
the fire… practiced sorcery… and witchcraft… He did much evil
in the eyes of the Lord, provoking Him to anger“.
As one who wandered off the straight and narrow in my youth I can
appreciate God’s limitless patience. This kid was a self-indulgent
mess, yet God waited.
God had earlier promised King David, that his descendants would
continuously rein in Jerusalem “if
only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them…
through Moses“.
But sadly, we read “Manasseh
led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more
evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites“.
We can almost hear the broken-hearted words of the loving Father.
“The
Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention“.
Is God calling to you?
“So
the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of
Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound
him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon“.
The consequences of our rebellion can bring us to a place of
disgrace (Sometimes public, sometimes very private). It is only in
humility that we can accept our need for the Savior. The chapter
continues, “In
his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled
himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 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“.
It
is interesting to note the result. First God renewed the king’s
heart, and then the king rebuilt everything around him. “He
got rid of the foreign gods and removed the image from the temple…
as well as all the altars he had built… Then he restored the altar
of the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thanks offerings
on it, and told Judah to serve… the God of Israel“.
Sadly, our sin has a residual effect. Even though we are healed,
some scars remain. We read, “The
people, however, continued to sacrifice at the high places, but only
to the Lord their God“.
Rather than come to worship at the Temple together, they did their
own thing. Many people today are sincere in their belief, but their
beliefs are not biblical. No matter how strongly you FEEL, if it does
not line up with Scripture, you are on dangerous ground. The
chapter ends with the real sobering point. The king’s son, Amon
succeeded him as king. We read, “He
did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done…
But unlike his father Manasseh, he did not humble himself before the
Lord“.
If God is calling you to change, do not delay! Remember the work has
already been done. “God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us”
(Romans 5:8).