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Dripping Springs Weekly Bulletins
"Manasseh's Madness"
This story begins with one of the best kings ever to rule over the Jews. Hezekiah was father to Manasseh, but in the eyes of God, their spiritual value to God is greatly different. God described Hezekiah, who reigned over Judah from 726-697BC, like this:
“…he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did,” 2 Kings 18:3.
A descendant of David, he was, along with Josiah, one of Judah’s best kings. But that’s not the end of the story, for his son Manasseh became the worst of the kings of Judah. God described him:
“…did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel...he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them,” 2 Chronicles 33:2-3.
How could such a good man like Hezekiah have such a wicked son? How could Manasseh, son of a man God called “good”, become attached to idolatry as he did? The rest of the story is about Manasseh’s son, and that’s not a pretty story, either.
You may have already thought that such is not so strange, even today. The sins of Manasseh are similar in comparison with what we see in the lives of men and women today.
Can we learn something from this ancient narrative? Yes, and that is one reason we encourage a study of the Old Testament, Romans 15:4.
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON?
I strongly believe there are some principles that will be true even in the worst of times – that good parents bring about good children. But it is also true that children from good parents sometimes go wrong.
No parent is perfect. Neither is any child perfect. This world in which we live has many ways of luring us to the ways of sin, and Satan is using devices and methods that have been successful for him for centuries.
Note that Hezekiah was son of Ahaz, a most wicked king. Hezekiah was a good man and a good king, yet he may not have been as good a parent as he intended to be. All of us have seen good parents with problem children, and vice-versa.
For the record, preachers are no exception. Eli’s sons were wicked, as were Samuel’s, 1 Samuel 3:13, 8:3. Each child has his/her own will.
EVEN THE MOST WICKED CAN REPENT
Though his early years were filled with sin and wicked acts, Manasseh:
“…implored the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem,” 2 Chronicles 33:12-13.
Yes, repentance can bring the forgiveness anyone needs. While such repentance as Manasseh’s is relatively rare, it is available to all who are willing truly to repent, the change the mind from evil to good, and “bear fruits worthy of repentance,” Matthew 3:8.
The Bible tells us that any sin for which a person will genuinely repent can be forgiven. Even the most horrible of crimes are worthy of forgiveness if genuine repentance is expressed.
On the first Pentecost after Jesus’ resurrection, Peter and the rest of “the twelve” stood before a great audience. They offered forgiveness to those who had crucified the very Son of God. If that sin can be forgiven, surely any sin I might commit can be forgiven. The only condition is repentance. That word means a “change of mind followed by a change of action.” Sin can be forgiven, but one must be willing to turn away from that sin. The book of Hebrews states there were those who had once been in God’s Kingdom, but had fallen away, and it was “impossible…to renew them to repentance” because they kept on practicing the sin for which they sought forgiveness, Hebrews 6:4-6. Yes, even the most wicked can repent and receive forgiveness.
IT’S EASIER TO DO THAN UNDO EVIL
Manasseh’s own son, Amon, had a choice to make when he became king of Judah. He could follow in the ways of his penitent father, or he could follow the evil ways of his father in years gone by.
Don’t you know Manasseh wished he never gone down that road of sin? His son now reigned in his stead, and the sad result of Manasseh’s example is that the evil he had done influenced his son more than his years of repentance. Amon is described:
“But he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as did Manasseh his father: for Amon sacrificed unto all the carved images which Manasseh his father had made, and served them; And humbled not himself before the Lord, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more,” 2 Chronicles 33:22-23.
Even Amon’s own servants conspired against him, seeing his evil, and “killed him in his own house.” Yes, it is a sad story, as new as today’s newspaper, for we still see it happen. Parents, take note. The days go fast.
Carl B. Garner
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“God bears with the wicked, but not forever.”
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”
“There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.”
“Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good,”
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A Handbreadth
Stretch out your palm. Separate your fingers to their widest, hold them as far apart as you can. Study what you see and then consider: Scripture says that’s a picture of human longevity. David wrote, “Lord, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am. Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor,” Psalm 39:4-5. That’s right. Life at its best is little more than an abbreviated measurement – a handbreadth.
Jeanne-Louise Calment would have agreed. According to Guinness, she was born in Arles, France on February 21, 1875 and died on August 4, 1997. Do a little math and you’ll discover that she lived 122 years, 164 days. Whew! She lived a long time, didn’t she? Not really. Not when you consider life when compared to eternity. As long as Jeanne-Louise lived, hers was but a handbreadth.
Dear friend, in terms of the clock, your life is ever-so-short (Job 14:1-2; James 4:14). Assuming you escape the ravages of disease, you don’t perish in some untimely accident and your parents had extremely good genes, it’s still doubtful that you’ll live as long as Jeanne-Louise Calment. And even if you do, it will be but a handbreadth.
Consider: what are you doing with your time (Eph. 5:15-16; Col. 4:5; Psalm 90:12)? Paul Meyer wrote, “Most time is wasted, not in hours, but in minutes. A bucket with a small hole in the bottom gets just as empty as a bucket that has been deliberately kicked over.”
Do you often look back at the end of a day and think, “I didn’t get anything done”? Are you accomplishing the really important things (John 9:4)? Are you “run ragged” with urgent matters? If you were to die right now, could you say, “I didn’t neglect the most important things in my life”? The Great Physician had a very full patient schedule (Mark 6:31), yet He finished His job (John 19:30).
Max Anders observed, “It matters to God how we use our time. It is something which He has given us. We don’t own it. We are responsible to manage it for Him. That doesn’t mean we must always work. Part of our time should be used in recreation and rest, the development and enjoyment of relationships. But we must be aware of how we use our time and use it wisely” (“Be a Steward,” 30 Days to Understanding the Bible, p. 81).
Time is limited. It is like a handbreadth. Use it well. “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful,” 1 Cor. 4:2.
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