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“That godly King Hezekiah should have such a wicked son is another one of those
puzzles in biblical history … Manasseh become the most wicked king in Judah’s history … He lived a most ungodly
life and yet had the longest reign of any king in Jewish history. It was
as though the Lord took His hand off the nation and allowed all the filth to
pour out of people’s hearts,” my commentary said.
Yet God didn’t
give up on Manasseh. It took a lot to do
the job, but God took him through it. “He
was treated like a steer being led to the slaughter … to Babylon … where they
imprisoned him … The Lord used it to chasten
him, break his pride, and bring him
to his knees. He prayed to the Lord for
forgiveness, and the Lord kept His promise and forgave him. Even more, the Lord moved the Assyrians to set him free and allow him to return to
Jerusalem to rule over the people. What a trophy of the grace of God! … True
repentance is a work of God in the heart
and a willing response of the heart to the Lord. When he returned home, Manasseh proved the reality of his conversion by
seeking to undo all the evil he had done … but there was one place where he could make no
changes – in the heart of his son
Amon. The young man had been too influenced
by his father’s sins to take notice
of his new life of obedience … Whereas Manasseh humbled himself before the
Lord, his son Amon refused to do so,
and the longer he sinned, the harder his heart became,” my commentary
added. His own officers assassinated
him.
Father God, I know that since You could turn around the
disobedient heart of Manasseh, You can also turn around the disobedient hearts
of those I love. Though Your chastening
is humbling, it is definitely worth experiencing if we are to get back to
You. Do it please, Father. Bring them back to You, as You once did for
me.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
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