Everyone knows of some people, either famous and well-known people, or else just more locally known, who are so wicked, who have done such terrible things that we believe that they could never, ever get saved. Think of people who have committed atrocious murders, perhaps of a number of people. They blaspheme and publicly scorn God. They are beyond His mercy, we think. They could never get saved. Or could they? Our Scripture today from the Second Book of Chronicles, will tell the account of such a person. Let’s see what God’s Word tells us.
Following King Solomon, during the reign of his son Rehoboam, the kingdom of Israel split into two, the northern Kingdom of Israel, and the southern Kingdom of Judah. There were 19 kings of the northern Kingdom of Israel, none of which were good or godly. The Kingdom of Israel was overthrown and went into captivity in 722 BC. The southern Kingdom of Judah had 20 kings, and only 8 of them were good and godly. The other 12 turned their back on Yahweh, and worshiped pagan gods, setting up the heathen idols throughout the country, including Jerusalem.
Of all the evil kings of Judah, those who had forsaken Yahweh, King Manasseh was the most wicked. His father was the godly King Hezekiah who had loved and served the Lord, yet Manasseh had turned his back on the faith of his father. He came to the throne at age 12, and within a very short time he turned to follow all of the pagan practices of Canaanite nations, setting up the idols and shrines that his father had destroyed (vs. 1-5).
Manasseh reinstated the worship of the Canaanite god Baal, the goddess Asherah, along with many other lesser gods and goddesses, including the moon and stars. That was bad enough, but he had the temerity to set their idols and altars up within God’s Temple. Manasseh also promoted the practice of astrology, witchcraft, seances and calling forth spirits. The worst practice that Manasseh took part in was the sacrifice of babies and young children to pagan gods (vs. 6). This was generally done to the god Moloch, who had the head of a bull. Often the idol was large, with outstretched arms, where the baby or young child was placed and then rolled into a bonfire or burning furnace. Manasseh took part in these child sacrifices, including sacrificing some of his own children.
This wickedness was worse than any of the kings before him, and was worse than what was practiced by the nations that the Lord had destroyed (vs. 9). The Lord sent several prophets, including the prophet Isaiah, to condemn what Manasseh was doing (vs. 10), but he ignored their words. These actions were not anything that Yahweh could just disregard. He sent the foreign army of the Assyrians into Judah, and they took Manasseh captive, though the country itself was not overtaken. It was during this period of imprisonment with chains, fetters, and hooks that Manasseh saw his evil, and repented of the wickedness of his ways (vs. 11-13). He turned in sorrow and repentance, crying out to God for forgiveness.
Manasseh’s sins were the worst of any of the kings of Judah, before or after him. He was wicked, an idolater, a murderer of his children, and a desecrator of the Temple, all of which were an affront to Yahweh. Should God forgive such a person? Most of us would say no way! Fortunately we are not God, for He will forgive anyone who genuinely repents of their sins. Manasseh had no hope of ever returning to his throne, and quite possibly felt he might be executed. This wasn’t some bargain he was trying to do. According to the Scriptures, his repentance was genuine, and the Lord forgave and saved him. Manasseh was restored to his throne, and he did what he could to change his life, and that of the country. He tore down all of the pagan altars, and repaired the altar and cleansed the Temple of Yahweh (vs. 15-17).
God showed justice to Manasseh in warning and punishing him for his sins, but He also showed mercy in responding to his genuine repentance by forgiving and restoring him. Despite the harsh consequences of his sins, Manasseh learned from them. Many people who have sinned terribly, and then suffer the consequences of those actions, do not learn from them. Instead they harden their hearts against God, shaking their fist at Him. For all the heinous wickedness of Manasseh, God was able to reach his heart, and he repented and forsook his wickedness.
God will go a long way to get someone’s attention. Forgiveness is limited not by the amount of sin, but by our willingness to repent. One must humble themselves, repent, and call upon Jesus, as Manasseh did. If God can forgive Manasseh, he can forgive anyone! Until death, no one is beyond the reach of God’s forgiveness.
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