2 Kings 21:1-26 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 2 Kings 21:1-26. As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first. See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
2 Kings 21:1-18 (NIV)
1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.
2 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
3 He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them.
4 He built altars in the temple of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.”
5 In both courts of the temple of the LORD, he built altars to all the starry hosts.
6 He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced sorcery and divination, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
7 He took the carved Asherah pole he had made and put it in the temple, of which the LORD had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever.
8 I will not again make the feet of the Israelites wander from the land I gave their forefathers, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them and will keep the whole Law that my servant Moses gave them.”
9 But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.
10 The LORD said through his servants the prophets:
11 “Manasseh king of Judah has committed these detestable sins. He has done more evil than the Amorites who preceded him and has led Judah into sin with his idols.
12 Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle.
13 I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.
14 I will forsake the remnant of my inheritance and hand them over to their enemies. They will be looted and plundered by all their foes,
15 because they have done evil in my eyes and have provoked me to anger from the day their forefathers came out of Egypt until this day.”
16 Moreover, Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end–besides the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, so that they did evil in the eyes of the LORD.
17 As for the other events of Manasseh’s reign, and all he did, including the sin he committed, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?
18 Manasseh rested with his fathers and was buried in his palace garden, the garden of Uzza. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.
On verses 1-18: Manasseh replaces his father Hezekiah as the king of Judah. But rather than following the Lord like his father Hezekiah did, Manasseh goes headlong into worshiping idols, committing violent crimes and even sacrificing his own son in the fire as part of idol worship. Manasseh leads the rest of Judah to commit the same sins such that the nation of Judah ends up committing more evil than any nation that had previously occupied their land. God’s response to Manasseh’s sins and Judah’s sins is clear and stern: Judah would be looted, plundered and handed over to their enemies, thereby following in the footsteps of Samaria and the house of Ahab, who had also persistently sinned against Him.
But there’s an important part to King Manasseh’s story which is not found in 2 Kings 21 and which you can read about in 2 Chronicles 33:12-16. That part goes like this: Just as 2 Kings 21:14 predicted, the nation of Judah is indeed looted, plundered and handed over to Assyria because of Manasseh’s and Judah’s sins. Manasseh is also taken captive by Assyria. But while imprisoned in Assyria, Manasseh repents of his sin and mercifully God restores Manasseh’s kingdom to him. Manasseh then gets rid of the idols and sinful practices that got him and his nation of Judah into so much trouble in the first place.
What can we learn from this?
1. God takes sin and idolatry very seriously. If we persist in sinning and worshiping idols, we will lose much of the inheritance God has planned for us. Sin always comes at a high cost.
2. Even when you’ve lost everything, there is still hope. God showed amazing grace and mercy to Manasseh: when Manasseh lost everything — his faith, his kingdom, his identity — all because of sin, God restored it all to Manasseh when Manasseh humbled himself. Likewise, God has shown us amazing mercy and grace when He sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. At the cross where Jesus died, God showed that He is stern and clear about punishing our sin. Yet at that same cross, God showed that He is merciful when we confess our sins and repent. Just as God restored Manasseh’s kingdom to Manasseh, through the cross God restored us to Himself. So if you are suffering because of sin, know that because of the cross of Jesus Christ there is still hope. God is eager to show compassion to and restore those who turn back to Him.
2 Kings 21:19-26 (NIV)
19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem two years. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz; she was from Jotbah.
20 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done.
21 He walked in all the ways of his father; he worshiped the idols his father had worshiped, and bowed down to them.
22 He forsook the LORD, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the LORD.
23 Amon’s officials conspired against him and assassinated the king in his palace.
24 Then the people of the land killed all who had plotted against King Amon, and they made Josiah his son king in his place.
25 As for the other events of Amon’s reign, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?
26 He was buried in his grave in the garden of Uzza. And Josiah his son succeeded him as king.
On verses 19-26: Amon replaces his father Manasseh as king of Judah. Unfortunately, Amon chose to imitate the evil that his father did. As verse 21 says, “He walked in all the ways of his father; he worshiped the idols his father had worshiped, and bowed down to them.” Eventually, Amon is assassinated by his own officials and is replaced on the throne by his son Josiah.
What can we learn from this? The Bible calls us to love and honour our parents. But we must be wise and discerning about what we learn from our parents. No parent is perfect. Every parent brings with them a collection of strengths and weaknesses, successes and failures. May God give you wisdom to learn the positive habits, values and attributes that your parents before you have demonstrated, and to avoid the negative traits that your parents and others before you may have exhibited.
Father, thank You that You are holy, righteous and just, and at the same time you are merciful, compassionate and forgiving. We see both these sides of You at the cross, where our sins were both punished and forgiven, and where Christ was condemned and separated from Your presence so that we could be justified and brought back to You. Thank You for being willing to restore me no matter how many times I fail. Thank You that the amazing grace that You showed at the cross gives me hope every moment of my life. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
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