{"id":35850,"date":"2025-05-13T22:00:36","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T05:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/?p=35850"},"modified":"2025-05-07T20:16:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T03:16:39","slug":"2-kings-21_1-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/2-kings-21_1-26\/","title":{"rendered":"Even When You’ve Lost Everything, There Is Still Hope"},"content":{"rendered":"

2 Kings\u00a0 21:1-26 (CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 2 Kings 21:1-26.\u00a0 As usual,\u00a0I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.\u00a0 See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

2 Kings 21:1-18 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He did evil in the eyes of the\u00a0LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the\u00a0LORD\u00a0had driven out before the Israelites.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He 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.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He built altars in the temple of the\u00a0LORD, of which the\u00a0LORD\u00a0had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.”
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0In both courts of the temple of the\u00a0LORD, he built altars to all the starry hosts.
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He 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\u00a0LORD, provoking him to anger.
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He took the carved Asherah pole he had made and put it in the temple, of which the\u00a0LORD\u00a0had 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.
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I 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.”
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But the people did not listen. Manasseh led them astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the\u00a0LORD\u00a0had destroyed before the Israelites.
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The\u00a0LORD\u00a0said through his servants the prophets:
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“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.
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Therefore this is what the\u00a0LORD, 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.
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I 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.
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I will forsake the remnant of my inheritance and hand them over to their enemies. They will be looted and plundered by all their foes,
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0because 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.”
\n16\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Moreover, 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\u00a0LORD.
\n17\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0As 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?
\n18\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Manasseh rested with his fathers and was buried in his palace garden, the garden of Uzza. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses\u00a01-18:\u00a0 Manasseh replaces his father Hezekiah as the king of Judah.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 God’s response to Manasseh’s sins and Judah’s sins is clear and stern:\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

But there’s an important part to King Manasseh’s story which is not found in\u00a02\u00a0Kings\u00a021\u00a0and which you can read about in\u00a02\u00a0Chronicles 33:12-16.\u00a0 That part goes like this:\u00a0 Just as\u00a02\u00a0Kings\u00a021:14\u00a0predicted, the nation of Judah is indeed looted, plundered and handed over to Assyria because of Manasseh’s and Judah’s sins.\u00a0 Manasseh is also taken captive by Assyria.\u00a0 But while imprisoned in Assyria, Manasseh repents of his sin and mercifully God restores Manasseh’s kingdom to him.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?<\/p>\n

1. God takes sin and idolatry very seriously.\u00a0\u00a0If we persist in sinning and worshiping idols, we will lose much of the inheritance God has planned for us.<\/strong>\u00a0 Sin always comes at a high cost.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0Even when you’ve lost everything, there is still hope.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>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.\u00a0 Likewise, God has shown us amazing mercy and grace when He sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins.\u00a0 At the cross where Jesus died,\u00a0God showed that He is stern and clear about punishing our sin.\u00a0 Yet at that same cross, God showed that He is merciful when we confess our sins and repent.\u00a0 Just as God restored Manasseh’s kingdom to Manasseh, through the cross God restored us to Himself.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>So if you are suffering because of sin, know that because of the cross of Jesus Christ there is still hope.\u00a0 God is eager to show compassion to and restore those who turn back to Him.<\/p>\n

2 Kings 21:19-26 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n19\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Amon 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.
\n20\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He did evil in the eyes of the\u00a0LORD, as his father Manasseh had done.
\n21\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He walked in all the ways of his father; he worshiped the idols his father had worshiped, and bowed down to them.
\n22\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He forsook the\u00a0LORD, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the\u00a0LORD.
\n23\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Amon’s officials conspired against him and assassinated the king in his palace.
\n24\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then the people of the land killed all who had plotted against King Amon, and they made Josiah his son king in his place.
\n25\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0As 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?
\n26\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He was buried in his grave in the garden of Uzza. And Josiah his son succeeded him as king.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 19-26:\u00a0 Amon replaces his father Manasseh as king of Judah.\u00a0 Unfortunately, Amon chose to imitate the evil that his father did.\u00a0 As verse\u00a021\u00a0says, “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.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0 The Bible calls us to love and honour our parents.\u00a0 But\u00a0we must be wise and discerning about what we learn from our parents<\/strong>.\u00a0 No parent is perfect.\u00a0 Every parent brings with them a collection of strengths and weaknesses, successes and failures.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

Father, thank You that You are holy, righteous and just, and at the same time you are merciful, compassionate and forgiving.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Thank You for being willing to restore me no matter how many times I fail.\u00a0 Thank You that the amazing grace that You showed at the cross gives me hope every moment of my life.\u00a0 In Jesus’ name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

copyright \u00a9 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 2 Kings 21:1-26.\u00a0 As usual,\u00a0I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.\u00a0 See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!\u00a0<\/p>\n

2 Kings 21:1-18 (NIV)
\n1\u00a0\u00a0Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.
\n2\u00a0\u00a0He did evil in the eyes of the\u00a0LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the\u00a0LORD\u00a0had driven out before the Israelites.
\n3\u00a0\u00a0He 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.<\/p>\n

On verses\u00a01-18:\u00a0 Manasseh replaces his father Hezekiah as the king of Judah.\u00a0 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35852,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35850"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35850\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35853,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35850\/revisions\/35853"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}