Download Manasseh

Manasseh
2 Kings 21:1-18; 2 Chr 33:1-20
• Manasseh was 12 years old when he began to rule in Judah
• That would make one think the lineage was almost broken
because had God not added the 15 years to Hezekiah’s life that is
exactly what would have happened.
• God does not forget his promises nor become confused about the
timing of events that occur.
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• Manasseh worshiped virtually every idol known to him
• He followed the worship of the nations around Judah that the
Lord had told Israel to drive out of the land
• He rebuilt the high places, erected altars to Baal and made an
Asherah pole as Ahab the king of Israel had done.
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• He also worshiped the heavenly host and put pagan altars in the
temple
• Manasseh had his sons pass through the fire in idolatrous sacrifice
in the valley of the son of Hinnom
• He practiced sorcery and divination
• God had said He would not make Israel to wander from the land
(IF) they would obey Him and keep His commandments 2K 21:7-8
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• Jehovah wanted to warn, plead, and try to turn Judah back from
the direction headed
• They would not listen
• Jehovah sent prophets saying Manasseh has committed every
abomination and sinned more that the Amorites
• Do you remember what God said about the Amorites?
• Gen 15:16But in the fourth generation they shall come hither
again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
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• Manasseh had led Judah into sin with his idols
• I, Jehovah will bring such a disaster upon Jerusalem and Judah
that all who hears what happened their ears will tingle
• They will be measured by the same standard as Samaria and
Ahab
• I will wipe them away as one wipes a dish
• I will abandon my remnant of my inheritance and hand them over
to their enemies
• They will be plundered by their enemies
• All of this because they have done evil in My eyes and provoked
me to anger from the day I brought them out of Egypt
• From this day forward, judgment upon Judah was inevitable
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• Even in the days of Jehoiakim there were bands of raiders of the
Caldeans and others who came against Judah to remove them out
of His sight 2K 24:1
• This judgment against Manasseh was because he had shed
innocent blood
2 Kings 24:2-4
• Tradition has it one of the innocent was Isaiah and we know
Manasseh was ruthless 2 K 21:16
• Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had
filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin
wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in
the sight of the LORD.
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• Manasseh reigned 55 years
• He reigned longer than any king in Israel and Judah
• Who was the next longest reigning king? Uzziah 52
• His accomplishments were of little value because his wickedness
was so great
• Manasseh was taken captive by the Assyrian army
• They bound him and took him captive
•
• Where have you heard the phrase, “with hooks in their nose?”
• 2 K 19:28
• We are not sure which king from Assyria actually took Manasseh
captive
• In his trouble, Manasseh repented of sins
• God heard his prayer and returned him to Jerusalem
• 2 Chr 33:14Now after this he built a wall without the city of
David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the
entering in at the fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and
raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in all the
fenced cities of Judah. 15And he took away the strange gods, and
the idol out of the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he
had built in the mount of the house of the LORD, and in
Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city. 16And he repaired the
altar of the LORD, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and
thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God
of Israel. 17Nevertheless the people did sacrifice still in the high
places, yet unto the LORD their God only.
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Amon was 22 years old when he succeeded his father Manasseh
He was just like his father who worshiped Idols
He did not humble himself before Jehovah
His servants conspired against him and slew him in his own house
The people executed those servants and placed Josiah upon the
throne
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• It seems strange that one king could be faithful like Hezekiah and
his son be so wicked like Manasseh.
• The kings many time had very little to do with raising their
children so the mother was the one who taught the children
• This can happen in our families today
• The father can be mean and ruthless yet have children who are
faithful because of a wonderful mother who is dedicated to God
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• Nearly 300 years before Josiah became king of Judah, an
unidentified man of God foretold him by name (1 Kings 13:2).
The son of Amon, the grandson of Manasseh, one wonders how
this very young man could have had a heart so pure. Josiah was
eight years old when he became king, and he reigned 31 years in
Jerusalem. Not only did King Josiah walk in the ways of David, a
man after the heart of God, but he didn't waver.
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• Josiah was the best king that Judah ever had
• He was only 8 years old when he began to reign
• When he was only 16 he began to seek the God of David
• He never varied from the ways of David
• At age 20 he began to purge out the idols
• Josiah, son of King Amon, and mother Jedidah, became King of
Judah at age 8, and reigned 31 years (639-609 BC). The Bible
passage at 2 Kings 22:2 says that the character of Josiah's reign
was good, and that he followed in the steps of his ancestor, King
David, and was obedient to the Lord.
• His reign was the last surge of political independence and
religious revival before the disintegration of the Kingdom of
Judah, which ended with the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC.
When Josiah was 20 years old, he began to clean up Judah and
Jerusalem, destroying the heathen altars and the shameful idols
on the hills, according to 2 Chronicles 34:3.
• He did the same thing in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon,
and Naphtali. Later on, he set up a collection system for gifts for
the Temple, and paid carpenters and masons to repair the
Temple, from the damage and neglect by the earlier Kings of
Judah.
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• A scroll was found in the Temple by Hilkiah the High Priest. The
scroll, containing the Laws of God, was read to King Josiah.
When Josiah found out that the reason for the Lord's great anger
on Judah and Israel was that the ancestors had not obeyed the
laws written in the scriptures, he ripped his clothing in despair (2
Chronicles 34:21).
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• Josiah then gathered the elders and all the people to the Temple,
read the scroll to them, and required everyone in Jerusalem and
Benjamin to make a pledge to the Lord, to follow His
Commandments. So, Josiah removed all of the idols from the
areas occupied by Jews, and required all of them to worship God
(2 Chronicles 34:33).
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• Josiah held a great Passover celebration that was not seen in
Jerusalem since the days of Samuel the prophet. Later, King Neco
of Egypt led his army against the Assyrians, and warned King
Josiah not to interfere while his army passed through Judah (2
Chronicles 35:21). But Josiah refused to turn back, and led his
army into battle at the valley of Megiddo. The enemy archers
struck King Josiah with their arrows and fatally wounded him.
He died in Jerusalem, and was buried there.
• He destroyed the Asherah poles and altars to Baalim, sun images,
graven and molten images that he could find
• The images were broken up and ground into powder and
sprinkled over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them
• He destroyed images in Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon and Naphtali
• He burnt the bones of the idolatrous priest on their altars