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June 12, 2016 - Pentecost 4 – Pastor Hussman
Theme: It’s Never Too Late
1. For God’s disaster to bring you to your knees
2. For God’s deliverance to lift you up again
2 Chronicles 33:1-6, 10-18
Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five
years. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the
LORD had driven out before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had
demolished; he also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the
starry hosts and worshiped them. He built altars in the temple of the LORD, of which the LORD had
said, “My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.” In both courts of the temple of the LORD, he
built altars to all the starry hosts. He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom,
practiced sorcery, divination and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil
in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. So the LORD brought
against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook
in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. In his distress he sought the
favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. And when he
prayed to him, the LORD was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back
to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.
Afterward he rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, west of the Gihon spring in the valley, as
far as the entrance of the Fish Gate and encircling the hill of Ophel; he also made it much higher. He
stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah.
He got rid of the foreign gods and removed the image from the temple of the LORD, as well as all
the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem; and he threw them out of the city. Then he
restored the altar of the LORD and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told
Judah to serve the LORD, the God of Israel. The people, however, continued to sacrifice at the high
places, but only to the LORD their God.
The other events of Manasseh’s reign, including his prayer to his God and the words the seers
spoke to him in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, are written in the annals of the kings of
Israel.
Can you think of the worst person you’ve ever heard of? Someone who has committed the most
unspeakable acts in all of history. Maybe you’re thinking of someone like Hitler, or Stalin, or one of
the many other tyrants and “monsters” of history. Now picture that person in heaven, enjoying
eternal bliss Christ and all the saints and angels. Most people in this world would probably cry out
“Unfair! He doesn’t deserve eternal life! Not after what he did.”
The reason I ask all this is that today we meet one of those so-called monsters of history,
Manasseh, the king of Judah. And it’s easy to read this and think if anyone ever deserved hell, it’s
this guy. But that’s not what God wants us to take away from 2 Chronicles 33. Instead God wants us
to pay attention to our own sin and need for salvation, regardless of the Manasseh’s and Hitler’s of
this world. Then we see the grace of God which calls out to Manasseh and to us that it’s never too
late for God to save us from our sins.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there were many Israelites who would’ve been upset to hear that King
Manasseh might be in heaven one day. King Manasseh’s 55 year reign has gone down in Judah’s
history as maybe the worst of the worst.
King Manasseh rebuilt the altars to false gods that his father Hezekiah had destroyed. Manasseh
chose to worship the sun, moon, and stars rather than the God who created them. Manasseh led
thousands astray by building altars to false gods right in God’s house – the holiest place of all! He
depended on witchcraft, mediums, and spiritists and even sacrificed his own sons in the fire. We hear
in 2 Kings 21 that Manasseh shed so much innocent blood it filled Jerusalem from end to end. The
tradition goes that it was Manasseh who killed the prophet Isaiah – by sawing him in half while he
hid in a tree!
So corrupted were Manasseh and Judah that when God called them to repentance through his
prophets, neither Manasseh nor the people paid any attention. After all, life was good, so why bother
with being feeling sorry for what you’ve done?
Yes, Manasseh did as he pleased – until God broke him. Until God brought Manasseh to his
knees. God sent the Assyrians to capture this king, stick a hook through his nose and lead him in
chains to prison in Babylon. But “in his distress Manasseh sought the favor of the Lord and humbled
himself before the God of his fathers.” Manasseh had been paying no attention – so God used this
disaster to grab his attention and bring Manasseh to his knees in sorrow, grief, and humility.
What a wake-up call. It’s a call that is good for us to listen to also. You and I may not have
committed the unspeakable acts of a King Manasseh, but I want you to think about sin for a moment,
how vile, detestable, despicable, and abominable it is.
Sin by its nature separates you from everything good, wholesome and holy in this life. Sin by
definition is a wedge that drives you a million miles apart from a holy and perfect God. Sin deprives
you of every true joy in life and then lies to you by saying you’re the happiest person on earth as long
as you indulge this sin or that one.
Our enemies in this world – the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh – want nothing more than
for us to go through life like Manasseh and the people of Judah – paying no attention to these sins, to
treat them as ordinary, as expected, as something need, even crave. Or else they want us to compare
ourselves to someone “far worse,” as that Pharisee in the Gospel lesson did, and be glad I’m not like
her. Maybe you’re not a sinner like Manasseh or that woman, but you’re a sinner in your own way,
and so am I. In the eyes of God all sin is monstrous, every sin is a disaster.
So maybe it’s not surprising that God often uses disaster to bring us to our knees, like he did with
Manasseh. I don’t know all the sins or all the disasters that have come into your lives. We may not
have murdered millions or set up statues to false gods here in church, but have you ever hated
another human being? Have you ever lusted after the flesh of another person? Have you ever let
work, or family, or entertainment, or plain old laziness become the idol that pushes God off his
throne and takes God’s place in your heart?
Only you can answer these questions for yourselves, but what I do know is that in so many ways
all of us here are sinners, and the soul who sins is the one who will die. Whether God has given you,
or will give you, a wake-up call by bringing literal disaster into your life, don’t miss the wake-up call
of his holy Word. The hammer of his law crushes you, driving you to your knees in weakness and
humility. Once you know how great your sin really is, you know just how much you need a Savior.
Give thanks for that crushing hammer which brings you to see the disaster of sin and hell in your
life. Because it’s that hammer which drives you, like Manasseh, like that woman in our Gospel
lesson, crawling on your knees to your Lord and God, humbling yourself in tears. As you sit there
staring at the abomination of your sins, remember your God, who tells you it’s never too late for his
deliverance to lift you up again.
That’s what God did for Manasseh: “And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his
entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom.
Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.” God literally rescued Manasseh from that prison cell
and restored him to his place as king over Judah.
More than that, Manasseh knew that the Lord is God. That means Manasseh didn’t just know his
sin – he knew his salvation. By his grace God actually listened to Manasseh’s cry for help – and he
didn’t just listen. He acted. He forgave. He delivered. He restored Manasseh, washing away his sins
and clothing him with the righteousness which only God can give to any sinner for the sake of Jesus
Christ and his salvation.
The Lord God led Manasseh on the path of spiritual renewal. Manasseh rebuilt the city walls and
fortified the city – he actually cared about his people now! He got rid of those foreign gods, removed
the idols from the temple, and he told the people to worship the true God of Israel. It wasn’t perfect –
Manasseh was still a sinner, the people were still sinners who worshiped God at those high places
which God had forbidden. But Manasseh knew the love and forgiveness of God, and that lifted him
up from the depths of despair to newness of life. A man who had murdered thousands, even his own
sons – he could now walk in that forgiveness to lead a life pleasing to God. You could argue that
there is almost no better proof of God’s grace, that it’s never too late for God to deliver us from our
sins.
But then you look in the mirror and realize you have just as strong of proof of God’s grace
staring back at you. You know your sin so much that it can be tempting to lose sight of God’s grace,
however. That temptation may come which says you’ve done something which God could never
forgive. Maybe you’ve felt like you committed a sin that is too big to forgive, too terrible to get over.
Maybe it still haunts you to this day. Maybe it’s something you did once in making a huge mistake,
or maybe it’s something you did a thousand times over and you beat yourself up for every one. How
easily you could think, “God could never forgive this – I give up and give in to despair.”
But the grace of God in Christ overpowers such thoughts. Even for Manasseh, even for you, even
for me, there is not just hope for deliverance, but there is absolute certainty, and his name is Christ
our Savior. Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Christ, the perfect Son of
God who not only dares to dine with sinners, but to let them touch him, to weep over his feet in
sorrow. Christ who does not turn the sinner away but says to you and me, the chief of sinners, “Your
sins are forgiven...Go in peace.” No payback, no revenge from God. No list of Herculean tasks to
complete – just grace. Just forgiveness. Just peace and hope, now and forever, all for you.
Manasseh is evidence that even the so-called worst of sinners cannot just be forgiven, but can
live in that forgiveness. I pray that you will live in that forgiveness today and always, which means
casting sin out of your life and being done with it once and for all. I hope that while you mourn over
your sins, it will only be for a time, and that God will turn your wailing into dancing as you rejoice in
the life of holiness and peace God has prepared for you in Christ. Whenever you see your sin in the
mirror of God’s word, keep looking in that word to see your Savior smiling at you, as he carries that
sin away to the cross and empty tomb, where you also died and rose with him through faith.
With the Apostle Paul may we always rejoice in these words: “Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.” But those aren’t just words. They are a hammer
that crushes our sinful pride. They are a medicine that heals your wounds through the blood of Christ.
These aren’t just words – they’re life. Look at Manasseh. Look at yourself. Look always to Christ
and know that he is your God, your Lord, your Savior now and always. Amen.