spectacular repentance

Manasseh. Many know this king of Judah to be the most wicked in Israel’s history. In fact, it is recorded that he “has done more evil than all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols.” (1 Ki 21.11) For starters, after his father Hezekiah died, he began a reform of that can only be described as malicious, violent, bloody, and abominable. He rebuilt all the sacred high places that his father had destroyed and erected altars for Baal and Asherah. The worship of these idols included such acts as ritual prostitution in order to arouse the god so that he may ejaculate his seed in the form of rain on the earth. Furthermore, it is recorded that he offered his own sons in child sacrifices. He continued in this tirade by setting up altars for all the host of heaven in the temple of Yahweh. Frequently, he consulted mediums and necromancers, dabbling in all sorts of wicked practices. Tradition holds that it was Manasseh who was responsible for sawing the prophet Isaiah in half. It is recorded that “Yahweh spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention.” (2 Ch 33.10) There can not be a more dark, bleak, evil description of the nation than what has just been described. We are talking apostasy on a national scale that is manifesting itself in egregious sins that most would find nothing less than nauseating. A picture of the human heart when sin is allowed to show what it is truly capable when it goes unchecked. Depravity on full display. And yet....

I have to admit that I never knew this because I have typically skipped reading Chronicles to my loss. I learned a valuable lesson on why it is important to read through the entirety of Scripture. If you only read the account of Manasseh in Kings, you will miss out on quite possibly one of the most spectacular accounts of repentance and forgiveness recorded in Scripture. It is recorded in 2 Chronicles 33 that as a result of this apostasy that God brought the Assyrians to capture Manasseh. They would end up taking him away with hooks and chains to Babylon. “And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of Yahweh his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his Fathers. He prayed to him, AND GOD WAS MOVED BY HIS ENTREATY and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that Yahweh was God.” (2 Ch 33.12-13) I was speechless. I never knew this. I couldn’t believe what I had just read. This man who had done more wickedness and evil; who had killed his own sons in brutal, vulgar sacrifice; had killed the prophet Isaiah; who set up idols in the very Temple of God; he repented. And what’s more, God forgave him!

This is a beautiful account of God’s mercy and grace. You see, Manasseh is really a paradigm of the human heart apart from God in all its fury. We are all capable of such sin and in fact Christ teaches in the sermon on the mount that if we are angry with our brother, then we have committed murder in our hearts. Don’t think for one minute that our sin is not that bad. This is a very accurate picture of the depth of sin and what it is capable of. This is really a beautiful account of the Gospel! The Good News! We are all in need of deliverance from this disease called sin. Like Manasseh, we must humble ourselves before God and acknowledge our true state. It is only by the person and work of Christ that we have forgiveness!

I couldn’t help but think of how many kings started out well, but finished apostate. And yet, hidden away in the back of Chronicles is this beautiful, spectacular account of a wicked man that is forgiven by a gracious, merciful God. Truly remarkable!