2 Kings Chapter 21
Would You Save Him?
Who would it be hard for you
to save? – Rapist
Murderer / Child abuser /
Mass Murders?
A) Someone totally perverted?
B) Tonight we see a man that was all of those things
1) The most wicked King in the
history of
C) He was the son that was born during Hezekiah’s last
15yrs – remember those?
1) He was nothing like his dad – instead he was wicked
to the core –
CH.21 Manasseh- Rd v.1-9
Here we are given the sins of Manasseh
1) He rebuilt the high
places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed: v.3
A) This shows us that repentance and reform and
revival are not permanent standing conditions.
B) What is accomplished at one time can be opposed and
turned back at another time.
1) Manasseh opposed the
reforms of his father Hezekiah and he brought
C) It was there at the High places that
they worshipped Astarte, the goddess of sensual pleasure.
1) These places were filled
with pornography and people would report to these groves to worship Astarte by
engaging in group sex. Orgies
D) It was a very pornographic practice they were engaging in.
2) He raised up altars for Baal, and made a wooden image: V.3
A) Manasseh did not want to
imitate his godly father. Instead, he imitated one of the very worst kings of
3) He worshiped all the host
of heaven and served them: .v.3
A) He introduced the astrological
worship/
4) He also built
altars in the house of the Lord:
v.4, 5
A) It was bad enough for Manasseh to allow this idol
worship into
B) He defiled the temple by bringing idols into it.
5) He made his son pass through the fire: V.6
A) This dates back to the pre
B) The religious practices of the people of
1) There were no sexual or
moral restraints. There were no family ties.
C) The lack of moral and sexual restraint led to the
birth of many unwanted children.
1) Conceived in meaningless
sex, these lives were meaningless to those who bore them.
D) These infants were offered as sacrifices to the
pagan deities they worshipped.
1) One such practice was the worship
of Molech
E) Manasseh sacrificed
his own son to the Canaanite god Molech.
6) Practiced
soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums: v.6
A) Manasseh exposed himself to open encounters with
demons.
B) He came in contact with what today we would call a
“spirit-guides”.
1) These demonic spirits
would then give direction and so-called secret wisdom.
NOTE: It s
amazing to see the depths to which our society has sunk today as we see the way
that our society parallels the deeds of Manasseh.
7) He even set a carved image of Asherah
that he had made, in the house of the Lord: v.7
A) Ashram was the Canaanite
goddess of fertility, and worshipped through ritual prostitution.
B) This means that Manasseh made the temple into an
idolatrous brothel, dedicated to Asherah.
8) He seduced the
people: V.9
A) He manipulated them to sin
and sin more.
B) But the people were not innocent
C) The Lord loved Manasseh
and Judah so much that He sent the prophet Isaiah
to warn Manasseh & the people
1) But the people did not
heed the warnings of Isaiah
D) Result: they were
willingly seduced
by Manasseh’s wickedness and were attracted to do more evil.
Hosea – My people are destroyed
for lack of Knowledge ……….
We see the tragic progression
in Manasseh’s sin and it’s affect upon the people of God
First, idolatry is tolerated among God’s people.
Then idolatry is promoted.
Then idolatry is supported and funded.
Then the worship of the true
God is undermined.
Then the worshippers of the
true God are persecuted and murdered.
Then the judgment of God soon comes.
Judgment is coming – RD
V.10-18
So as a result of Manasseh’s
sin Judgment came upon the nation of Judah
A) But in the midst of that Judgment Manasseh had a
conversion - Turn to
And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his
people, but they would not listen. 11 Therefore the LORD brought upon them the
captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks,
bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to
His conversion:
A) The Assyrians invaded &Manasseh
was taken captive/ led him away w/ hooks in his lip
B) Totally humiliated – led around hooks
in his lip like a caught fish
C) Archaeologists have actually found pictures of this
practice.
1) Today we call it fashion – those days – part of
slavery – ultimate in humiliation
NOTE: Those who give themselves over to their own
lusts are ALWAYS given over to captivity.
Manasseh is a perfect picture of this.
D) You think – not going to hurt me –
pretty soon it is controlling you- has the best of you.
But
something interesting happened to Manasseh
A) In the midst of his affliction he
cried out to the Lord
B) Gomer
–led to the
1) The Valley of troubling is a door of
hope!
C) It is the very thing that causes some
to come to their senses –
1)
Parents we need to resist the tendency to keep a rebellious Child from ending
up in the
D)
Instead we need to pray: Lord let them get to that Valley quickly – Pig pen
quickly
1) Door of hope when the turn to the
Lord – come to their senses
E) Sin is pleasurable for a season but
the end there of is death.
Manasseh
cries out to the Lord - Question: Would you have
answered?
A) After all that Manasseh had done, if you were God,
would you listen to this guy?
B) If you were God, would YOU answer his prayer?
1) Tough
question to answer -
C) But know this God heard and responded to Manasseh
with Grace
If you ever doubted how
merciful and compassionate and gracious God is, this MUST lay them to rest.
A) This shows to us the MERCY and COMPASSION and GRACE
of God.
the one who comes to Me I
will by no means cast out.
C) Satan will lie to you and say: “You have gone too
far. God won’t listen to you. You are through.”
1) Manasseh proves to us that
Satan is a liar.
Manasseh proves to us that
the Word of God is true when it says: Psalms 86:5
For You, Lord, are good, and ready to
forgive,
And abundant in mercy to all those who
call upon You.
We
were talking at Family Devos yesterday:
Sharing
where we were reading in our Devos
A) My wife
was sharing - Luke 15:7 Lost sheep that the shepherd goes after – likens it to
a wayward believer
“I
tell you that in the same way there will be more
rejoicing
in heaven over one sinner who repents than
Over
ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need
to
repent.” NIV
B) That is
such a heavy thing to consider and it really shows the heart of God toward
wayward sheep
1) The Bible
tells us that God rejoices over his people He
rejoices in the righteous – Pleasure
C) But He
rejoices even more over the one wayward sinner who returns –
1) His heart
– None perish
D) Don’t be
skeptical – how
long will it last this time?
Is he really sincere? –
E) Those of
us who have been around a long time can get jaded because we have seen so many
go up &
down {Love
hopes all things .. believes all things /
So
Manasseh ends up crying out to the Lord in his turmoil the
Lord responds that is mercy
A) But here
is what is really amazing about the story of
Manasseh God not only hears his cry and forgives
B) But God
also delivers him from his captivity and restores him back to his position as
King –
1) Great
illustration of that principle found in
C) Such an awesome thing
about God’s grace
1) Restoration Power -
Was His
conversion real? RD
V.14-17
14 After this he built a
wall outside the City of David on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, as far
as the entrance of the Fish Gate; and it enclosed Ophel, and he raised it to a
very great height. Then he put military captains in all the fortified cities of
NKJV
Here
we see his follow thru the fruit of his repentance
A) He built walls around the city –
Protection freedom of worship
B) He removed the -foreign
gods
C) He repaired the altars of the Lord
D) He made the way for
true worship
E) The false altars are broken down
F) The alter of the Lord was
rebuilt
See this guy in heaven!!!! Real deal
Talk about Sunday – Revival
Closing
Modern Day Manassehs
A) Perhaps
YOUR life is as RUINED and DESPERATE as Manasseh’s.
B) Perhaps
you are living in the bondage to the very things that you thought you would
sere you.
1) Perhaps the consequences of your sin has HUMBLED
you.
C) TODAY, you need to call on the Lord.
1) You can do it knowing that if you are truly
repentant, He will hear you.
D) TODAY, He
offers you the forgiveness of sins and the promise of abundant life.
1) He offers GRACE and MERCY you don’t deserve. Will
you receive it?