Manasseh was a really bad guy. You read his story as king of Judah in 2 Chronicles 33 and you think "why didn't God just strike him with lightning or something?" Manesseh undid so much of what his father Hezekiah did in serving the Lord. Without going into the gory details (including the fact that he burned his own sons to death) read verse 9 "Manesseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel."
What an indictment!
So I'm reading along and thinking this story is really going to end badly, like so many others. God begins to punish Israel for Manasseh's evil and suddenly it all changes. Manesseh "entreated" the Lord, "humbled himself greatly, and "prayed."
Then in verse 13 comes the kicker, "Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God."
I wonder how many people are running around doing whatever comes to their minds, no matter how evil, because they don't realize the Lord is God. They don't know or refuse to acknowledge that there is something bigger than ourselves and we are responsible for our behavior to that Being.
Manasseh changed that day, forever. My challenge is to consider, is there really a God out there? If there is, how has He revealed Himself and what should I do about it? I would suggest that the only way God has truly revealed Himself is through the Bible and God's Son Jesus Christ.
We are responsible for what we do before God. Entreat God yourself, humble yourself, pray, and ask Him to reveal Himself to you. I'm betting He'll do just that.
Pastor Tom
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2 comments:
Nice brief and this mail helped me alot in my college assignement. Thank you for your information.
Brim over I agree but I contemplate the collection should prepare more info then it has.
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