Hezekiah was one of the best kings of Judah. When he became king, he immediately began to undo the evil that his father had done for the nations. He cleaned and reopened the temple (his father had placed idols in the temple to worship and then eventually closed it), reestablished celebrating religious holidays (passover), and as the people began to worship the Lord again, began to bring their offerings, so much that they had to make new storage places to hold all the offerings. But then Hezekiah became deathly ill. On the news of his imminent death, Hezekiah prays and cries before the Lord. Isaiah, who hadn’t even fully left, turns around and returns with a different message from the Lord. Hezekiah will be healed, but will also be tested by the Lord. He will be given 15 more years as king. The test from the Lord Hezekiah failed. To see the full account, read this post. One of the interesting perspectives to think about is where does his son Manasseh come in all of this. One side would argue that Manasseh becomes king at age 12 as a so-heir to his father Hezekiah. Although Hezekiah is given more time, his son is young and wants to help Manasseh prepare to be king, or maybe even because of his illness makes him king at the young age of 12. The other point of view is that Hezekiah had no children when he became ill, and that Manasseh was born to Hezekiah after God extends his life another 15 years (three years after being healed). Both have interesting perspectives to think about.
Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother was Hephzibah. He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, following the detestable practices of the pagan nations that the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites. 2 Kings 21:1-2
Manasseh was so young and ruled Judah for 55 years. Now, that is largely because he had a change of heart, which we will get to. He is most well known for his notorious idolatry. Unlike prior kings who worshipped idols, Manasseh went all out in his idolatry. he did evil in the Lord’s sight. Manasseh was so bad, he wasn’t just evil, but EVIL (insert sinister laugh).
When it comes to talking about evil practices, it’s always wise to err on the side of cautious information. Share enough information to illustrate he has a terrible, no good, very wicked person, but not share details about what he actually did. The Bible is good for this kind of information too.
He rebuilt the pagan shrines his father, Hezekiah, had destroyed. He constructed altars for Baal and set up an Asherah pole, just as King Ahab of Israel had done. He also bowed before all the powers of the heavens and worshiped them.
He built pagan altars in the Temple of the Lord, the place where the Lord had said, “My name will remain in Jerusalem forever.” He built these altars for all the powers of the heavens in both courtyards of the Lord’s Temple. Manasseh also sacrificed his own son in the fire. He practiced sorcery and divination, and he consulted with mediums and psychics. He did much that was evil in the Lord’s sight, arousing his anger.
Manasseh even made a carved image of Asherah and set it up in the Temple, the very place where the Lord had told David and his son Solomon: “My name will be honored forever in this Temple and in Jerusalem—the city I have chosen from among all the tribes of Israel. If the Israelites will be careful to obey my commands—all the laws my servant Moses gave them—I will not send them into exile from this land that I gave their ancestors.” But the people refused to listen, and Manasseh led them to do even more evil than the pagan nations that the Lord had destroyed when the people of Israel entered the land. 2 Kings 21:3-9
In short, he began to undo all the good his father had done. He brought back Baal and Asherah worship (the cause of Israel’s downfall). He also worshipped the gods of the stars and astrology. In the temple of the Lord, he replaced worship of the Lord with blatant idolatry. He even offered his own son as a sacrifice in fire. He actively practiced sorcery, consulting medium and psychics.
The people refused to listen to all the warnings. Even though the nation of Israel was destroyed for these same practices, Judah didn’t heed the warning.
Then the Lord said through his servants the prophets: “King Manasseh of Judah has done many detestable things. He is even more wicked than the Amorites, who lived in this land before Israel. He has caused the people of Judah to sin with his idols. So this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I will bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of those who hear about it will tingle with horror. I will judge Jerusalem by the same standard I used for Samaria and the same measure I used for the family of Ahab. I will wipe away the people of Jerusalem as one wipes a dish and turns it upside down. Then I will reject even the remnant of my own people who are left, and I will hand them over as plunder for their enemies. For they have done great evil in my sight and have angered me ever since their ancestors came out of Egypt.” 2 Kings 21:10-15
Despite all the prophesies and warnings from the people who loved the Lord, Mannaseh refused to change his ways. The judgment of the Lord was coming and it would be swift. The horror of it would linger, like the ringing in an ear. God will wipe their detestable actions like one scrubs a dish clean. All such vivid descriptions. Even though this is a great loss, God’s promised people rejected, it is right and deserved.
Manasseh also murdered many innocent people until Jerusalem was filled from one end to the other with innocent blood. This was in addition to the sin that he caused the people of Judah to commit, leading them to do evil in the Lord’s sight. 2 Kings 21:16
Oh, and in case you think God is being harsh, Manasseh was a murderer of innocent people, large amounts of innocent people.
The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they ignored all his warnings. So the Lord sent the commanders of the Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon. But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought the Lord his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed, the Lord listened to him and was moved by his request. So the Lord brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh finally realized that the Lord alone is God! 2 Chronicles 33:11-13
Isaiah, during the time of Hezekiah, told him that Judah would fall to the hands of the Babylonians. It is the Assyrians who have taken Manasseh into captivity. This is a turning point for Manasseh. Assyria would have been an ally. Many of the gods he turned to were the terrible gods of the Assyrians. He was humbled and broken. After being warned by the prophets that judgment was coming, Manasseh now sat in jail, stripped of his glory.
Manasseh sought after the Lord. He repented of the sin of idolatry and changed his heart desire to worship the Lord. He prayed to God, and the beauty of it all is that the Lord heard his prayer. God was moved at the change in Mannaseh. The writer is obviously referencing to 1 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people who are called by my name should humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land.”
Manasseh is allowed to return to Judah. In this is the full revelation to Manasseh. The Lord alone is God.
After this Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, from west of the Gihon Spring in the Kidron Valley to the Fish Gate, and continuing around the hill of Ophel. He built the wall very high. And he stationed his military officers in all of the fortified towns of Judah. Manasseh also removed the foreign gods and the idol from the Lord’s Temple. He tore down all the altars he had built on the hill where the Temple stood and all the altars that were in Jerusalem, and he dumped them outside the city. Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings on it. He also encouraged the people of Judah to worship the Lord, the God of Israel. However, the people still sacrificed at the pagan shrines, though only to the Lord their God. 2 Chronicles 33:14-17
When Manasseh returns to his home he is a completely changed man. Like Hezekiah he begins making reforms. He repairs the kingdom, including the military. He removes the idols and gods he placed int he Temple. All the alters he placed around Jerusalem were tossed in the garbage. But no matter how much he had changed, the people’s hearts were not stirred back to the Lord.
The time of Judah is coming to a near end. Since Hezekiah’s misstep, Judah will slowly near it’s end. At Manasseh’s death, he is buried, but not with the other kings. His wickedness superseded his, removing the honor. At his death, his son, Amnon became king, who was like the earlier version of Manasseh. He only ruled 2 years before a plot to kill him was fulfilled. Then Manasseh’s grandson, Josiah will rule. Not since David, was there a king who loved the Lord like Josiah.
To create this craft I borrowed this pop-up craft about Peter in Jail, but adapted it for King Manasseh in jail instead. Print off a copy of the Manasseh craft. Card stock paper is best, but regular copy paper is sufficient.
You will need to cut the printed paper in half.
Now, on the jail side, fold it in half, with the jail on the outside. Using scissors, remove the white part of the jail bars.
Once all the slots are cut out, open the jail paper. Now fold the top of the jail bars down, the opposite of the previous fold. Repeat on the top and bottom.
Now, secure the jail page over the top of the other page.
Fold the whole picture so that the bars of the jail fold out, while the rest of the picture folds the opposite direction.
Ascend: Bible Adventures 