2 Kings 21
McGeeCHAPTER 21THEME: Manasseh’s evil reignChapter 21 is quite a let-down after chapter 20, and yet there is a tremendous message here for us. Hezekiah was the best king since Davidthere was none to compare with him. He was like David in another way: neither of these men were good fathers. Hezekiah fathered a son who was the worst king that ever reigned in the southern kingdom. It is a heartbreak when you read about Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son, turning out the way he did. Now I cannot confirm the statement that I am about to make, but I believe that the shekinah glorythe visible presence of Godreturned to heaven during the reign of Manasseh.
As far as we can determine, the shekinah glory was present during the reign of Hezekiah, and I can’t see any events that happened after the reign of Manasseh that would have caused the shekinah glory to leave. When God’s presence left the temple, it was a desolate place, forsaken of God. As we look at the life of this man Manasseh, we will see his total abhorrence for the temple and all the things of God.
2 Kings 21:1
MANASSEH’S SINSManasseh began his reign as a twelve-year-old boy. He was a rascal, but someone says, “He is young. He will outgrow it.” Well, he did not outgrow it. He got worse and worse and worse. He reigned for fifty-five years. God gave him ample opportunity to change his ways. In 2 Chronicles we find that he did finally repent. God is always patient and long-suffering. He is not willing that any should perish. Manasseh’s mother’s name is mentioned. Her name was Hephzibah. She will have to accept responsibility for her son. If there is any credit, she will receive that, too. She may have been a wonderful mother. I don’t know how Hephzibah raised this boy, but Manasseh was as wicked as he could be, and the damage he did to his country was irreparable.
2 Kings 21:2
Manasseh was as bad as any of the pagans that God put out of the land when he brought His people into the land.
2 Kings 21:3
Hezekiah, you recall, had destroyed the pagan places of worship, and a partial revival took place under his influence. All of his work came to naught because Manasseh raised up altars for Baal, and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served themwhich means he worshiped the sun, moon, and stars, and all the hosts of heaven that the Greeks named Apollo and Diana, etc. Manasseh was a wicked man. Someone says, “My, but we have come a long way today.” No, we haven’t. We are seeing a strong resurgence of astrology, and multitudes of “civilized” folk live by the horoscope. Many people still worship the host of heaven today.
2 Kings 21:4
Manasseh defied Almighty God. He put up pagan altars in the house of the Lord where God had said, “Here is where I will set My name.”
2 Kings 21:6
He even made his own son pass through the fire or into the fire. This was actually a human sacrifice. An image was heated until it was red-hot and then a baby was placed in it as an offering! It was a horrible, sadistic, satanic form of idolatrous worship.
2 Kings 21:7
These people did not know it at the time, but they were getting ready to travel. They were headed for Babylonian captivity, because the land was theirs on one condition: obedience.
2 Kings 21:9
Not only was Manasseh as bad as the heathen, he was worse. I have news for him: God will not tolerate the Israelites’ wickedness. He will put them out of the land.
2 Kings 21:10
Just as God had judged Samaria and all Israel, God is now going to judge Jerusalem and all Judah. God said he will “wipe Jerusalem as a man wipes a dish"God is going to do some dishwashing. Jerusalem is His landHis dishthe Israelites have made it filthy; so He is going to wipe them out of it. You may be very clever and sophisticated and think you don’t need God, but you are walking on His earth, breathing His air, using His sunshine, and drinking His water. He even gave you the body that you have. Every now and then He washes His dishes. Nations down through the centuries lie along the highway of time in rubble and ruin. Do you know why? They did the same thing that our nation is doing today: living without God, feeling no need of God. God said that He was going to wipe Jerusalem as a man wipes a dish, and He did just that.
2 Kings 21:14
God says that He is going to take His finger out of the dike and let the enemy come in like a flood.
2 Kings 21:16
When a man or a nation goes into sin, they don’t sin in just one respect; they sin in many respects. Now we have not only forgotten God, we have become an immoral nation. Lawlessness and murder are the order of the day. Some companies have moved away from large cities, trying to get away from lawlessness. Well, we cannot get away from it until this nation returns to God. That is the first step.
2 Kings 21:17
This is the story of Manasseh. There is not much to say except that he was evil and corrupt, and he died.
2 Kings 21:19
AMON’S BRIEF REIGNAmon is a bad one, toohe walked in his father’s footsteps. He forsook the Lord. Therefore, the Lord forsook him.
2 Kings 21:23
Amon’s wickedness led to revolution. Today we as a nation are on the way to revolution. It is unfortunate that our leaders seem to be interested only in getting elected. It seems that they are actually willing to sell their country in order to do that. We are living in dangerous days, friend.
2 Kings 21:24
JOSIAH REIGNS OVER JUDAHThis section brings us to the last of the great kings. Josiah was not only a great king, but the greatest revival took place during the time of his reign.