Manasseh

Manasseh, the 15th king of Judah, son and successor of Hezekiah: his was the longest reign of any of the Old Testament kings. His reign began at the age of 12, and he ruled for 55 years, beginning in 699 B.C.  His name comes from the Hebrew Nasha meaning “to forget,” signifies, “one who causes to forget.”

Manasseh rushed headlong into all manner of idolatry, and seduced the people to follow his example. What his father had undone, Manasseh rebuilt. He revived the wickedness of his grandfather Ahaz, doing much evil in the sight of God. He worshipped the idols of Canaan; rebuilt the high places that his father king Hezekiah had destroyed; set up altars to Baal; and planted groves to false gods.

He raised altars to the host of heaven in the courts of God’s house; made his son pass through the fire in honor of Moloch; was addicted to magic, divinations, auguries, and other superstitions. He set up the idol Astarte in the house of God; he involved his people in all the abominations of the idolatrous nations to the degree that Israel committed more wickedness than the Canaanites whom the Lord had driven out from the land.

The most serious crime was to sacrifice his own child in order to honor the god Moloch. This was a forbidden practice.

Leviticus 18:21, God is speaking to the Jews, “Thou shalt not let any of your seed pass through the fire of Moloch.”

Manasseh added cruelty and shed a great deal of innocent blood among his own people. So the Lord was provoked by his crimes, and threatened him by the prophets.

2 Chronicles 33:11-12, the Lord spoke to Manasseh but neither he nor the people would obey. Therefore the LORD brought the king of Assyria against him, captured him and carried him off to Babylon. After a great deal of affliction he sought after the LORD; humbled himself; prayed and begged for forgiveness and acknowledged the hand of the LORD.

Upon his return to Jerusalem he restored the worship of the LORD; broke down the altars of all the false gods; and abolished all traces of the people’s idolatrous worship. But he did not destroy the high places. These were places of idol worship in the mountains; places adored with idols, places where the people committed a thousand abominations in groves, caves, and tents.

This is the only thing Scripture reproaches Manasseh for after his return from Babylon. He caused Jerusalem to be fortified; enclosed another city with walls, a city West of Jerusalem calling it the second city. He also put garrisons into all the strong places of Judah.

The writers of Scripture cannot express their sense of the enormity of his crimes, claiming even the very Gentile nations never went so far in their practices of abominations as did Judah in the days of Manasseh. He died at Jerusalem, and buried in the garden of his house called the garden of Uzza. He was succeeded by his son Amon.

Phillip Laspino www.seekfirstwisdom.com