2 Chronicles 33

Have you ever known someone you thought was beyond redemption. You were sure they would not turn away from their wickedness and evil. They were confirmed in pursuing their destructive ways, unwilling and seemingly unable to change. Those of us who work with people to encourage change have, on many occasions, been disappointed in seeing our hours of encouragement, instruction, and emotional support come to no avail.

When I was a young person in church, I learned about Manasseh. What I was taught was that he was one of the worst kings of Judah. And this is true from a certain point of view. But there is more to the story that I found later while reading about Manasseh. It is an intriguing tale of humiliation and redemption that offers hope to others who may have followed the example of his early years.

God sought to get through to Manasseh, as He does with all of us.

So the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention.  (2 Chronicles 33:10)

But God is persistent and has His ways to get the message across.

Therefore the LORD brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon.  (2 Chronicles 33:11)

They say that one has to reach bottom to look up. If this wasn’t the bottom for Manasseh, we can’t be certain where the bottom would be. It was enough to get the attention of this humiliated king, and he turned his heart toward God.

When he was in distress, he entreated the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.  (2 Chronicles 33:12)

Humbling ourselves before God, praying, seeking His face and turning from our wicked ways is the way back to restoration. Humility is the first requirement. When he humbled himself before God, in His mercy and grace, He was willing to forgive and restore Manasseh.

When he prayed to Him, He was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.  (2 Chronicles 33:13)

From what we read in the text, it seems Manasseh spent the remainder of his years seeking to reverse the damage he had caused. However, according to 2 Chronicles 33:17, the people still used the high places, but only to worship the LORD.

So, we learn that one of the most wicked kings of Judah found redemption in the LORD his God. If there was hope for Manasseh, surely there is hope for the vilest sinner today. Saul, the persecutor of Christians and destroyer of the Church, became Paul, the Apostle of Christ and planter of churches. God changes lives. This is the only hope for broken lives.