156 – Evil King Who Repented
2 Chronicles 33:1-25 2 Kings 21:1-26
Hezekiah was one of the best kings of all the descendants of David. His son Manasseh, however, was one of the most wicked of them all. He became king when he was 12 years old, and he ruled for 55 years.
He acted worse than the kings of Canaan before the Israelites got there. His father had destroyed all the altars to false gods, but Manasseh had them rebuilt. He put several inside the Temple itself. He led the whole nation to practice witchcraft, and even sacrificed his own sons to false gods.
God spoke to Manasseh and the nation of Judah, but they didn’t listen. Finally, the Lord allowed military commanders from Assyria to capture the king. They put a ring in his nose and led him away in bronze chains. He was put in a prison in Babylon.
This was the darkest time of Manasseh’s life. So he humbled himself and called out to God. The Lord heard his prayer and was gracious to him.
The time came when God allowed him to go back to Jerusalem and once again be king. Once he was there, Manasseh knew that the Lord had done this for him, and he was grateful.
He removed all the idols and altars from the Temple. He restored the altar of God and used it to give thanks to the Lord. He built up the walls of Jerusalem and made the city more secure. Through his leadership, the military became stronger.
When Manasseh died, his son Amon became king. He ruled for only two years, but he was as evil as his father had been in his early years. Unlike his father, however, he did not turn to the Lord.
His servants plotted against him and finally killed him. A mob of people in Judah hunted down those men and executed them.
They then took Amon’s son and made him king. His name was Josiah, and he was only an 8-year-old boy. Still, Josiah became a great king of Judah.
