Evil to the Max

II Kings 21:2

"And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel."

Manasseh outdid even the heathen nations in his thirst for evil and achieved the reputation of the very worst of the Judean kings by not only reversing the reforms of his father but plunging on into new avenues of evil. He made this reputation by:

• rebuilding the previously destroyed high places
• erecting altars for Baal
• making an Asherah and putting it in the house of the Lord
• worshiping and serving the host of heaven
• building altars for the host of heaven in the House of the Lord, the house where God put His name
• burning his own son as an offering
• using fortune tellers, mediums, and necromancers
• leading his own nation more astray than any of the nations God had previously destroyed
• leading Judah to sin with idols
• shedding innocent blood til he filled Jerusalem

What was God's response to all this? He would bring on Jerusalem and Judah such disaster that it would make the ears of everyone tingle. He would wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. He would forsake the remnant of His heritage and give them to the hand of their enemies.

Certainly, this account illustrates the principle that what you sow you will reap. But what I don't understand is why he would do this? Why would he feel the need to pursue so much evil? Did it have anything to do with Hezekiah's attitude about only desiring peace for himself in his final years and not caring about those to come after? Or was he a throwback to his grandfather? One thing it really demonstrates is that family culture doesn't become ingrained in the children. In fact, Manasseh rejected all that his father had done. Truly, loving and worshiping God must come from the heart not from the environment.

Father,

Keep me strong in Your ways. Strengthen my heart to follow You diligently and carefully.

In Jesus name,

Amen