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An Evil King is Restored · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: And he did that which was evil in the sight
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  Speaker 1: of the Lord, as his father Manasseh did. 2 Kings
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  Speaker 1: 21.20 Heavenly Father, I stand before you as a conduit
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  Speaker 1: to those who are lost in wicked thoughts, actions, and behaviors.
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  Speaker 1: As you did with Manasseh, I pray you will do
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  Speaker 1: with all those who are desiring to harm and inflict
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  Speaker 1: torment on those around me. because you are a forgiving
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  Speaker 1: God and a good God. I pray for the hearts
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  Speaker 1: of all those whose faith has grown cold to be
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  Speaker 1: turned around so they can behold and experience your goodness again.
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  Speaker 1: I come against every lie that would tell them that
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  Speaker 1: you are mad at them and that you have abandoned them. Instead,
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  Speaker 1: use me as a vessel to spread your love, so
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  Speaker 1: that your truth can shine through the darkest of hearts.
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  Speaker 1: As you forgave me and gave me a new life,
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  Speaker 1: I know that you will do the same for them.
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  Speaker 1: Through the power of your Holy Spirit, I know that
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  Speaker 1: nothing is impossible. So I thank you in advance that
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  Speaker 1: souls are being saved and lives are being restored back
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  Speaker 1: to you. In Jesus' name, Amen. Thank you for praying
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  Speaker 1: with us today. Continue your time with God by listening
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  Speaker 1: to today's Bible story, brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: An evil king is restored. In our last story, King
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  Speaker 2: Hezekiah is saved from the clutches of death and spared
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  Speaker 2: for another 15 years. In this time, Hezekiah became friends
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  Speaker 2: with the leaders of Babylon. In an attempt to impress them,
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  Speaker 2: he showcased all of Judah's wealth. This would prove to
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  Speaker 2: be a fatal mistake for the righteous king, since Babylon
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  Speaker 2: was an evil nation rising slowly to overtake the world.
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  Speaker 2: Now we see the evil reign of Hezekiah's son, Manasseh.
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  Speaker 2: His cruelty and wickedness was unmatched by any king before him.
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  Speaker 2: He made his dwelling place in darkness. However, all darkness
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  Speaker 2: needs is a little bit of light. Inspired by the
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  Speaker 2: book of 2 Kings.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
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  Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. But before we begin, I want
• 2:41
  Speaker 3: to let you know about a unique e-book that's yours
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: to download absolutely free today. It's called Breaking Free from Stress.
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: And my prayer is that it will help you conquer
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: the daily tasks and pressures and burdens that bring stress
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: in your life. Download your free copy of Breaking Free
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: from Stress today by visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org
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  Speaker 3: slash stress. In our last episode, we heard how God
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  Speaker 3: spared Hezekiah from death and gave him 15 more years
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  Speaker 3: of life. We also learned that in his eagerness to
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  Speaker 3: impress the nation of Babylon, Hezekiah foolishly opened his gates
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  Speaker 3: to show a rising enemy all that Judah had to
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  Speaker 3: offer and ultimately to plunder. It was a naive and
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  Speaker 3: selfish decision and a costly lapse in judgment and discernment.
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  Speaker 3: Today we'll learn of the reign of his son Manasseh,
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  Speaker 3: a stark contrast to his father's reign of righteousness. Manasseh
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  Speaker 3: proves to be an evil king far from God. But
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  Speaker 3: as we will be reminded today, God is able always
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  Speaker 3: to drive out the darkness with His perfect light. Let's
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  Speaker 3: listen now to the Word of God.
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  Speaker 2: Where does evil begin in a man's life? Does circumstance
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  Speaker 2: cause bitterness to turn into hatred and hatred to turn
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  Speaker 2: into evil? Is evil conceived through one's broken childhood? Or
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  Speaker 2: does evil creep its way into someone's nature without warning
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  Speaker 2: or cause? These answers may never be fully known. However,
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  Speaker 2: for King Manasseh, evil was just as much a part
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  Speaker 2: of him as his beating heart. Manasseh, the son of
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  Speaker 2: the righteous King Hezekiah, began his rule in Judah at
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  Speaker 2: the young age of twelve. Even as a child, death
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  Speaker 2: and cruelty enticed him. He was drawn by the exotic
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  Speaker 2: idols of ancient cities. Manasseh devoted himself to the gods
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  Speaker 2: of mountains and forests. He erected altars in the city
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  Speaker 2: to Baal and Aseroth. As Manasseh grew older and more powerful,
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  Speaker 2: his capability for evil increased. He would lure children and
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  Speaker 2: young women into the forest to offer them up as sacrifices.
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  Speaker 2: He even burned his own sons as an offering to
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  Speaker 2: the Valley of the Son of Hinnom. Manasseh laughed and
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  Speaker 2: cried as his sons' burning corpses turned to ash. His
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  Speaker 2: worship of exotic gods muddied his mind like a swamp.
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  Speaker 2: He was never satisfied. He was continually looking for new
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  Speaker 2: and creative ways to sin. He delved into omens and sorcery,
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  Speaker 2: studying the ways of witchcraft and human sacrifice. He developed
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  Speaker 2: a curiosity for necromancers and speaking to the dead. Manasseh's
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  Speaker 2: mind and heart were completely covered in darkness, and he
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  Speaker 2: loved it. He enjoyed the dark recesses of wickedness. He
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  Speaker 2: made his home there. He did not sin ignorantly as
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  Speaker 2: other kings had. No, Manasseh was much more shrewd than that.
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  Speaker 2: He saw his vile ways as an act against God.
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  Speaker 2: He challenged him. He challenged his goodness, his righteousness, and
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  Speaker 2: his power. King Manasseh thought himself equal to God, a
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  Speaker 2: mistake many men had made before him. One evening, Manasseh
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  Speaker 2: sat at the edge of the forest in Jerusalem. He
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  Speaker 2: sat praying and speaking to the evil spirits he had
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  Speaker 2: bound his soul to. In the dead of night, he
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  Speaker 2: chanted and sang to the false gods of ancient Canaanites.
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  Speaker 2: The forest rested on a small hill, and Manasseh could
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  Speaker 2: see the temple at the bottom in the middle of
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  Speaker 2: the city. He smiled a wicked smile and began to
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  Speaker 2: walk into the city with his servants. Manasseh stood in
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  Speaker 2: front of the vast temple. The ivory pillars and beams
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  Speaker 2: of cedar were illuminated by torchlight.
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  Speaker 1: It was a.
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  Speaker 2: Truly beautiful sight, especially after his father had restored it.
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  Speaker 2: Manasseh remembered his father's obsession over the temple. It bored
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  Speaker 2: him as a child, but as an adult it vexed him.
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  Speaker 2: His father, King Hezekiah the Righteous, was a pitiful man
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  Speaker 2: to him. Manasseh spat on the temple floor and gestured
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  Speaker 2: for his servants to break open its doors. Together they
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  Speaker 2: erected large idols to the Canaanite gods. The temple, The
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  Speaker 2: dwelling place of God had been defiled with Manasseh's worthless idols.
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  Speaker 2: Manasseh burst into laughter as he remembered the words of
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  Speaker 2: the Lord, In Jerusalem shall my name be forever. The
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  Speaker 2: evil king lay in his bed, pleased with his work.
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  Speaker 2: He enjoyed provoking God to anger. It was a pleasant
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  Speaker 2: game for him, and he loved every minute of it.
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  Speaker 2: As the weeks went by, Manasseh's depraved practices seeped into
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  Speaker 2: the daily lives of Judeans. They entered the temple to
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  Speaker 2: pay homage to false gods, and mediums were consulted by
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  Speaker 2: many in the city of Jerusalem. Manasseh was pleased with
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  Speaker 2: his influence on Judah's culture, but God was not playing
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  Speaker 2: Manasseh's games. He would not allow for him to corrupt
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  Speaker 2: his children. The Lord sent messengers regularly, imploring of Manasseh
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  Speaker 2: to repent and turn from his ways. Every messenger was
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  Speaker 2: either rejected or killed for sport. The Lord tugged on
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  Speaker 2: the king's heart with his spirit, but his soul had
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  Speaker 2: been sealed shut by years of calloused rebellion. The Lord
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  Speaker 2: had given Manasseh many chances to turn from his ways.
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  Speaker 2: Now it was time for God to remove his protection
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  Speaker 2: from the king. Manasseh awoke in the dead of night
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  Speaker 2: to screams. He looked out his window to see flames
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  Speaker 2: near the palace. He could see shadows of Assyrian soldiers
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  Speaker 2: raiding nearby homes. They were not harming anyone. No, they
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  Speaker 2: were looking for someone. They were looking for the king. Panicked,
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  Speaker 2: the king began to move his furniture in front of
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  Speaker 2: his doors. He ignored the pleas for help on the
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  Speaker 2: other side of the door and continued to fortify his chambers.
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  Speaker 2: Smoke began to creep in through the window and King
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  Speaker 2: Manasseh could barely breathe. He could hear violent banging on
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  Speaker 2: the other side of the fortified door. The banging grew
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  Speaker 2: louder and more violent. Manasseh watched helplessly as the furniture
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  Speaker 2: began to move. and the door cracked open. The Assyrians
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  Speaker 2: burst through the door after several minutes of banging. Manasseh
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  Speaker 2: lifted his sword to fight, but was quickly struck down
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  Speaker 2: onto the floor. He could barely see the Assyrians' faces
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  Speaker 2: because of the smoke. However, he could see the large
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  Speaker 2: metal hook dangling on a chain in one of their hands.
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  Speaker 2: The man drew closer with the hook. Manasseh tried to
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  Speaker 2: crawl away, but was kicked in the ribs immediately. Manasseh
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  Speaker 2: held his side and watched as the man bent down
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  Speaker 2: and drove the metal hook into his shoulder. The hook
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  Speaker 2: attached to a chain of bronze was driven deep into
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  Speaker 2: the king's right shoulder. He screamed in agony as the
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  Speaker 2: man tugged on the chain, forcing Manasseh to his feet.
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  Speaker 2: Manasseh was then led away, out of Jerusalem, captive to
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  Speaker 2: the Assyrian army. Manasseh was dragged out of the country
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  Speaker 2: of Judah towards Babylon. He was beaten and bound in
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  Speaker 2: bronze chains. Food and water were scarce and the evil
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  Speaker 2: king began to break down. As the Assyrians were camping,
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  Speaker 2: Manasseh lay in the cold, bound in chains, with the
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  Speaker 2: hook still driven securely in his shoulder. He looked up
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  Speaker 2: to the stars and began to weep. He did not
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  Speaker 2: pray to the dead that night. He did not seek
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  Speaker 2: the comfort of Baal or the shrine of Asherah. In
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  Speaker 2: the cold and in pain, Manasseh wept before God. He
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  Speaker 2: asked for the Lord's favor and forgiveness. He wailed towards
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  Speaker 2: the sky and humbled himself before the living God. The
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  Speaker 2: Lord saw Manasseh's tears. God was moved by Manasseh's words.
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  Speaker 2: For the first time in the king's life, he had
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  Speaker 2: a true connection with his God. Early the next morning,
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  Speaker 2: the Assyrians released the king and sent him back to Jerusalem.
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  Speaker 2: He returned to his home with a damaged ego and
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  Speaker 2: a humbled heart. No longer did Manasseh spite God. He
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  Speaker 2: knew that he was the Lord of heaven and earth.
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  Speaker 2: He knew that he was not only powerful, but merciful.
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  Speaker 2: Although Manasseh did not deserve mercy from God, he received it.
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  Speaker 2: As the sun breaks, the morning fog, Manasseh's mind began
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  Speaker 2: to clear. He saw his nation with new eyes. He
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  Speaker 2: fortified the cities to protect his people from harm. He
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  Speaker 2: stripped away the idols in the streets and temple. He
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  Speaker 2: restored the temple that had been desecrated and became a
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  Speaker 2: devoted worshipper until the end of his days. After Manasseh died,
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  Speaker 2: his son Amon was made king. Amon did not share
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  Speaker 2: the story of his father. He devoted himself to evil
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  Speaker 2: and conspired against the Lord. He led many people astray
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  Speaker 2: and was selfish in everything he did. He abused those
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  Speaker 2: who served him and worshipped himself as a god. Because
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  Speaker 2: he refused to humble himself, his servants assassinated him in
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  Speaker 2: his own home. His son Josiah was then made king
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  Speaker 2: after him.
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  Speaker 3: In today's scripture passage, Hezekiah has been succeeded by his
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  Speaker 3: son Manasseh. Still a child when he became king, Manasseh
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  Speaker 3: did not follow the righteous footsteps of his father or
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  Speaker 3: live in the wonderful legacy that he had been given.
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  Speaker 3: In fact, he went the exact opposite direction. Hezekiah had
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  Speaker 3: torn down the idolatrous altars and even the high places
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  Speaker 3: where evil gods were worshipped in Judah. But as Manasseh grew,
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  Speaker 3: his evil heart could not get enough of the evil
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  Speaker 3: deities of the foreigners. He erected altars and Asherah poles
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  Speaker 3: in the city. He defiled God's house and sacrificed his
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  Speaker 3: own sons to false gods. As much as Hezekiah found
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  Speaker 3: great joy in serving the Lord, his son Manasseh seemed
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  Speaker 3: to take joy in blaspheming and insulting God, making a
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  Speaker 3: mockery of his holiness and doing all kinds of evil things.
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  Speaker 3: But as we have seen time and time again, as
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  Speaker 3: the king went, so did the people. They soon turned
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  Speaker 3: their back on God, and went back to their old ways,
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  Speaker 3: chasing after the exotic gods and empty promises of those
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  Speaker 3: false deities. Here's what we read in 2 Kings 21
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  Speaker 3: verses 11 and 12. Because Manasseh king of Judah has
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  Speaker 3: done these abominations, having done wickedly more than all the
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  Speaker 3: Amorites who did go before him, and has also made
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  Speaker 3: Judah sin with his idols, therefore thus the Lord says,
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  Speaker 3: the God of Israel, behold, I am bringing such calamity
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  Speaker 3: on Jerusalem and Judah that whoever hears of it, both
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  Speaker 3: his ears will tingle. Yes, God is a God of love.
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  Speaker 3: He is full of mercy and grace towards his children.
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  Speaker 3: But there is a time when God sends judgment. Manasseh
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  Speaker 3: and the people of Judah deserve this judgment, to be annihilated,
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  Speaker 3: wiped out because of their mockery of God. The Bible says,
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  Speaker 3: remember this, whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
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  Speaker 3: The people were sowing their own judgment, and they reaped it.
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  Speaker 3: But even in his judgment, we see God's immeasurable mercy.
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  Speaker 3: He sent Assyrians to capture the king. They drove hooks
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  Speaker 3: into his shoulders and led him in chains through the forest,
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  Speaker 3: likely some of the very land where Manasseh had murdered
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  Speaker 3: his own children in the fire, and then they took
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  Speaker 3: him out of Judah. Imagine this king. who so pridefully
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  Speaker 3: mocked God, defied God, and engaged in so many vile acts,
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  Speaker 3: now he is brought down, chained like a slave of
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  Speaker 3: the enemy. It is a visual depiction of his inner state.
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  Speaker 3: He has been enslaved to sin and wickedness for years.
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  Speaker 3: The hooks in his flesh were strong, but not nearly
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  Speaker 3: as powerful as the grip that sin had on his
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  Speaker 3: heart and mind. So Manasseh was led out of the land.
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  Speaker 3: In chains, Under the control of the sworn enemies of
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  Speaker 3: God's people, Manasseh's heart broke. He cried out to God,
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  Speaker 3: the only one who could rescue him. And though he
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  Speaker 3: didn't deserve it, God heard his cry. He forgave the
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  Speaker 3: king because God could see there was genuine repentance, heart change.
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  Speaker 3: Was this all just desperation and fear? Well, certainly that.
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  Speaker 3: But it does not make it any less genuine if
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  Speaker 3: God chooses to forgive. A contrite heart, a repentant heart,
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  Speaker 3: is what God seeks from all of us, and that's
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  Speaker 3: what Manasseh offered to the Lord. So amazingly, the Assyrians
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  Speaker 3: released the king and he returned, humbled and restored to Judah.
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  Speaker 3: He tore down the altars and restored God's temple and
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  Speaker 3: lived out his days in humility, serving the Lord. This
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  Speaker 3: is a wonderful story of salvation that comes through repentance
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  Speaker 3: and deliverance from God. His son Ammon sadly did not
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  Speaker 3: follow him and persisted in evil until he was killed
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  Speaker 3: by his own servants. But Ammon's son, Josiah, would lead
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  Speaker 3: Judah into another area of reform, revival, and return to
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  Speaker 3: the Lord. We'll hear his great story the next time
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  Speaker 3: we're together. Dear God, thank you for your word always
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  Speaker 3: that reminds us that you will judge sin. But when
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  Speaker 3: we genuinely cry out to you and seek you and
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  Speaker 3: return to you, in your grace and mercy, because of
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  Speaker 3: your cross and resurrection, that we can come back to
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  Speaker 3: you and that you will receive us like prodigal children
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  Speaker 3: into your family. And we pray this with deep gratitude
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  Speaker 3: in our hearts for your grace and mercy. Amen. Thank
• 16:48
  Speaker 3: you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
• 16:52
  Speaker 3: Before we go, I want to let you know about
• 16:54
  Speaker 3: a unique e-book that's yours to download absolutely free today.
• 16:59
  Speaker 3: It's called Breaking Free from Stress. And my prayer is
• 17:03
  Speaker 3: that it will help you conquer the daily task and
• 17:05
  Speaker 3: pressures and burdens that bring stress into your life. Download
• 17:09
  Speaker 3: your free copy of Breaking Free from Stress today by
• 17:13
  Speaker 3: visiting jackgram.org slash stress. That's jackgram.org slash stress.