King Manasseh And Three Memorials Series

King Manasseh and Three Memorials

Introduction: Manasseh, the king of Judah and son of Hezekiah, seemed to have a great future. His father had been a truly great king, as well as a good king because his father followed the LORD completely. Manasseh, though, promptly undid just about everything his father had done but he paid a severe price for it. Even so, the grace of God reached down to even Manasseh, and he repented. Manasseh proved his sincerity by taking care of three sets of memorials.

(Edited from a sermon preached 5-25-2025 at New Hope Baptist Church near Fulton, MO. This is not an exact transcription.)

1 The Memorials he removed

Text: 2 Chronicles 33:9-20, KJV: 9 So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel. 10 And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken. 11 Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. 12 And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, 13 And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God.

14 Now after this he built a wall without the city of David, on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entering in at the fish gate, and compassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great height, and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of Judah. 15 And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city. 16 And he repaired the altar of the LORD, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings and thank offerings, and commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel. 17 Nevertheless the people did sacrifice still in the high places, yet unto the LORD their God only.

18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and his prayer unto his God, and the words of the seers that spake to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel. 19 His prayer also, and how God was intreated of him, and all his sin, and his trespass, and the places wherein he built high places, and set up groves and graven images, before he was humbled: behold, they are written among the sayings of the seers. 20 So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.

One of the themes portrayed often in the Books of Kings and Chronicles is that there are times when a good father has an evil son. The reverse is true, also, as a look at the line of kings of Judah will clearly show. David was one of the best, as also were Asa, Jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah to name a few. Ahaz, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, on the other hand, were three of the worst. Manasseh, though, was the worst of the worst and he, single-handedly, sealed the fate for the southern kingdom, Judah (see 2 Kings 21:10-15).

And in case anyone needs more proof of Manasseh’s wickedness, verse 9 just about says it all. There’s even more in 2 Kings 21. The text follows an all-too-familiar pattern: a king decides to become evil and do evil in the sight of the LORD, he then forces Judah to go along (which they did, more or less willingly), and then receives God’s judgment for it. The king would face judgment for his own deeds, but the nation would receive judgment as well because they forsook the God of their fathers.

Comparing the passages in 2 Kings 21 and 2 Chronicles, we can see that Manasseh had the singular (!) fortune of being a guest of the Assyrians. Assuming he was taken to Nineveh, the capital, he walked (or, better, was led) nearly 600 miles away. It’s anybody’s guess what punishment he suffered, before, during, and after his captivity besides what’s found in verse 11.

Eventually, Manasseh got the message and repented! Verses 12 and 13 of the displayed text explain how he first “besought” the LORD, then humbled himself before the LORD, then prayed to Him. We’re not given any details of these actions but we can agree—Manasseh prayed, the LORD listened, and the LORD arranged for Manasseh to return home to Jerusalem. For another look at this, from outside the Bible itself, see the writings of Flavius Josephus, on line at https://biblehub.com/library/josephus/the_antiquities_of_the_jews/chapter_3_how_manasseh_reigned.htm