“Therefore the Lord brought upon them the captains … who took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon. Now when he was in affliction, he implored the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.”
II Chronicles 33:11-13 NKJV
Just yesterday I read about Manasseh sacrificing his son to a god – burning his own child in fire – worshiping gods, practicing witchcraft and divination, and listening to demons (fortune telling and soothsaying). And just one chapter later, he humbled himself greatly and knew – or yāḏaʿ (respect, understand, see, and find out) that the Lord was G-d.
From sacrifice to surrender.
From witchcraft to The Way.
From deceived to leader.
He removed the idols and foreign gods. He removed the altars he built. He repaired the altar of G-d and offered sacrifices pleasing to Him – both thank offerings and peace offerings. Verse 19 says he prayed earnestly to G-d and G-d received his prayer and forgave him.
Manasseh’s change of heart was brought on by captivity. He was bound and imprisioned and only then did he come to understand the One True G-d. Great captivity birthed great humility, radical restoration, and undeserved mercy.
Though some scholars disagree about the authorship of Manasseh’s prayer found in ancient texts, the prayer reflects a genuine heart change. The verses recount the glory of G-d and ones desperate need for forgiveness. When we submit ourselves to Him, cry out to Him, and repent of our ways, there’s nothing He won’t forgive and nothing He cannot do because He’s just that good and He’s just that kind.
Father – I pray as Manasseh did: “Your glorious splendor is overwhelming, and your anger is more than sinners can endure. But the mercy you promise is also greater than we can understand or measure.”
(The Prayer of Manasseh 1:5-6 GNTD).
Thank You for loving and forgiving me. You are good and You keep doing good. Your leadership in my life is perfect and You can be trusted. Amen.
Daily Reading: 2 Chronicles 32-33
August 3, 2022