Tuesday, January 7 – 2 Chronicles 32, 2 Kings 21 – Additional Reading: Prophets and Kings, Chapter 32, “Manasseh and Josiah”
Study Questions:
1. How did Manasseh undo the spiritual reforms of his father? (2 Kings 21:3-7)
2. What judgment did the prophet announce on behalf of the Lord? (2 Kings 21:10-15)
3. How prone is the human heart to pride? (2 Chronicles 32:25-26)
Commentary and Reflection:
Today’s reading explores the reigns of Manasseh and Hezekiah, offering important lessons on leadership, sin, repentance, and faith.
Hezekiah was a faithful king who faced significant challenges, such as the attack by Sennacherib, king of Assyria. His reign highlights the importance of faith in God and the dangers of pride.
After implementing spiritual reforms, Hezekiah faced Sennacherib’s invasion. Though outnumbered, he prepared by strengthening Jerusalem’s defenses and securing its water supply through a tunnel that brought water into the city (2 Chronicles 32:30).
Hezekiah’s response to the threat demonstrated his trust in God. Together with the prophet Isaiah, he prayed fervently, and God intervened by sending an angel who destroyed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in a single night. Sennacherib returned to Assyria humiliated and was later assassinated by his own sons.
This victory showed that faith in God can achieve what human strength cannot.
Later, Hezekiah became gravely ill. He prayed to the Lord, who granted him 15 additional years of life and confirmed this miracle by making the shadow on the sundial move backward. However, Hezekiah’s pride led him to show Babylonian envoys the riches of Judah, inciting their greed and paving the way for a future invasion.
Despite his failings, Hezekiah is a testament to the power of faith and prayer. His engineering achievements and reliance on God during the invasion emphasize the importance of preparation and trust in divine intervention.
On the other hand, Manasseh reigned over Judah for 55 years, marking one of the darkest periods in its history. He ascended the throne at age 12, born during the additional 15 years God granted to Hezekiah. Tragically, those years brought Judah one of its worst kings.
Manasseh undid his father’s spiritual reforms, reviving pagan practices and reintroducing idolatry. He built altars for Baal, worshiped the stars, and sacrificed his son to the god Molech. His reign was marked by such widespread violence that he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, including that of the prophet Isaiah, who, according to Jewish tradition, was sawn in two (cf. Hebrews 11:37).
The trajectory of his reign followed a destructive pattern: tolerance of idolatry, promotion of pagan practices, institutionalization of idolatry, weakening of worship to Jehovah, and persecution of the faithful. This ultimately led to God’s judgment.
However, at the end of his life, Manasseh genuinely repented. Taken captive to Babylon, he humbled himself before God, who responded by restoring him to his throne. Manasseh proved his repentance by removing idols and commanding Judah to worship Jehovah. But this change came too late to reverse the spiritual damage he had inflicted on the nation.
Manasseh’s son, Amon, succeeded him but did not follow his father’s example of repentance. He reigned for only two years before being assassinated by his servants. Despite this, the people of Judah placed his son Josiah on the throne, paving the way for future spiritual reforms.
These accounts remind us of the importance of repentance and reliance on God. They teach us to examine our pride and continually seek God’s guidance.
May these stories inspire us to seek God and live lives of faithfulness and obedience.
Pastor Héctor de Armas