ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 140 - 2 Chronicles 32-34 (Amazing Grace)
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"And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen. Therefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, 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." (2 Chronicles 33:10-13)
Manasseh was one of the most wicked kings of Judah despite the fact that his father Hezekiah was one of the most godly kings. During the reign of Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came to attack Judah and instead of surrending to his much stronger enemy, Hezekiah called on the Lord for help and then encouraged his people by saying:
"Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles." (2 Chronicles 32:7-8)
God honored Hezekiah and delivered him from the powerful king of Assyria by sending His angel to kill their army without a single Jew having to fight.
In contrast, Hezekiah's son, Manasseh, committed unimaginable evil so that caused God to him to be taken captive with hooks to Babylon. Read for yourself the evil that Manasseh did:
"And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger. He even set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God..." (2 Chronicles 33:6-7)
We read, however, that Manasseh humbled himself before God and repented of his sins and God "received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God (2 Chronicles 33:13)."
I entitled this devotional, "Amazing Grace" because I think it best describes God's favor on Manasseh. Manasseh deserved to spend the rest of his life in captivity and punishment in Babylon but instead, God brought him back and restored his kingship in Jerusalem and allowed him to reign for fifty-five years as the longest serving king of Judah. That is God's amazing grace.
Those of us who have received forgiveness through Jesus Christ know what God's amazing grace is. The Bible says that everyone has sinned against God and deserves eternal punishment in hell. But "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16)."
Have you experienced God's amazing grace in your life? You don't have to be as bad as Manasseh to need God's forgiveness. All who have not yet confessed their sins before God and asked for forgiveness in Christ is condemned to hell, as Christ Himself has said:
"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God....36He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." (John 3:18, 36)
Everyone who has been saved from the wrath of God and from the condemnation of hell knows first-hand about God's amazing grace. Those who don't most likely have not yet been saved for they know not about the great deliverance from the captivity of sin just as Manasseh did and many other sinners like me do.
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