Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Cor. 15:58

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Saturday, March 3, 2012

day 257: The Rest of the Story

2 Chronicles 33:10-13
The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they ignored all his warnings. So the Lord sent the commanders of Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a ring through his nose, bound chains, and led him away to Babylon. But while in deep distress.........

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Do you know the story of Manasseh?

I thought I did. His story is told in two places (like a lot of kings). The first place is in 2 Kings 21.

The cliffnotes 2 Kings 21 are:
*He was a really evil king.

*He built altars to "all the powers of heaven and earth" (ie NOT God) in the Temple of the Lord.

*He sacrificed his own son in the Temple to the 'gods'

*He practiced sorcery and divination, consulted with mediums, and psychics.

*Put a carved image of Asherah in the Temple of the Lord

*Manasseh murdered many innocent people until Jerusalem was filled with innocent blood.

That is all in 2 Kings. Then it says, "The rest of the events in Manasseh's reign and everything he did, including the sins he committed, are recorded in the Book of the History of the Kings of Judah."

*I* read that and thought Manassah pretty much as evil as they come... and he was. But I didn't know... the rest of the story.

Manassah's story is exactly why you need to read the Bible cover to cover. You miss things important like this.

Wanna know what happened to Manasseh?

Well.....

2 Chronicles 10:12-13
.........But while in deep distress.........
Manasseh sought the Lord his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed, the Lord listened to him and was moved by his request. So the Lord brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh finally realized that the Lord alone is God!


I don't know about you, but that's a BIG chunk of his story to miss!

Manasseh was as evil as evil could be, but he sincerely prayed to God, God heard him, and he was saved! After that, he tried his best to lead Judah back to God, but they were too far gone.

If God can/will save a man as evil as Manasseh, He can/will save anyone. We all have people we pray for to be saved. Sometimes we feel like giving up because either it's not working (we think) or maybe they are 'too far gone'. 

It isn't too late until they take their dying breath, and Manasseh is a prime example of that.

We can get 2 things out of this:

1. We all need to read our Bible, and not just in snippets. If you don't want to do the B90 program, that's fine. But it is important to read it cover to cover (even if it takes years), and really get the story as it is told. You'd be surprised how much you find out.

2. Manasseh wasn't a good guy, but God saved him and used him. I dare say you haven't committed half the sins Manasseh did, so don't think God can't use you too-- even if you are a sinner (who's not?)

God Bless You

~Kelly


1 comment:

  1. I love that post! You're making me itch to get further in reading my Bible! That's another reason why I love blogging as I read...I study harder (I think) and I write it down, as opposed to just reading. So then, I can go back and read the notes that I made for myself and things click together so much more. I don't think it will take me years to read cover to cover (although, if I have to keep starting over it might) but the B90 pace was just a little too much for me. Maybe someday I will try again.

    Anyway, I loved your post :)

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