Now we're using in our study
through 2 Kings chapter 21, we see a king by the name of Manasseh
who reigned 55 years. And we have some of his life
story in 2 Kings 21. And now I want you to find 2
Chronicles 33, and we'll be using 2 Chronicles 33 as our text for
the message this evening. I'm entitling the message about
the story of King Manasseh, Manasseh of Judah. Manasseh, and here's
the title of the message, Manasseh, an object of mercy. an object
of mercy. He sure didn't deserve any mercy,
did he? I mean, he did so much evil,
he provoked the Lord to anger. He led the whole tribe of Judah
in a way not toward the Lord, but away from the Lord, didn't
he? Caused them to do much, much
evil. Now, in this marvelous conversion
story of Manasseh, The Lord again is teaching us how He saves sinners. And that's what we see here.
He saves sinners totally and only by His sovereign grace and
His sovereign mercy. And we see again the truth of
that scripture where sin abounded Grace does much more, much more
abound. Manasseh was a totally wicked
man, born in sin, shaped in iniquity, just like you, just like me. He did nothing to bear at mercy,
yet the Lord showed him mercy. And the Lord showed him mercy
for one reason. because it pleased God to do
so in His infinite purpose and grace. God worketh all things
after the counsel of His own will. God pleased God to show
Him mercy by His infinite purpose and grace
for Christ's sake. for Christ's sake. And the story
again is given to teach us the gospel, to show us the gospel.
Now, it's an interesting history lesson to read about all the
different histories of Israel and their kings. But what we
want to see and what's a blessing is the gospel. Manasseh was a
son of a godly and good king. Remember his father's name was
Hezekiah. Hezekiah. He was raised up in
a way of how to approach God and how to worship God. He heard
the preaching many times of Isaiah. Now some think that Hezekiah
married the daughter of Isaiah, so Isaiah would have been Manasseh's
grandfather. And Isaiah, we know from the
book and the writings of Isaiah, he was a mighty prophet of God,
blessed of God in so many ways. But yet, when Hezekiah, his father,
died and Manasseh became king at the age of 12, and he reigned
one of the longest reigns, he reigned 55 years. Many of those
years, maybe most of those years, he did his best and the best
he could to destroy everything that his father Hezekiah had
established, everything that Hezekiah had taught. You remember
there was a great day of revival and rejoicing and returning to
the worship of the Lord around the mercy seat, around the temple
and the priesthood. But Manasseh reintroduced pagan
idolatry, and he did so in the most fanatic way, in the most
zealous way, and he did it in the most evil way, didn't he?
Because it affected the whole nation. What Manasseh did affected
all of Jerusalem. We read in 2nd Kings 21.9, Manasseh
seduced them to do more evil than did the nations, the pagan
nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel.
He did more to promote evil and wickedness. Manasseh forgot the
Lord, his God and our God. Manasseh's name means forgetfulness. That's what it means. But the
Lord our God, even though Manasseh forgot God in the teaching, the
good teaching, and the preaching of Isaiah, but the Lord our God
never forgot him, but rather had his eye all seeing I upon
him as an object of the Lord's mercy, an object of God's grace. I think of that scripture often.
The foundation of God stand assure having this sealed, the Lord
knoweth them that is true. You know, that's true of every
believer. That's true of every believer. Before we knew him, long before
we knew him, he knew us. He knew us and predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by the Lord Jesus Christ. When
I was way out in the mountains of Utah in pagan, pagan idolatry,
and I didn't know anything about the gospel or the Lord our God,
the God of the scripture, the God of the Bible, yet he knew
me. He knew me. He had his eye on me. And he
loved me with an everlasting love. and in time he did draw
himself, he did draw me unto himself and made me to know him.
Manasseh was loved of God from eternity, chosen, ordained to
be a miracle and a monument of mercy and a trophy of his grace,
predestinated unto eternal life. Manasseh could say, I am what
I am by the grace of God. And can't you say that about
yourself? Now in this marvelous conversion story, this young
rebellious king, we see how God overcomes all obstacles, how
God overcomes all our rebellion and sin, when he's determined
to save us by his grace. Some have called Manasseh the
prodigal son of the Old Testament. I never thought about it like
that. But he was, he was a prodigal son, wasn't he? but the Lord
made great use of him. Like Saul of Tarsus, who was
not seeking God, but God was seeking him. Remember when he
went about persecuting the church of the Lord Jesus Christ? He
wasn't seeking the Lord when he went to Damascus, but the
Lord was seeking him as an object of mercy and an object of his
love. Now, The first thing I want us
to see is the terrible sin and guilt of this man who was an
object of God's mercy. It's quite obvious he did nothing
to deserve or earn mercy. He was a sinner through and through,
born in sin, shapen in iniquity. We would be hard pressed to find
a man who so violated the law of God as Manasseh did. He would
rival the wickedness of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin. How many
times will we read that? And Jeroboam made Israel to sin.
And Jeroboam made Israel to sin, introducing idolatry. And then
the wickedness of Ahab. Manasseh would rival the wickedness
of those two wicked kings, wouldn't he? He brought much evil in the
sight of the Lord and provoked the Lord to anger. He sought
with great zeal and ambition to destroy everything that Hezekiah
had reinstituted and established. And he did so, Hezekiah did,
in the name of the Lord. You remember he put out all the
pagan priests, crushed all the pagan idols, even took that brazen
serpent that Moses had made and crushed it and said, it's Nehustun. But Manasseh thought he knew
better. And he reintroduced paganism unto the people, as it says there
in verse 3, 2 Chronicles 33, 2 Chronicles 33 verse 3. He built again the high places
which Hezekiah his father had broken down. He reared up altars
unto Balaam. or Baal rather, and made groves
and worshipped all the hosts of heaven and served them. He
didn't worship the God of heaven, he worshipped and served the
creation, not the God of creation. He also built altars in the house
of the Lord whereof the Lord had said, in Jerusalem shall
my name be forever. He built altars for all the hosts
of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord and he
caused his children to pass through the fire. He sacrificed his children
unto Moloch in the valley of Hinnom. And he observed times and used
enchantments and used witchcraft and dealt with familiar spirits
and wizards. And he wrought much evil in the
sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger. And he set a carved
image, the idol which he made in the house of the Lord of which
God said to David and Solomon, in this house and in Jerusalem
I've chosen before all the tribes of Israel and there I'll put
my name." He took his idolatry into the temple of the Lord and
practice his godless religion in the face of God Almighty. He even sacrificed his children
to a pagan god, Moloch, and sacrificed them in the fire. How gruesome
is that, to try to satisfy a pagan dead idol? He would not listen
to the prophets of God, but rather he sought out familiar spirits,
wizards, and witchcraft. Think of it. He had all them
prophets of God, but he would not hear the word of the Lord.
Thus saith the Lord. Look at verse 10. The Lord spake
to Manasseh and to his people, and he did so through the prophets,
but they would not hearken. You see that in verse 10? They
would not listen. He even, as we read in 2 Kings
21, six, he persecuted the prophets of God unto death, where it says
there in that verse 16, let me just read it to you again. Moreover,
Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, And most of the commentators
think that's referring to the prophets of God. Till he has
filled Jerusalem from one end to another very much blood. Beside his sin
wherewith he made Judah to sin in doing that which was evil
in the sight of the Lord. He shed innocent blood, innocent
blood very much. And the commentators indicate
that he persecuted the prophets of God unto death, including
Isaiah, his own grandfather. That's what the Jewish historians
say, that Isaiah was son in two. You remember from Hebrews 11,
37 where it talks about the prophets, some of the prophets were sawn
in two. He had his own grandfather executed, Isaiah, the prophet
of God. Now how this pictures, I mean
you would be hard pressed to find anybody as wicked as this
man. God just seemed to let go of
the restraints and just let him run the full course of his depravity. And how this pictures every sinner
who will not listen to the word of the Lord. Every sinner unrestrained
by his grace and his power. How they would murder every prophet
of God if they could. And in truth, their anger is
not really vented out toward Isaiah or Hosea. Their anger
is vented out against the God of truth who sent the prophet
with the word of truth. That's the problem, isn't it?
The carnal mind is enmity against God. The carnal mind will not
receive the things of the Spirit of God. We love darkness, not
light. Now what a dark picture this
is. Of our fallen sinful flesh. Flesh is just always that. Flesh. Wicked. Totally wicked. Wicked,
wicked, wicked, there's none good, no, not one. Surely that doesn't include my
grandmother. Yeah, God said no, not one. They've
all sinned, they've come short of the glory of God. That which
is born of the flesh, that's all it is, is flesh. That's why
we must be born again, born from above. That's why God must give
us spiritual life. Sometimes, thank God, that this
flesh is greatly restrained, but sometimes it's not restrained.
But both are used to accomplish the purpose of God. Both are
used to accomplish the purpose of God. Notice Notice the Lord
said, He said, I'm going to, wherefore the Lord brought upon
them the captain, verse 11, the host of the kings of Assyria,
and took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, wherefore the Lord brought upon
them." The Lord did this. The Lord did this. This is the
Lord's doing. This is the Lord's doing. Here's
the verse I was thinking of, 2 Kings 21, 12, Therefore thus
saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil
upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both
his ears. Both his ears. Both his ears
shall tingle in the hearing of what God is purposed to do. You see, the Lord by Isaiah,
don't turn, let me just read this to you. Isaiah 45, remember,
this is what Isaiah said, I am the Lord, there is none else.
This is what God says to Isaiah, there is no God beside me. I
girded thee, though thou hast not known me, that they may know
from the rising of the sun, Isaiah 45, 6, and from the west that
there is none beside me. I am the Lord, there is none
else. I form the light, I create darkness, I make peace, I create
evil. I the Lord do all these things."
What did He say? I'm bringing such evil upon Judah
and Jerusalem. God is sovereign over all things. He uses the wickedness of men
to accomplish His own eternal purpose and yet He's not the
author of sin. He just removes the restraint. Now here's the second thing I
want to see, verse 11 down through verse 17 in 2 Chronicles 33. God's intervention. God stopped
the madness, the madness of Manasseh. Thank God for his sovereign mercy,
changing grace and regenerating grace. Wherefore the Lord brought
upon him the captains of the host of the king of Assyria,
which took Manasseh among the thorns and bound him with chains
and fetters and carried him off. And when he was in affliction,
oh, he besought the Lord. and humbled himself greatly before
the God of his fathers, and prayed unto him, and was entreated of
him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again back to
Jerusalem, into his kingdom, back to the throne. Then Manasseh
knew that God was the Lord. He knew that God was indeed God. Manasseh was a hell-bent rebel,
wasn't he? He was a hell-bent rebel. But
God has sworn from eternity, I will be his God and he shall
be my son. And the purpose of God will stand. He said, I've purposed it, I've
spoken it, I'll bring it to pass. I've spoken it, I've purposed
it, I will do it." Aren't you glad that the purpose of God
cannot be changed? That He saves sinners by His
purpose and by His grace? Let us never despair of God's
saving power. If He can save a wretch like
Manasseh, surely the Lord can save any sinner He desires to
save. Is that so? That's why we don't
browbeat people and beg people to make decisions, or you can
make all the decisions you want. It's God that must do a work
of grace in the sinner's heart. Surely the Lord can save any
sinner he desires, even a solid Tarsus, even a man like wicked
madman Manasseh. You see, the Lord came to save
sinners, sinners. You remember the story of John
Newton? We sing his song, several of his songs, but one of them
everybody knows, Amazing Grace. But most people who sing that
song have no idea about the story of John Newton or about the grace
that's amazing. The only one who can truly sing
that is a man who is a sinner, who has been delivered from the
power condemnation of sin. I've told you before about the
story of John Newton and what his preacher friend William Jay
told him, remember? You remember the story? John
Newton was a great preacher over in England back in the 1700s
and he had a preacher friend named William Jay. And they were
neighbors and both ministers in that neighborhood. And William
Jay came to John Newton's house one day. Brother Newton said,
I've got good news. God saved that notorious sinner
down there in Bath County. And since God saved that notorious
sinner down there in Bath County, William Jay said, I'll never
despair of God's mercy to any sinner again. If God saved that
man, he can save anybody. Remember what John Newton said? Brother Jay, he said. I've never
despaired of God's mercy for anyone since He saved me. If
God saved me, an old wicked slave trader like John Newton was,
sold men into slavery, if God saved a sinner like me, certainly
He can save any sinner He sets His heart upon. I'll never despair of the Lord's
saving power since he saved me." God is able to save to the uttermost
all that come to God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for us. God is able to save. He said,
all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and those that
come to me I will in no wise cast out. And he said, no man
can come to me except the Father which sent me draw him. all for
whom Christ died will be brought out of darkness into God's marvelous
light." Isn't that what happened here to our friend and brother
Manasseh? He was bound with fetters and
hit about with thorns. And in his affliction, he besought
the Lord and cried unto the Lord. And the Lord brought him again
to Jerusalem and into his kingdom. He was translated out of the
kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God, dear Son. And
that's exactly what God does for us in saving mercy. translated out of the kingdom
of darkness into the kingdom of God, dear Son. All for whom
Christ died will be brought out of darkness into God's marvelous
light, and He will do so through the gospel. Let us never despair
of God's power to save sinners. He has all power. Matter of fact,
he said that, didn't he? All power is given to me in heaven
and earth that I should give eternal life to as many as the
Father hath given to me. We're gonna pray for sinners,
and we're gonna preach the gospel to them, and then we're gonna
leave them alone. And God's going to deal with
him. He'll cause us to hear his word. It says in verse 10, the Lord spake to Manassas through
the prophets, that's how he speaks, and to his people, but they would
not hearken. We see there the Word went out,
didn't it? The Word was preached, wasn't it? Manasseh heard the
rebuke of Isaiah many times, and at first he cast it aside. The Lord will use His Word and
the preaching of His Word to our conversion. You remember
what Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 45? We quote it all the time. The
Lord said, I am God. Beside me there is no else, no
other. I'm the only just God and Savior. And remember what He said through
Isaiah the prophet? And now I'm sure that Isaiah
told Manasseh this, look to Christ and be saved. Look to Christ. Ho, everyone that thirsty. Isaiah
said, come ye to the waters, and we could quote many other
scriptures. Manasseh heard the word without
effect until the Lord brought it home to his heart. He heard
not in word only, but in power. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the word of the Lord. The Lord is pleased through the
preaching of the gospel to call out and to quicken His people. Secondly, the Lord brought Manasseh
down with affliction in verse 11, 12, and verse 13. He was
in affliction. How did he get there? The Lord
brought him down, didn't he? He put him in affliction. And
then he besought the Lord as God, and he humbled himself greatly
before the Lord, and then he prayed unto the Lord. He approached
the Lord as a mercy beggar, didn't he? Afflictions alone will never
work repentance. We read in Romans 4, we're going
to see Sunday morning in our Bible study, the goodness of
God leads us to repentance. But affliction attended with
God's Word and His affliction and the gracious operation of
His Spirit on the heart are the effectual tools of grace and
the means of grace. Affliction attended with God's
Word and by the gracious operation of his spirit upon the heart.
We hear not in word only, but in power, in power. Verse 12
and verse 13, thank God for his heavy hand of affliction that
drives us to despair and causes us to seek the Lord, to seek
the Lord. Look at verse 13, and he humbled
himself greatly Now this is a work of grace, is it not? This just
doesn't happen. He was humbled by the affliction
of God upon his heart. And he prayed, he cried unto
the Lord, and he was heard and treated of him. And he heard
his supplication and he brought him again to Jerusalem into his
kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord, he was God. Thank God for His heavy hand
of affliction that drives us to despair and causes us to seek
the Lord and to look to Him. I think that's a prime example
of the scripture, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved. That's what Manasseh was doing,
wasn't it? He cried unto the Lord, whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved. Manasseh was humbled by
the power of God, broken and convicted by the power of God,
and then the Lord lifted him up. He brought him out of captivity,
brought him back to Jerusalem, set him back on the throne. The
Lord knows how to break us and humble us and convict us before
he lifts us up, doesn't he? The Lord knows how to humble
us, then he lifts us. The Lord knows how to strip us,
and then he does what? He clothes us. Remember that
prayer? Don't turn, let me just read
it to you. Over here in 1 Samuel chapter 2. Remember the prayer
of Hannah? The Lord killeth, 1 Samuel 2
verse 6. The Lord killeth and maketh alive,
he bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up. The Lord maketh
poor and he maketh rich. He bringeth low and he lifteth
up. He raised up the poor out of the dust. He lifted up the
beggar from the dunghill to set them among princes, and to make
them inherit the throne of glory for the pillars of the earth
are the Lord's. And He has set the world upon them. Who does
this? God, who has begun a good work
in you. He will do it. He will finish it. He will perfect
it. Then Manasseh knew the Lord his
God. See that in the last part of
verse 13? You remember what Saul of Tarsus said, I know whom I
have believed, and I'm persuaded he's able to keep that which
I've committed unto him against that day. Here is a miracle of
grace indeed. Proud Manasseh is broken. The heart of stone is melted. The persecutor is now praying
unto the Lord. He comes before the Lord now,
not as a proud, arrogant man, but as a mercy beggar, humbled
and crying unto the Lord. You remember what the Lord said
to Ananias about Saul of Tarsus? When Saul of Tarsus met the Lord
Jesus Christ and was unhorsed and put in the dust? And God
spoke to Ananias and said, go down to that street called Straight
and inquire in that house of one Saul of Tarsus. And Ananias
said, you know, I've heard a lot about that guy. He's persecuting
believers. Remember what the Lord said to
Ananias, don't be afraid, for behold, he prayeth. He prayeth. Saul of Tarsus was
a persecutor, now he's praying. Manasseh was a wild madman, now
he's praying. How do you account for such a
difference? Only the grace of God. Who makes you to differ
from another? What do you have that you didn't
receive? It's all by the grace of God, is it not? The last thing
I want us to consider is this. In verse 14 down through verse
19 of 2 Chronicles 33, The Lord our God restored Manasseh,
and he knew the Lord to be his Lord and his God. God brought
him out of Babylon, brought him back to Jerusalem out of bondage
into liberty. Stand fast therefore in the liberty
wherewith Christ hath set us free. Look at verse 14. He built a wall without the city
of David, even to entering in at the fish
gate, encompassed about Ophel, and raised it up a very great
height, to put captains of war in the fenced cities of Judah."
He's ready to stand and fight now, isn't he? He's contending
for the faith once delivered unto the saints. Look what else
he did in verse 15. Manasseh, when he was turned
by God, he turned from his idols. and strange God, look at verse
15, he took away the strange gods and the idol out of the
house of the Lord and all the altars that he built in the mount
of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem and he did cast
them out of the city. You remember that scripture when
1 Thessalonians 1, 9, where it says, how we turn to God from
our idols, or how we were turned by God, turned by God, and we
were turned to him from our idols. And that's exactly what happened.
When Manasseh was turned to God, he did what? He turned from his
idols. And that's what happens to us when he saves us. We count
everything else lost that we might win Christ and be found
in Him. Look at verse 16. And he repaired the altar of
the Lord. Now this thing's been broken
down, busted so many times. And I'm sure that it was repaired
in such a way that it was honoring to the Lord, that big brazen
altar. That thing was, remember, it
was huge. and repaired the altar of the
Lord, and sacrificed thereon peace offerings." It was a blood
sacrifice. "...and thanked offerings, and
commanded Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel." Now he's worshipping God as he
was instructed by his father. That's exactly what his father
did. Remember the sacrifices that Hezekiah brought? The blood
sacrifice and all those blood sacrifices. Tell us the only
way to approach God is in the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He commanded Judah to serve the
Lord God of Israel and another revival broke out like in the
days of his father Hezekiah. Before his death in verse 18
and 19, Manasseh told everyone what the Lord had done for him.
Now the rest of the Acts, verse 18, of Manasseh and his prayer
unto his God and the words of the prophet 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. His prayer also, how God was
entreated of him in all his sin and trespasses. and built the
places wherein he built the high places, and set up groves, engraving
images before he was humbled. Behold, they are all written
in the sayings of the prophets of God, verse 20. So Manassas
slept with his fathers. They buried him in his own house,
and Ammon his son. reigned in his stead. Before
his death, Manasseh told everyone what the Lord had done for him. Remember the words of another
wild man in the tombs whom the Lord confronted, broke and humbled
and healed him? return to thy own house, and
show how great things God hath done for thee. And he went his
way in public throughout all the city, how great things the
Lord Jesus Christ hath done for him." All Manasseh. Manasseh became an object of
God's mercy. Manasseh, by his grace, by God's
grace, obtained complete pardon through the blood sacrifice of
the Lord Jesus Christ. All of his sin, all of his iniquities,
all of his transgressions were atoned for by the sacrifice of
the Lord Jesus Christ. That is every believer's hope,
is it not? The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, cleanses us from all our sin. I do fully hope one day
to see Brother Manasseh ransomed in glory and join with him in
singing praise unto our God. Jesus Christ, who was a faithful
witness and first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the
kings of the earth, unto him who loved us, washed us from
our sin in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests
unto our God, and was fathers to him be glory and dominion
forever and ever. Glory and dominion forever and
ever. Words of Manasseh right now. worshiping around the throne
of the Lord Jesus Christ, saying, worthy is the lamb that was slain
to receive all honor, glory, and blessing, both now and forever. Now, one last note here. I read this. Those old Jewish
historians say Manasseh died in his sin. Now, I don't believe
it's so. It says here, then Manasseh knew
that the Lord was his God, and he offered sacrifices unto the
Lord. But I sure don't think so. I
think he died in Christ. I think he's enjoying the mercies
of God through the Lord Jesus Christ right now. Them old Jewish
historians, they have that traditional thing that they always lean unto. Ready to condemn everybody. especially
those sinners justified by God's grace.