You have probably watched a basketball game where one team seems to dominate, getting off to a 20-point lead in the first half, and generally having their way. Then, in the fourth quarter, a sharpshooter on the other team comes alive, and a few possessions later, it’s a five-point game. By the time the first team comprehends that their lead is about to disappear, they have already lost their competitive edge, and the other team is playing with furious emotion. At last, with the final seconds ticking away, the comeback is completed with a three-pointer to take the lead. It has been stated, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”
The Bible describes the lives of two kings whose reigns resemble this occurrence. The account of King Hezekiah is found in 2 Kings 18-20. His reign is known for godliness. 2 Kings 18:3, 5-6 says, “And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, …. He trusted in the LORD God of Israel… and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments…” Later, it describes how God was with him and prospered him.
But Hezekiah’s reign ended with a prophecy of judgment. When his kingdom was at ease, Hezekiah made the prideful error of displaying the treasures of Judah to foreign emissaries. God was not pleased and proclaimed that these very treasures would be plundered by the Babylonians, and his sons enslaved.
Manasseh’s reign followed and is described in 2 Chronicles 33. But Manasseh was a pagan! 2 Kings 21:9 says, “…And Manasseh seduced them [Judah] to do more evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel.” Manasseh’s wickedness was so severe that it was he who finally provoked the Lord to send the nation into captivity and ultimately to destroy Jerusalem.
Manasseh’s reign of terror came to a screeching halt when he was taken captive by the Assyrians and brought in fetters to Babylon. 2 Chronicles 33:12-13 says, “And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God.” In his last years, he served the Lord and tried to reverse his previous wickedness.
Both Hezekiah and Manasseh provide us with encouragement and warning. Hezekiah warns us that it is easy to become comfortable and complacent in our faith. We see that very godly men can be brought crashing down through pride. 2 Peter 3:14 commands, “…be diligent that you may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” He encourages us that God is gracious and will not cast away his Children. He will never leave nor forsake us!
Manasseh warns of the devastating consequences of sin. It is often impossible to reverse the damage that sin causes in this life. But his story is incredibly powerful in testifying to the unfathomable grace of God. God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Your past cannot prevent you from turning to God. He says, “And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).
Pastor Peter Coon
