Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. – 2 Chronicles 33:1

 Today's Scripture Reading (May 1, 2023): 2 Chronicles 33

We can do everything right and yet have it go wrong. I know that is not a message we really want to hear, but it is the truth that is lived out in our lives daily. People do what is right, and it turns out to be wrong. Not only that but coming from "good stock" does not necessarily mean that you will be a person of good character. Life just doesn't work that way, and, in the end, our duty is to do what is right, even if no one is watching, and the outcome turns out to be not that for which we had hoped. For a person of character, doing right is a reward all of its own. And when everything seems to be going wrong, doing what is right can be extremely difficult.

The story of Manasseh is a perplexing one. Manasseh came from good stock. His father was King Hezekiah, a king that the Bible maintains was one of, if not the best, King that ever ruled over Judah. Hezekiah persisted in doing what was right. Yes, he made mistakes. His pride often seemed to lead him down roads that he should have never taken, but that meant he was human, not bad. According to 2 Kings, Manasseh's mother was Hephzibah, and if the rabbinic literature is correct, she was the daughter of the prophet Isaiah, a trusted adviser to Hezekiah. In the 7^th century B.C.E., it was hard to imagine better parents.

And yet, somehow, everything went wrong. Maybe we can blame it on the presence of the Assyrian Empire, who Manasseh felt that he had to please to keep his throne. Maybe his parents were too busy with the affairs of the state to give him the attention he needed; we don't know. But the Bible asserts that this is true; Hezekiah was one of the best Kings of Judah, and Manasseh was one of the worst.

Manasseh reversed his father's decisions concerning the worship of Israel. He reinstated the worship at the high places that Hezekiah had abolished and the King encouraged the worship of Ba'al and Asherah and may have even participated in the worship of Moloch, which involved the sacrifice of small children to this evil god. Again, maybe it was all just to keep his Assyrian overlords happy.

He also persecuted his father's advisors, who had encouraged Hezekiah to abolish the worship of gods other than Yahweh. And at the height of Manasseh's rebellion, he murdered his grandfather, Isaiah.

It is hard for us to reconcile the excellent King Hezekiah with the train wreck that was Manasseh. But it is often the way that life works. Hezekiah could not decide for Manasseh to do what was right. That is a decision left for his young son, one that we all have to make. And doing what is right is always challenging and maybe too hard for a young king named Manasseh.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 22

See Also: 2 Kings 21:1