I am currently writing a Bible study for our church's new youth group. It features three biblical teens - David, Mary, and . . . Manasseh? Who is Manasseh? And why him?
David and Mary we know. David was "a man after God's own heart." And Mary, well, she was the mother of Jesus so, you know . . . yeah.
Manasseh was King Hezekiah's son. He became king of Judah when he was 12. He was also in the lineage of Jesus.
"¹This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham: ¹⁰Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, . . ." - Matthew 1:1, 10
That's good, right? Let's turn to 2nd Chronicles 33 and find out.
"Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. ²He did evil in the eyes of the Lord." - 2 Chronicles 33:1-2
Uh-oh. That's not good.
Let's keep reading. Verse 11
"So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon." - 2 Chronicles 33:11
Oh boy. That's REALLY not good. Let's keep going. Verse 12
"¹²In his distress he (Manasseh) sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. ¹³And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God." - 2 Chronicles 33:12-13
The point of this lesson is that we all must decide which path to take in life. Each decision we make effects our future, even our future decisions.
Here's a prayer from King Solomon, who also was in the lineage of Jesus.
"When they sin against you - for there is no one who does not sin - and you become angry with them and give them over to their enemies, who take them captive to their own lands, far away or near; ⁴⁷and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors and say, 'We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly'; ⁴⁸and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name; ⁴⁹then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. ⁵⁰And forgive your people, who have sinned against you." - 1 Kings 8:46-50
Smart guy, that Solomon. He wrote that 10 generations before Manasseh. It almost sounds like Solomon knew his distant descendant was going to sin badly. Perhaps Manasseh should have studied the writings of his ancestors.
You decide
(Who will you run to?)
Wrong or right
(There is no reason)
For you to hide
Only love can change your life
You decide
God is calling out to you again
Let him pull you, let him take you in
From the fear that swallows up your life
Will you stay the same or will you fight?
You decide
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