“Manasseh was twelve years old when he became
king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. And he did evil in the
sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord
had cast out before the children of Israel.” (vv.1-2)
Manasseh,
son of Hezekiah, was the worst of all the kings. Scripture tells us that, “he
led his people astray so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had
destroyed before the Israelites”(v.9). He literally undid everything his father
had done. Therefore the Lord said:
‘Behold, I
am bringing such calamity upon
Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle. And I
will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plummet of
the house of Ahab; I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it
and turning it upside down. So
I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of
their enemies; and they shall become victims of plunder to all their enemies, because
they have done evil in My sight, and have provoked Me to anger since the day
their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.’” (vv.12-15)
Leadership,
especially that of God’s people, carries a great responsibility with grave
consequences for any who misrepresents Him. Nations can be blessed of God
through its leaders or held in reproach, depending upon their obedience to
God’s Word. Legislatures, judges, senators, politicians, they all determine the
course a nation will take. The key for any nation to become great on the earth
and blessed by the Creator is, that its leaders lead by obeying the word of God
and not taking the path, which leads to destruction.
The Truth
“Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.”
(Proverbs 14:34)
