“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)
