We go right from the best king in the history of Judah, Hezekiah, to the absolute worst, his son Manasseh. Manasseh was 12 when he took the throne, which means Hezekiah had him in the overtime period of his life that God gave him.

2 Kings 21:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother was Hephzibah. 2 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, following the detestable practices of the pagan nations that the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the pagan shrines his father, Hezekiah, had destroyed. He constructed altars for Baal and set up an Asherah pole, just as King Ahab of Israel had done. He also bowed before all the powers of the heavens and worshiped them.

4 He built pagan altars in the Temple of the Lord, the place where the Lord had said, “My name will remain in Jerusalem forever.” 5 He built these altars for all the powers of the heavens in both courtyards of the Lord’s Temple. 6 Manasseh also sacrificed his own son in the fire. He practiced sorcery and divination, and he consulted with mediums and psychics. He did much that was evil in the Lord’s sight, arousing his anger.

7 Manasseh even made a carved image of Asherah and set it up in the Temple, the very place where the Lord had told David and his son Solomon: “My name will be honored forever in this Temple and in Jerusalem—the city I have chosen from among all the tribes of Israel. 8 If the Israelites will be careful to obey my commands—all the laws my servant Moses gave them—I will not send them into exile from this land that I gave their ancestors.” 9 But the people refused to listen, and Manasseh led them to do even more evil than the pagan nations that the Lord had destroyed when the people of Israel entered the land.

Oh, how quickly we forget. Hezekiah waged a great war against the detestable practices of the lost culture, and he had won. God looked upon Israel with favor and blessings and REVIVAL! Whether Hezekiah took the time or had the time to teach Manasseh the ways a man should go, we cannot know, but I absolutely know that not having a Godly figure to lead you through your teens would be a huge detriment. Hezekiah wasn’t there to teach Manasseh the reverence for God, nor how to walk in the ways of the Lord. Let’s see how bad it gets.

10 Then the Lord said through his servants the prophets: 11 “King Manasseh of Judah has done many detestable things. He is even more wicked than the Amorites, who lived in this land before Israel. He has caused the people of Judah to sin with his idols. 12 So this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I will bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of those who hear about it will tingle with horror. 13 I will judge Jerusalem by the same standard I used for Samaria and the same measure I used for the family of Ahab. I will wipe away the people of Jerusalem as one wipes a dish and turns it upside down. 14 Then I will reject even the remnant of my own people who are left, and I will hand them over as plunder for their enemies. 15 For they have done great evil in my sight and have angered me ever since their ancestors came out of Egypt.”

16 Manasseh also murdered many innocent people until Jerusalem was filled from one end to the other with innocent blood. This was in addition to the sin that he caused the people of Judah to commit, leading them to do evil in the Lord’s sight.

17 The rest of the events in Manasseh’s reign and everything he did, including the sins he committed, are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Judah. 18 When Manasseh died, he was buried in the palace garden, the garden of Uzza. Then his son Amon became the next king.

Manasseh caused great pain and suffering for Israel, they were coming off one of their greatest seasons of blessing ever! That just goes to show how poor leadership who loves the detestable can ruin a nation. Take heed church. The ruin of a nation can be one generation away when sin is the platform of operation.

Now that is all we get from Kings about Manasseh, which as you’re reading you probably find yourself rooting for him to have some gross death like some of the Kings of Israel. I honestly preached about him as the worst king in the history of Judah in my life, and one day I stumbled on his story in Chronicles, and I kid you not it changed my whole outlook on God. We will start in verse 10 of 2nd Chronicles 33.

2 Chronicles 33: 10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they ignored all his warnings. 11 So the Lord sent the commanders of the Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon. 12 But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought the Lord his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. 13 And when he prayed, the Lord listened to him and was moved by his request. So the Lord brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh finally realized that the Lord alone is God!

14 After this Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, from west of the Gihon Spring in the Kidron Valley to the Fish Gate, and continuing around the hill of Ophel. He built the wall very high. And he stationed his military officers in all of the fortified towns of Judah. 15 Manasseh also removed the foreign gods and the idol from the Lord’s Temple. He tore down all the altars he had built on the hill where the Temple stood and all the altars that were in Jerusalem, and he dumped them outside the city. 16 Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings on it. He also encouraged the people of Judah to worship the Lord, the God of Israel. 17 However, the people still sacrificed at the pagan shrines, though only to the Lord their God.

WHAT!?! Why in the world would the writers of Kings not mention Manasseh’s redemption? If you’ll notice, it seems like the writers of Kings have the inside track of the information on the Northern Kingdoms, but they are lacking in the narratives of the kingdom of Judah. Again, you see why both books are vital.

Manasseh was the worst of the worst, even sacrificing his child on the altar of a pagan god. Yet when he humbled himself and sought the Lord, God was faithful to forgive and even restore his kingdom. I would love to know how God did all that, but we don’t have that information because the story is more about God’s grace than it is anything else. Wow, even the worst of the worst of people God is calling to salvation. Who are we to slam the door of heaven in people’s faces who do not fit our mold of “good?”

Here are a few ways I hope this story impacts your heart and mind.

1. We must teach the next generation to walk with the Lord.

Deuteronomy 6: 4 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

2. Godly, moral leadership is vital to a nation’s success, and the church in America can impact that.

It may seem too big, it may be a different party than you’ve ever voted for, it may be two mudpies as an option, but folks we need to pray and seek God’s guidance this year come November. Here’s what John Wesley says about the elections:

I met those of our society who had votes in the ensuing election and advised them:

1. To vote, without fee or reward, for the person they judged most worthy

2. To speak no evil of the person they voted against, and

3. To take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side.”

3.  God is willing to forgive, save, and restore even the worst of sinners.

1 Timothy 1: 12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, 13 even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. 14 Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus.

15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. 16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.

Folks, that’s from the mouth of the apostle Paul. God is seeking to save even the worst of the worst! Keep praying for your family and friends. Keep sharing the Gospel and love of God.

Praise God for the boundless grace that can save even the most wretched king! Those lost loved ones are not out of reach, nor are they hopeless.