https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Manassehs-Repentance.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: II Kings 21:1-9<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. There is a simple fact, which so many people have a hard time accepting – Ezekiel 18:20-24<\/p>\n
A. Do people really change? <\/p>\n
B. Can they really be forgiven?<\/p>\n C. Oh, you don’t understand, I’ve done such terrible things that God would never\nforgive me of them.\n
II. Manasseh was the son of one of the crowning kings of Israel<\/p>\n
A. Hezekiah, his father, was given great praise by God – II Kings 18:3<\/p>\n B. He was born in the later years of his father’s reign, born three years after Hezekiah\nnearly died from an illness – II Kings 20:5-6\n C. It was in Hezekiah’s later years that we see a flaw in his character, he was more\nfocused on himself than those who came after – II Kings 20:16-19; II Chronicles\n32:25-26\n
D. Hezekiah died just before Manasseh’s adolescence – II Kings 21:1<\/p>\n 1. Like many fatherless teenagers, Manasseh turn rebellious, but by being\nking, his rebellion took on dangerous levels of violence.\n
III. The Evil of Manasseh<\/p>\n
A. He restored the idolatrous religions of Baal and Asherah – II Kings 21:2-3a<\/p>\n
1. Religions his father had worked hard to remove<\/p>\n 2. There were actually multiple Baals, and the word here is in the plural.\nManasseh sought out many types of Baals.\n 3. Since these were fertility gods, worshiped with sex, perhaps we can\nunderstand the appeal to a teenage king\n
4. He did it in imitation of Ahab<\/p>\n
B. He introduced astrology, worshiping the host of heaven – II Kings 21:3b<\/p>\n 1. Most likely copying the worship of the Babylonians, whom his father had\ncontact with\n
C. Worse, he brought his idolatry into God’s temple – II Kings 21:4-5<\/p>\n D. As often happens, once you start down the slippery slop of sin there is little to stop\nyou – II Kings 21:6\n 1. As he got older, he sacrificed his own son, probably following after the\nworship of Molech. (More than one – II Chronicles 33:6). Such sacrifices\ncome from the idea that greater something costs you, the more likely a god\nwill listen. Manasseh was trying hard to change something looming on the\nhorizon.\n a. That valley where he did these atrocities served as Jesus’ symbol of\nhell. Gehenna is the valley of Hinnom.\n 2. He sought out fortune tellers, sought omens, consulted mediums and\nwizards. By this we see he is troubled about the future and wanted to know\nwhat was in store.\n E. It was not confined to just Manasseh, like most people, he spread his beliefs – II\nKings 21:9\n F. Ironically, in his troubles he did more to bring those troubles down on himself – II\nKings 21:10-15\n
G. His was a reign of terror – II Kings 21:16<\/p>\n
1. Jewish tradition is that Manasseh killed Isaiah by sawing him in half.<\/p>\n
IV. The turning of Manasseh<\/p>\n A. What Manasseh apparently feared showed up in Assyria’s commanders – II\nChronicles 33:11\n 1. This is the nation that had wiped out Israel during his father’s day and had\nthreaten to do the same to Judah before God intervened.\n 2. Assyrian records state that Manasseh was a vassal of Esarhaddon,\nSennacherib’s son and successor. He supplied building materials for\nEsarhaddon’s projects. He also helped with Ashurbanipal, Esarhaddon’s\nson, in his campaign against Egypt.\n
3. But something happened to that relationship<\/p>\n
B. Assyrians didn’t treat their captives well.<\/p>\n 1. In II Kings 19:28, God taunts that He would do to the Assyrians what they\nhad done to others\n C. Imprisoned and with amble proof of the uselessness of his idolatry, Manasseh\nreturned to the one true God – II Chronicles 33:12\n
D. And God heard his prayers – II Chronicles 33:13<\/p>\n 1. Unlike his idols, God brought him out of his prison. Manasseh realized\nthat only God was real.\n 2. Now think how evil Manasseh was and all the crimes he committed, and\nyet God accepted his change.\n 3. Now tell me again what crime have you done that God can’t forgive you? –\nEzekiel 18:21-23\n
V. Manasseh’s attempts to reform<\/p>\n
A. On his return, Manasseh did a complete about face – II Chronicles 33:15-16<\/p>\n B. But there is another lesson to be learned. You can’t erase your past sins – not\ncompletely.\n 1. You see, Manasseh changed, but the people he lead astray didn’t – II\nChronicles 33:17\n a. They still practiced their idolatry, they just changed the name of\nwhom they claimed to be worshiping.\n 2. His own son, raised in his idolatrous ways didn’t change – II Chronicles\n33:21-23\n C. Ever hear people say, “I’ll serve God later?” Manasseh faced the hard truth that\nyou can’t do it successfully.\n
1. Sin creates wounds that are not easily healed and scars that won’t go away.<\/p>\n
2. Better to never cause the wound – Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:1<\/p>\n
D. Despite his great change, Manasseh’s legacy was his evil – II Chronicles 33:2<\/p>\n
E. His change wasn’t able to stop the evil he set in motion – Jeremiah 15:4-6<\/p>\n 1. And which is sadder, the evil done or realizing your error and seeing\nyourself helpless to stop evil from spreading out of control?\n
2. But at least he tried.<\/p>\n
VI. Even while we were sinners – Romans 5:6-8<\/p>\n A. So do we remain in our sins, keeping the tide of sin growing, or do we change and\nstart battling the evil we once were a part of?\n B. Acts 2:38-41 – Won’t you join with those who have left sin to take up arms\nagainst it?\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Kings 21:1-9 I. There is a simple fact, which so many people have a hard time accepting – Ezekiel 18:20-24 A. Do people really change? B. Can they really be forgiven? C. Oh, you don’t understand, I’ve done such terrible things that God would never forgive me of them. II. Manasseh was the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[674,1242,1620,50],"class_list":["post-59796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-change","tag-character","tag-manasseh","tag-repentance"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":59791,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/repentance\/","url_meta":{"origin":59796,"position":0},"title":"Repentance (Hamilton)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 12, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Corinthians 7:8-11 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In any pursuit, people develop jargon \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The jargon speeds up communication with people in the same group but can be confusing to outsiders because they don\u2019t know the definition of words \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Christianity is no different. We sometimes forget what it is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":85104,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/repentance-the-power-of-a-contrite-heart\/","url_meta":{"origin":59796,"position":1},"title":"Repentance: The Power of a Contrite Heart","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 26, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton Few churches today preach repentance, and fewer people who attend churches are actually repenting. It is more like people are joining clubs (called \"churches\") but not actually repenting toward God and repenting of sins. The Lord preached repentance and expects His church to preach repentance and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":54747,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-repentance-is-not\/","url_meta":{"origin":59796,"position":2},"title":"What Repentance Is Not","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 1, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"by Joe R. Price via\u00a0The Spirit's Sword, 2009 The verb translated \"repent\" in the New Testament (metanoeo) literally means \"to perceive afterward\"; so repent means \"to change one's mind or purpose\" (Thayer). God commands all men everywhere to repent of their sins (Acts 17:30). That is, God commands a change\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":25137,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-know-my-repentance-is-genuine\/","url_meta":{"origin":59796,"position":3},"title":"How do I know my repentance is genuine?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 3, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have doubts about repentance. I suffer from depression. At times I feel really sad, at times I feel really angry, but at times I feel nothing -- not sad, not happy or angry, just, an empty room. So I hope that what I'm going to tell you is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":34674,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/being-made-new\/","url_meta":{"origin":59796,"position":4},"title":"Being Made New","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 18, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 42:1-12 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is that time of year when we begin thinking about the new year. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sure, it is just a date, a marker in the sand, but it becomes an opportunity to look at what was done and resolve to do better. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Paul\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":94512,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-you-repent-before-being-forgiven\/","url_meta":{"origin":59796,"position":5},"title":"How can you repent before being forgiven?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 12, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Greetings! I've been struggling to understand repentance. I know it's commonly taught that we must repent of all sin before we can be saved. However, as I read Romans and some of Paul's other writings, I find that Paul talks about being made free from sin, putting to death\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59796","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59796"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59796\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}