As I continue my journey through 2 Kings, a recurrent theme exists that was also evident in the books of Judges: "and he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord."
In reading of all these evil Hebrew kings, I was pleased to finally come across a good King Hezekiah who stripped Judah of all of its abhorrent idol worship. It was also during King Hezekiah's reign that we found God kicking Sennacherib's butt, and sending him packing to his death in Nineveh.
Now we come to the 12 year old King Manasseh, and we find that he completely reverses his father's proper reverence of Yahweh, the only true God, and reinstates another long reign of idol worship, with another syncretic blend of religions.
2 Kings 21:1-9 - Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4 And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem will I put my name.” 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. 6 And he burned his son as an offering and used fortune-telling and omens and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. 7 And the carved image of Asherah that he had made he set in the house of which the Lord said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever. 8 And I will not cause the feet of Israel to wander anymore out of the land that I gave to their fathers, if only they will be careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the Law that my servant Moses commanded them.” 9 But they did not listen, and Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations had done whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel."
Pictured above is the famous Lachish Ewer. This vessel, if I understood this properly, was found in, or near, a Hebrew Temple in the Judean city of Lachish, dating from 1,300 BC.
The Lachish Ewer is significant for many reasons, not the least of which is archaeological evidence of pagan worship of Asherah in the Lord's temple from the time of the evil King Manasseh.
Unfortunately for Judah, God has had his fill of their evil doings: Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. 13 And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plumb line of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. 14 And I will forsake the remnant of my heritage and give them into the hand of their enemies, and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies, 15 because they have done what is evil in my sight and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.” (2 Kings 21:12-15)
Nebuchadnezzar is waiting in the wings to destroy Judah.
If we believe in Creator God, then it is abundantly clear that he is greatly displeased when we put idols, other gods, worship of our lifestyle, or anything before him. Unfortunately, as a result of the Fall in Eden, this is our nature. We love to do what is pleasing to our natures, and in our great wealth have put a great many things before our worship of Yahweh.
Therein lies the rub, and the precise reason that we needed a perfect sacrifice through Jesus Christ. Not that we become sinless, but through God's great mercy we are able to clothe ourselves in Christ's righteousness, and begin the journey to become more like him.
I'll say it again, if you believe in God, you really must take a year, and devote yourself to an understanding of God's testimony. It really will change your whole perspective.
