2 Kings 21:10-18--Manasseh's Idolatry Denounced

2 Kings 21:10-18
English Standard Version

Manasseh's Idolatry Denounced
10 And the LORD said by his servants the prophets, 11 “Because Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations and has done things more evil than all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols, 12 therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: 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.”

16 Moreover, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides the sin that he made Judah to sin so that they did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.

​17 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh and all that he did, and the sin that he committed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 18 And Manasseh slept with his fathers and was buried in the garden of his house, in the garden of Uzza, and Amon his son reigned in his place.

---

No specific prophets are named here, but the LORD sent multiple prophets to speak His words of warning to Manasseh, the king of Judah to turn away from his idolatry and return to the LORD, and to point out all the abominations that Manasseh had done in the LORD--things more detestable than what the Amorites did.  So the LORD says of Manasseh that he made Judah also sin with idols, just like what was said of the kings of Israel before they were taken away into exile.

This is the message the LORD spoke to Manasseh, "Behold, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. 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. 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, 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.”

These are strong words for Manasseh and Judah to say that Israel and Judah have continually provoked the LORD since He brought them up out of Egypt. and the LORD must punish them since He punished the house of Ahab and they are now as wicked or more wicked than Ahab or any of his sons were.  Judah's people will become prey and spoil for their enemies.

The text continues that Manasseh shed much innocent blood (probably in human sacrifices of children) so that Jerusalem was filled from one end to another.  This was also a sin that he led all of Judah into so that they sinned alongside him.  All his sins and evil deeds are recorded in the book of 2 Chronicles 33.  Though he reigned many years, little space is devoted to him as compared to his father who did what was right in the eyes of the LORD.  According to 2 Chronicles, Manasseh did eventually repent and turn away from the foreign gods that he had been worshiping, but the damage had been done as the people no longer came to the Temple to worship the LORD and worshiped him on the high places where they used to sacrifice to idols.  The LORD commanded the time, place and manner of worship that was acceptable to Him and partial obedience is still disobedience.

He was not buried alongside the other kings of Judah--instead he was buried in the garden of his house (a sign maybe that he knew that he was a bad king and didn't deserve to be honored among those who were the good kings before him.  Then his son Amon reigned in his place.  Will Amon be better than his father?  We'll have to see next time.