4-13-12 The Dirty Dish

Last night Dad read from II Kings 21 about Manasseh who was such a terrible evil king of Judah. He seduced his people to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel (v 9). Because Manasseh did these abominations, God said, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet [plumb line] of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down (v 12-13).

Dad had a pure white plate that was just covered in dust and grime. Taking a clean cloth, he wiped the dish clean and laid it upside down on the floor. God promised to wipe Jerusalem clean just like that; turning it upside down seemed to indicate that there would be no rebuilding, as there was nothing to rebuild on.

We then jumped to II Chronicles 33 which is another account of Manasseh. The beginning of the chapter is very similar to II Kings 21, but this account then includes the consequence of Manasseh’s evil. We don’t know the timetable of this, but we are told that Manasseh was bound with fetters and carried to Babylon (v 11).

Again, the timetable isn’t clear, but we do know that when Manasseh was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, And prayed unto him: and he was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God (v 12-13).

Several discussions (although I’m sure there are more) -

1-God’s word is true and will always come to pass, although we don’t know the timetable.

2-Witchcraft and wizards are abhorred by God; we are not to treat these abominations lightly but abhor them as God does. Harry Potter, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, etc. all have elements that were embraced by Manasseh; thus we need to be careful what we read.

3-Child sacrifice is a vile act of pagan idolatry. Abortion is also, as unborn children are sacrificed to the pagan gods of selfishness and greed.

4-Even though Manasseh could have been called the worst of the worst of kings, God forgave him when he cried out in repentance. NO MATTER HOW evil the sin, no matter how heavy the burden, no matter how heathen his past, God will forgive the repentant sinner.

5-IT IS NOT NECESSARY to wallow in the muck of sin before a sinner repents. How many heartaches avoided, how few scars, how much purer the mind, how clear the memory, how much smoother the path of the sinner who repents without experiencing the evils of idolatry and rebellion that Manasseh did.