2 Kings 21 Commentary
King Manasseh of Judah is known for his extreme wickedness. He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced divination, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, arousing his anger. Consequently, the LORD pronounced on Judah the same sentence as on Israel.
From this moment, the nation is moving with a rope around its neck. We are not surprised. However, we are sobered by the words of the LORD to a nation that had constantly lived in rebellion. A man’s sin does affect the LORD. And there are consequences.
The holiness of the LORD is such that no unclean thing stays in His presence. Israel has been unclean from the very beginning. Action must be taken. Divine justice comes into play. Yet this chapter is highlighted by God’s mood. It’s one of mourning. Israel is gone. Judah is also going.
We have seen countless moments of rebellion. It’s strange, but Hezekiah, a man known for his extreme righteousness, sat between two very wicked kings. His father Ahaz was extremely wicked. His son, Manasseh, was also extremely wicked.
This study has taken us through many moments of sin by the nation of Israel. We owe it to the compassions of the LORD that we can still talk about Israel today.
You would wish an individual’s life were different. When history is written, will people read about a steady walk with the LORD? Manasseh’s narrative is very different.
He has set a time bomb right in his own bedroom. He does nothing about it; neither did his son Amon, who succeeded him on the throne. Manasseh’s grandson named Josiah, was a godly king, but Judah had already exhausted the patience of the LORD by this time.
We shall read about Josiah in the next chapter.
Manasseh gives us a good example of faithlessness. He took the carved Asherah pole he had made and put it in the temple. We may want to look at our own practices and consider if we haven’t imported ungodly practices into the house of the LORD. The Manasseh spirit says one can still worship the LORD while at the same time entertaining all sorts of idols.
Consulting mediums and spiritists: We can check the many different versions of mediums and spiritists in existence today. Who are we consulting? Palm reading, horoscopes, eastern meditation, and astrology are now official study streams in many countries. But these are strictly forbidden in scripture. Leviticus 19:31 and Deuteronomy 18:9-14.
The LORD, whose name is Jealous, says no. I will not share my glory with another. This is what we have known. The saint is warned.
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