November 22, 2010
The Kings’ Chronicles Week 5
Posted by Michael
Learn:
2 Chronicles 33:1-20
1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. 3 He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had demolished; he also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. 4 He built altars in the temple of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.” 5 In both courts of the temple of the LORD, he built altars to all the starry hosts. 6 He sacrificed his children in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced divination and witchcraft, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, arousing his anger.7 He took the image he had made and put it in God’s temple, of which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever. 8 I will not again make the feet of the Israelites leave the land I assigned to your ancestors, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them concerning all the laws, decrees and regulations given through Moses.” 9 But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites. 10 The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. 11 So the LORD brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. 12 In his distress he sought the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13 And when he prayed to him, the LORD was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God. 14 Afterward he rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, west of the Gihon spring in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate and encircling the hill of Ophel; he also made it much higher. He stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah. 15 He got rid of the foreign gods and removed the image from the temple of the LORD, as well as all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem; and he threw them out of the city. 16 Then he restored the altar of the LORD and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told Judah to serve the LORD, the God of Israel. 17 The people, however, continued to sacrifice at the high places, but only to the LORD their God. 18 The other events of Manasseh’s reign, including his prayer to his God and the words the seers spoke to him in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, are written in the annals of the kings of Israel. 19 His prayer and how God was moved by his entreaty, as well as all his sins and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself—all these are written in the records of the seers. 20 Manasseh rested with his ancestors and was buried in his palace. And Amon his son succeeded him as king.
Main Idea:
King Manessah was a despicable man who did evil in the sight of God. When it comes to sin, the wrath of God is a very real thing. God hates sin of all kinds. We need to remember that we are more like Manessah than we would like to think. Manessah built alters to the gods Artemis, Asherah, and Baal. We tend to think that idolizing foreign gods is a sin we’d never commit today. After all, none of us would ever blatantly worship any of them. But those gods were the gods of youth, sex, and power – three gods that are very much alive and well today. The good news is that God loves us despite our misgivings. When we recognize the damage that sin does to us, repent, and turn our life back over to God, He is quick to offer grace. He did it for Manessah – one of the most despicable kings ever – and He’ll do it for us as well. There are only two kinds of people in the Bible (excluding Jesus): repentant sinners and unrepentant sinners. True repentance always includes turning away from something and towards something else.
Know What: An idol is anything in your life that has a higher priority or position than God.
So What: Idolatry is a serious sin to and against God. It will suck the life out of you and not offer anything in return.
Now What: Examine your life for any idols you have inadvertently been worshipping, and remember that in order to get rid of an idol you must replace it with God.
Discuss…
1. Do you tend to view God as a giant “teddy bear” who is okay with anything, or as an angry, unforgiving God? What are the dangers of both extremes? What is the most appropriate, truthful view of God when it comes to sin and grace?
2. Our society may not build alters to foreign gods, but we still practice idolatry. How are Artemis, Asherah, and Baal being worshipped today? What are some other “gods” that our culture worships?
3. What are some less obvious gods (good things that can nevertheless take up a higher place in your life than God) that you are tempted to worship? How have you worshipped them in the past? What steps can you take to safeguard your life against them?
4. Have you ever had an idol “suck the life out of you”? What does it feel like to keep giving more and more to something that keeps giving back less and less? How did you remove the idol from your life?
5. King Manasseh did some pretty bad things, including sacrificing his own children in a fire. Even so, verse 12 & 13 say “In his distress he sought the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed to him, the LORD was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom.” Have you ever thought you were beyond the grace of God? What does this story tell you about God’s grace? Does this story encourage you?
6. What do you think true repentance looks like? What is the difference between repentance and simply telling God “I’m sorry”?
Next Steps…
An idol (which can also manifest itself as an addiction) will always take away freedom. As a group, share which idol you are most likely to be ensnared by in this season of your life. Throughout the week, pray for each other that God would remain the priority in everyone’s life. Remember that we cannot give up our idols by sheer willpower, but only through the grace of God.
