The Old Testament story of Manasseh is a wonderful picture of God’s Grace. Manasseh was a king who came to the throne of Judah at just 12 years old. The Bible says he did what was evil in the sight of God and led the people of Judah astray but when God stepped into his life then he knew that Jehovah, was God. In the Gospel, God has shown wonderful grace and love to mankind by providing a Saviour, Jesus Christ who can redeem us from sin.
Bible Scriptures: Darby Translation
2 Chronicles 33:1-13 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem.2 And he did evil in the sight of Jehovah, like the abominations of the nations that Jehovah had dispossessed from before the children of Israel.3 And he built again the high places that Hezekiah his father had broken down; and he reared up altars to the Baals, and made Asherahs, and worshipped all the host of heaven and served them.
4 And he built altars in the house of Jehovah, of which Jehovah had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever.5 And he built altars to all the host of heaven in both courts of the house of Jehovah.6 He also caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom; and he used magic and divination and sorcery, and appointed necromancers and soothsayers: he wrought evil beyond measure in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger.7 And he set the graven image of the idol that he had made, in the house of God, of which God had 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, will I put my name for ever;
8 neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from out of the land that I have appointed to your fathers; if they will only take heed to do all that I commanded them through Moses, according to all the law and the statutes and the ordinances.9 And Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do more evil than the nations that Jehovah had destroyed from before the children of Israel.10 And Jehovah spoke to Manasseh and to his people; but they did not hearken.11 And Jehovah brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with fetters, and bound him with chains of brass, and carried him to Babylon.
12 And when he was in affliction, he besought Jehovah his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,13 and prayed to him. And he was intreated of him and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that Jehovah, he was God.”
2 Chronicles 33:15-17 “15 And he removed the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of Jehovah, and all the altars that he had built on the mount of the house of Jehovah and in Jerusalem, and cast [them] out of the city.16 And he reinstated the altar of Jehovah, and sacrificed on it peace-offerings and thank-offerings, and commanded Judah to serve Jehovah the God of Israel.17 Nevertheless, the people sacrificed still on the high places, although to Jehovah their God only.”