2 Kings 21:16-18 – Be consistent in godly living

Apart from all the evil that Manasseh had done 2 Kings 21:16 tells us that he also shed much innocent blood. We are told that he had filled Jerusalem with those blood from one corner to another. All the other sins that he had committed plus all his other deeds were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. When he died, he was not buried like the other kings in the city of David. Instead, he was buried in the garden of his own house. His throne was succeeded by his son Ammon.

Despite all the wicked things that he had done, there was an instance when God showed him mercy. This was recorded in 2 Chronicles 33:10-20. Although God warned him and his people against the atrocities they were committing, they stubbornly refused to heed the voice of God. So 2 Chronicles 33:11 said that God “brought against them the military commanders of the king of Assyria. They captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.” It was in this incident that we are told that he prayed to Good. Graciously verse 13 said that God was receptive to his prayers and granted his request. Kindly God then brought him back to Jerusalem, to his kingdom. In that instance, Manasseh came to know and acknowledge that the LORD is God and according to 2 Chronicles 33:14-15, he reversed to do some things that were good.

However, Manasseh was still listed as one of the bad kings, one who did not please God fully. This was indicated by 2 Chronicles 33:17. The verse says that “Nevertheless the people still sacrificed in the high places, although only to the LORD their God.” In other words, the impact of his earlier wicked deeds was deeply entrenched in the lives of the people. His one good moment did not bring the people back to God completely. The hearts of the people who were led astray by his misdeeds were left unchanged. They continued to make their sacrifices at the high places and not in Jerusalem. Let this be a challenge for us to live our lives rightly for God all the time. Be mindful that the negative impact we make on the lives of others may not be easily reversible. So we want to provide consistent godly influence. People are better influenced by a life of consistency, and not in the once-in-awhile spur-of-the-moment of doing the right thing. We must seek to live a life of consistent godliness.