2 Chronicles 33 Devotional

Distress That Led Home

“And when he prayed to Him, the LORD received his plea and heard his petition. So He brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.”2 Chronicles 33:13 (BSB)

Manasseh's sins are listed without softening: altars to the starry host in the temple courts, his sons sacrificed in the fire, sorcery and mediums, and a carved idol set up in God's own house (33:3-7). The LORD speaks to him and his people, and they will not listen (33:10).

So the LORD brings the Assyrian commanders, who take Manasseh captive with a hook and bronze shackles and lead him to Babylon (33:11). In his distress Manasseh seeks the LORD's favor and humbles himself deeply. God hears his plea and brings him home to Jerusalem, and then Manasseh recognizes that the LORD is truly God (33:12-13). He removes his idols and restores the altar (33:15-16). God's discipline was not the end of his mercy but its doorway. Hebrews says discipline is painful at the time but later yields peace and righteousness in those trained by it (Hebrews 12:11). Manasseh's son Amon never humbled himself (33:23). Hardship can harden or soften. In God's hands, it can lead his children home.

To think about: Is there a hardship in your life that God might be using to draw you back to him?