II Chronicles 33:22 But he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as did Manasseh his father
Some people are always a day late and a dollar short. Maybe there’s a guy who sees a particular hairstyle that has been in style for five years. He has resisted the style for five years and finally thinks, “I’m going to get a new hairstyle.” He gets his hair cut to the new style just as it goes out of style. He’s always in style a month after it is no longer in style. There are early adopters, people that really make the trend. There are people who are on the bell curve, the mass of people who adopt something. Then, there are those who are perpetually late. They are always behind the curve. With style, that is benign. When it comes to life, it is not. If there is something I need to know in life, the sooner I can know, the better.
In II Chronicles 33, we find the record of a king named Manasseh. He did some bad things and some good things, but the sum and substance of his life was that what he did, he did too late. You find his action and his ethic in verse 2 which says, “But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen.” The heathen had an excuse; Manasseh did not. Manasseh knew God Jehovah, he had the Law, and he had the promises. The heathen had none of those things, and to whom much is given much shall be required.
So, Manasseh acted. The rest of the story is the response of God, the response of Manasseh once again, and the response of Ammon, Manasseh’s son. In verse 10 you find God’s response to this evil man, “And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken.” God did not straightaway strike them dead. God spoke to them and sent them a warning. They would not listen.
Verse 11 says, “Wherefore.” This is an ominous word because it indicates the beginning of God’s judgment. God brought judgment upon them in the form of the king of Assyria who took Manasseh quite harshly and bound him. You think that this would be the end of the story. There is no way God would restore a king who is taken captive, but that is exactly what God did.
So you find God’s response. Then, in verse 12 you find Manasseh’s response to God’s response. The Bible says, “And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers.” Here is a bad king who did a good thing. Verse 13 says, “And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him.” Manasseh had not listened to God, but God listened to Manasseh, heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. The verse continues, “Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God.” I am so thankful for a God of second chances, and sometimes a God of third, fourth, and fifth chances, a God of forgiveness, grace, and restoration. That is exactly what God did for Manasseh.
God responded, Manasseh responded, and then in verse 22 you find Ammon, Manasseh’s son, responded. When Manasseh had died and Ammon became the new king, the Bible says, “And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as did Manasseh his father.” The question is, “As did which Manasseh?” Was it the Manasseh who did evil or the Manasseh who did right? The answer is the Manasseh who did evil. You see, the sooner you act, the better.
In the first place, Manasseh had been doing the wrong thing for some time. Verses 3-9 are all about the horrible things that Manasseh did in rejecting God and His leadership. But, he did the right thing; he repented. God forgave and gave grace, but it wasn’t soon enough for his son. His son followed the father he had known earlier.
There is a difference between God and people. God always responds perfectly to us even when we are imperfect. He gives judgment when it is needed; He gives grace when it is undeserved. God always responds perfectly, but people do not. This son was not God and perfect, and he responded to Manasseh not in accordance to what Manasseh was when he responded to God, but when he had rebelled against God. There is a difference between God and people. That is something to keep in mind. The sooner I act and do what is right, the better it is for people who are not God and may respond imperfectly.
There is also a difference between judgment per se and consequences. In verse 11 God judged Manasseh because He loved Manasseh and wanted to bring him back. God gave a harsh punishment to which Manasseh responded, and there was peace because of it. But when it came to Manasseh’s son, Ammon, doing evil was a consequence. Think about the word “consequence.” “Con” means “with.” So “con” with “sequence” is something that goes with sequence. It is the order of events as they unfold. If I go jump off the second story of a building, there is a consequence, a natural unfolding of events, because of that action. Someone may say, “It is the judgment of God.” Well, it’s not so much the judgment of God, but what happens when I break the rule that God has established, the rule of gravity. There are moral and natural laws and God made them all.
So, with Ammon, who did evil as his father did, it was not judgment, it was Manasseh’s consequence. All that to say, the sooner I am self-aware, the sooner I realize where I am with God. The sooner I respond to God so God can respond to me, the better. God is perfect. God judges. God forgives. People are not perfect, and sometimes they respond imperfectly. But the sooner I act, the better I live.