The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 2 Chronicles 33:1-6,
"Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 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. He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, 'My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.' In both courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. 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."
Look at the evil King Manasseh engaged in! Following his godly father before him, Hezekiah, a very good king, Manasseh turned Judah into a hell-hole of moral depravity.
Such is the nature of our sinful condition. We might have the very best of godly behavior modeled for us (Manasseh did with his father Hezekiah), yet that sinful proclivity percolates in every fiber of our being.
In Romans 8:7 we read, "The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God." This certainly describes what we see with Manasseh. But it isn't just Manasseh. We read in Romans 3:9-18,
"For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written:
'There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.'
'Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.'
'The poison of vipers is on their lips.'
'Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.'
'Their feet are swift to shed blood;
ruin and misery mark their ways,
and the way of peace they do not know.'
'There is no fear of God before their eyes.'"
"Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 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. He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, 'My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.' In both courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. 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."
Look at the evil King Manasseh engaged in! Following his godly father before him, Hezekiah, a very good king, Manasseh turned Judah into a hell-hole of moral depravity.
Such is the nature of our sinful condition. We might have the very best of godly behavior modeled for us (Manasseh did with his father Hezekiah), yet that sinful proclivity percolates in every fiber of our being.
In Romans 8:7 we read, "The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God." This certainly describes what we see with Manasseh. But it isn't just Manasseh. We read in Romans 3:9-18,
"For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written:
'There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.'
'Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.'
'The poison of vipers is on their lips.'
'Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.'
'Their feet are swift to shed blood;
ruin and misery mark their ways,
and the way of peace they do not know.'
'There is no fear of God before their eyes.'"
This is all of us! We may not be doing the things King Manasseh did, but we are given over to that deplorable sinful nature nonetheless.
No wonder Jesus told Nicodemus we need to be born again! No simple renovation will help us. No simple turning over a new leaf will help us.
No wonder Jesus told Nicodemus we need to be born again! No simple renovation will help us. No simple turning over a new leaf will help us.
We need rebirth to overcome that sinful condition we are all born into since the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden.
That rebirth is what takes place when we embrace Jesus Christ in our lives through faith.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
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