1. Divided Kingdom II; Judah Alone Lesson 14
Manasseh / Amon / Josiah
(2 Kings 21-22; 2 Chron )

2. Manasseh 12 years old; reigns for 55 years
(2 Kings 21:1-9; 2 Chron. 33:1-9)
12 years old; reigns for 55 years
He “did evil in the sight of the LORD
Rebuilt the high places
Raised up altars for Baal
Made a wooden image
Worshipped all the host of heaven & served them
Built altars in the house of the LORD
Built altars for all the host of heaven in the courtyard of the house of the LORD
Made his sons pass through the fire

3. Manasseh 12 years old; reigns for 55 years
(2 Kings 21:1-9; 2 Chron. 33:1-9)
12 years old; reigns for 55 years
He “did evil in the sight of the LORD
Practices soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums
He did much evil in the sight of the LORD to provoke Him to anger
He even set a carved image of Asherah in the house of the LORD
They paid no attention to what the LORD had said and Manasseh seduced the people to do more evil

4. Jehovah’s message
(2 Kings 21:10-16; 2 Chron. 33:10)
Because Manasseh had done these abominations the LORD brought such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah that whoever hears of it, both ears will tingle.
The LORD will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down.
The LORD will forsake the remnant of His inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies.

5. Jehovah’s message - why
(2 Kings 21:10-16; 2 Chron. 33:10)
Because the people have done evil & provoked the LORD to anger since the days they had come out of Egypt.
Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; he made Judah sin in doing evil in His sight

6. Manasseh’s Captivity
(2 Chron. 33:11)
“Therefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon.”

7. Manasseh’s Repentance
(2 Chron. 33:12-13)
In affliction, Manasseh implores to the LORD and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. He prays to God.
The LORD received His entreaty and heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem.
Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.

8. Manasseh’s efforts at Restoration
(2 Chron. 33:14-17)
Manasseh added an outer wall around Jerusalem; he strengthened the defenses of Jerusalem and the fortified cities of Judah.
He took away the foreign gods, removed the idol from the house of the LORD; removed the pagan altars he had placed on the temple grounds; repaired the altar of the LORD; sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it.

9. Manasseh’s efforts at Restoration
(2 Chron. 33:14-17)
Manasseh commanded Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel.
But the people still sacrificed on the high places, but only to the LORD their God.
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Manasseh dies and is buried in his own house.
Amon, his son, reigned in his place

10. Amon 22 years old; reigns for 2 years
(2 Kings 21:19-26; 2 Chron. 33:21-25)
22 years old; reigns for 2 years
He “did evil in the sight of the LORD
He walked in all the ways his father had walked
He served the idols that his father had served & worshipped them
He forsook the LORD God and did not walk in the way of the LORD
He did not humble himself
He trespassed more and more

11. Amon
(2 Kings 21:19-26; 2 Chron. 33:21-25)
His servants conspired against him and killed him in his own house
But the people of the land executed all those how had conspired against Amon
The people of the land made his son, Josiah, king in his place

12. Josiah 8 years old; reigns for 31 years
(2 Kings 22:1 – 23:30; 2 Chron. 34:1 – 35:27)
8 years old; reigns for 31 years
He “did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.”

13. Josiah purges land of idolatry
(2 Chron. 34:1–7)
In the 8th year of his reign (16 years old), Josiah began to seek the God of his father David.
In the 12th year of his reign (20 years old), Josiah began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, wooden images, the carved & molded images.

14. Josiah purges land of idolatry
(2 Chron. 34:4–7)
He broke down the altars of Baal in his presence
He cut down the incense altars
He cut down the carved and molded images; he made dust of them and scattered the dust on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them
He burned the bones of the priests on their altars
He cleansed Judah and Jerusalem
He did these things also in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali and all around, with axes/swords.

15. Lessons
One “good” generation doesn’t necessarily mean the next generation will be “good”…it takes work.
Deut. 6:6-9; Eph. 6:4
God offers His grace and mercy to even the worst of sinners.
1 Tim. 1:15
God means what He says
Ref: 2 Chron. 33:7-8
The names Hosea, Joshua, and Jesus are all derived from the same Hebrew root word. The word “hoshea” means salvation but Joshua & Jesus include an additional idea: “Yahweh is Salvation”. As God’s messenger, Hosea offers the possibility of salvation if only the nation will turn from idolatry back to God.