2 Kings 21

2 Kings 21:1

B. King Manasseh (21:1-18)Manasseh the son of Hezekiah was king of Judah for fifty-five years (697/96643/42 B.C.; cf. 2Ch_33:1-20). 21:1-9 Manasseh’s reign was the longest and most wicked of all the kings of Judah. Some of the blots on his record are: He reintroduced the worship of Baal, of Asherah, and of the stars; he profaned the temple by building altars there for star worship; he made his son pass through the fire; used witchcraft; consulted spiritists and mediums; set a carved image of Asherah (likely an obscene sexual symbol) in the temple of God. The Spirit of God dwells on the seriousness of this act by rehearsing God’s promise to His people in connection with the temple (1Ki_8:29; 1Ki_9:3). 21:10-15 Manasseh led the people into worse abominations . . . than those of the Amorites. As a result, God said that He would punish Judah as He punished Samaria and the house of Ahab. The measuring line . . . and the plummet (v. 13) symbolize judgment. Also, He would empty Jerusalem . . . as a man empties a dish by turning it upside down and wiping it out. His people would be led away into captivity because they had provoked the Lord so grievously. 21:16-18 In addition to his idolatry, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood. According to “The Assumption of Isaiah,” a noncanonical book, Manasseh had the prophet Isaiah sawn in two (cf. Heb_11:37). From 2 Chronicles 33 we learn that Manasseh was taken into captivity in Babylon by the king of Assyria (Ashurbanipal). There, while in prison, he repented and turned to the Lord. After this he was permitted to return to Jerusalem and resume his reigna fitting proof of the grace, love, and mercy of the Lord. He tried to undo the damage he had done, but it was too late. The people, including his son, followed his earlier example (2Ch_33:14-23).

2 Kings 21:19

C. King Amon (21:19-26)Amon the son of Manasseh was king of Judah for two years (642639 B.C.; cf. 2Ch_33:21-25). Amon was notorious for his idolatry and for forsaking the true God. Some of his servants . . . conspired against him and killed him after a brief reign of two years. The people . . . executed the guilty assassins and then made his son Josiah king in his place. Neither Amon nor his father was buried in the tombs of the kings of Judah.