Manasseh: The Old Testament Prodigal Son (4)—His Restoration - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2024

Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel.
2 Chronicles 33:18 NKJV

Manasseh: The Old Testament Prodigal Son (4)—His Restoration
After Manasseh repented, God brought him back to Jerusalem and restored him to his kingdom. It was then that the reality of God’s power and grace hit home to his heart: “Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God” (v. 13).

Repentance is an inward change in our soul’s view of our sin in light of God’s righteousness. Outwardly, genuine repentance will be seen in a changed behavior and attitude. There is a before and an after in a true conversion to God. This is exactly what we see in Manasseh after his repentance. He began a project of restoring the walls of Jerusalem and purging the house of God from the idols that he had placed there (vv. 14–16). These were the fruits of repentance, the outward evidence of the inward reality. It was not perfect, but it was genuine (see v. 17).

Manasseh’s prayer is mentioned in today’s text but not recorded in the Bible for us. However, it was preserved in some of the Jewish historical writings. It is a long prayer but one line is significant: “For You, O Lord, are the God of those who repent, and in me You will manifest Your goodness … and I will praise You continually all the days of my life.” The knowledge and acknowledgment of God’s grace produces worship and obedience. And God then sent “seers” to Manasseh who “spoke to him” to build him up in his faith. How like our God, who is the same, yesterday, today, and forever! There is a wonderful epilogue to this story of grace. Manasseh is found in the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1:10. I wonder if he knew that he would be an ancestor of the Messiah who had made his salvation possible, the One who would die for him? He knows now.

-- Brian Reynolds