Read 2 Kings 21.
Just because a father is a godly man and pleases the LORD
does not guarantee that his children will be.
Even with the best upbringing each person must come to faith in God as
an individual. We see that graphically
played out here. Hezekiah was the best
king of Judah ,
while his son Manasseh was the worst.
Manasseh's evil amounts to a long list of paganism and
satanically inspired behaviors meant to destroy the nation's faith in the
LORD. In verse 2, the scripture calls
them "despicable practices".
-worshiped in the high places, instead of the Temple in Jerusalem
-erected altars to Baal for sacrifices to appease this man
made god
-made an Asherah, a carved pole to worship a cult goddess,
and set it up in the Temple
-worshiped and served the "host of
heaven"-literally a multitude in the heavens. Often this refers to angelic beings, but this
was astral worship of the stars and their movements as if they had some magical
power or control over life. Today, this
is called astrology.
-he built altars for sacrifice to the "host of
heaven" right in the Temple
courts
-he sacrificed his own son in an altar fire
-he used fortune-telling
-he depended on omens
-he dealt with mediums
-he turned to wizards
-shed innocent blood throughout Jerusalem
The next king, Amon, Manasseh's son, continued all these
sinful practices.
These things are not forms of harmless entertainment or
fanciful practices to be tolerated.
Repeatedly they are called "evil" and stirred the anger of the
LORD. God affirmed the prophecy of
Isaiah, spoken in chapter 20, that He will bring "disaster" upon Judah and Jerusalem
to cleanse the nation spiritually. He
described it as one who washes out a dish and turns it upside down to dry over
time.
This is an unmistakable warning to anyone involved in these
false attempts at spiritualism. Disaster
will come. It is also a clear call to
turn to the true and living God, Maker of heaven and earth, who invites us to
have a personal relationship with Him through faith in Jesus.
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