Scripture verses that caught my attention today: 2 Chronicles 33:12-13 While he was in distress he entreated the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13 He prayed to him, and God received his entreaty, heard his plea, and restored him again to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD indeed was God.
Observation: Interesting that the parallel story of Manasseh in 2 Kings 21 completely omits this part about Manasseh having a change of heart.
Application: Once in a while I’ll meet someone who has absolutely nothing good to say about some other particular individual. Often times it’s in regard to an ex-spouse, though other times it might be about a coach or politician or neighbor or whoever. I’m often left with the question, “really?” Was the person really that bad? Were there absolutely no redeeming factors whatsoever in that person?
It’s interesting to see that sometimes even the Bible speaks in such absolutes. The 2 Kings version of this story paints Manasseh as a total louse. Nothing good is done by him in 55 years of reigning. But in Chronicles we find another version of the story—one in which Manasseh has a change of heart and a fresh recognition of the ways of God.
Over the years of serving as a pastor I’ve had the opportunity to see many sides of the same people. I’ve seen folks at their best and sometimes at their worst, not just in terms of when things were going well for them in comparison to when things were difficult, but also when they themselves were kind and gracious and then at other times when, for whatever reason, they did not seem to be the least bit kind or gracious.
I have nothing against the author of 1 Kings, but if there ever comes a day when someone has to outline his or her impressions of my life, I hope he or she can do so more along the lines of what the author of 2 Chronicles did for Manasseh. Lutherans, after all, understand every child of God to be both saint and sinner simultaneously—fully redeemed by the Lord Jesus even in spite of our human shortcomings.
Prayer: Lord, thanks for accepting and redeeming me as I am, full of the good, bad, and maybe even a little ugly. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Readings today included 2 Kings 21, 2 Chronicles 33, and John 4)
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