2 Crônicas 33

2 Crônicas 33

Morgan - Then Manasseh knew that the Lord He was God. -2 Chr 33.13. This is a wonderful chapter, giving us the account of two men. Manasseh and Amon, father and son. Both followed the way of wickedness; but one under discipline repented, and was forgiven; while the other "humbled not himself," and was cut off without remedy. The repentance of Manasseh was evidently the chief subject in the mind of the chronicler, and that because the action of God afforded an unveiling of the Divine character. This is evident from these particular words: "Then Manasseh knew that Jehovah He was God." The "then" refers to the ac-count of the Divine forgiveness and restoration, in response to the human repentance and prayer. It is a picture full of light and beauty in the midst of prevailing darkness, this of the readiness of God to pardon. The sins of Manasseh are faithfully described, and revealed in all their hideousness; but this is background flinging up into clearer relief the ready and gracious attitude of God toward a truly penitent soul. It is always so, if men will have it so. God never willeth the death even of Manasseh, but rather that he should return to Him and live. Nevertheless, if Amon will not humble himself before his God, there is no escape from retribution for his sins. The rule of God is fixed in righteousness. Manasseh and Amon were both in His power. The one found healing by yielding; the other found destruction by rebelling. By His readiness to forgive, God is known in all the fulness of His power. But if men will not learn thus, then it must be that they learn by His just judgments in wrath. QUESTION - What is the Prayer of Manasseh? ANSWER - The Prayer of Manasseh is a part of the Apocrypha. It is a short work, containing just 15 verses. It purports to be a prayer by King Manasseh of Judah (697-642 B.C.), but it was pseudonymously written as early as the second century or just before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. 2 Chronicles 33:19 says that Manasseh prayed but does not record the prayer itself referring the reader to what was “written in the records of the seers.” King Manasseh, the thirteenth king of Judah, was one of the most wicked and idolatrous kings in biblical history (2 Kings 21:1-18). He was captured by the Assyrians and imprisoned in Babylon. There, he prayed for mercy and repented of his sin of idolatry (2 Chronicles 33:1-19). The Prayer of Manasseh is considered by Jews, Catholics and Protestants as apocryphal, i.e., non-canonical and of doubtful authenticity. However, the fourth-century Vulgate included it at the end of the book of 2 Chronicles. It later became part of the Matthew Bible and the Geneva Bible of 1599. It is also found in the Apocrypha of the King James Bible. The prayer departs from Christian teaching in that it says men such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not need to repent because they “did not sin” (verse 8). This runs counter to the clear teaching of Scripture that all have sinned (Romans 3:10-12; Romans 3:21-26). The righteousness of Abraham was a product of his faith in God and was not anything inherent in him (Romans 4:3; Philippians 3:8-9). In summary, God has told us that Manasseh prayed a much-needed prayer of repentance, but He has not told us the content of that prayer. GotQuestions.org C H