Manasseh Succeeds Hezekiah in Judah
33 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he also erected altars for the Baals and made [a]Asherim, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4 He built altars in the house of the Lord of which the Lord had said, “My name shall be in Jerusalem forever.” 5 For he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. 6 He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger. 7 Then he put the carved image of the idol which he had made in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever; 8 and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers, if only they will observe to do all that I have commanded them according to all the law, the statutes and the ordinances given through Moses.” 9 Thus Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel.
That’s a scathing review of Manasseh’s reign, and it leaves us wondering once more, “If Hezekiah was such a great king, how did his son turn out so evil?” And really, I don’t know for sure, but I wonder if it is because “great kings” were so busy that they didn’t raise their children. We saw it with David and even more with Solomon, and there was a reason God forbid multiple wives: the result is more children than a single man can father.
We don’t know how many children or wives Hezekiah had, but he was plenty busy even without going too far on that end. Therein lies a problem, and it is a challenge to all fathers, and more and more in our culture, to mothers also–though perhaps it’s always been a struggle for mother’s, but I can’t speak to that for sure.
What I do know is that it’s frightfully easy for us as parents to get too busy for our children. No matter if you think you are incapable as a parent, your place in your child’s life is of critical importance. No one can replace you, although our children will try to replace us when we aren’t there for them. And that replacement attempt often turns out even worse than just our absence alone.
So be there. Don’t let busyness or fear hold you back from being a parent. God has given you the tools you need already, and he will develop them further as you make the effort to be present in the life of your kids. No one wants their child to be like Manasseh, neither does God, and He will be there for you all along the amazing and challenging journey of parenthood.