The Reigns of Manasseh and Amon

INTRODUCTION: Two evil reigns follow the good reign of Hezekiah. We see the dangers of idolatry in these two reigns. We also see the influence a leader of the people has on those people. In both cases, the people follow their king. What kind of influence do you have on others?

1. THE EVIL OF MANASSEHS REIGN (2 Kings 21:1-9)
1. A Summary of His Reign (2 Kings 21:1)
1. Began to reign at the age of twelve; Note: Unless Manasseh co-reigned with his father for a period of time (and we have no proof of that in scripture), he was born after Hezekiah was given fifteen extra years of life (2 Kings 20:5-6). We are not told how the line would have continued if Hezekiah had died, but perhaps he would have been a more godly king than Manasseh.
2. Reigned 55 years in Jerusalem longest reign of any king in Judah or Israel
3. His mothers name was Hephzibah means delight (Isaiah 62:4).
2. His Return to Pagan Gods (2 Kings 21:2-3)
1. He did evil in the sight of the Lord (2 Kings 21:2).
2. He went after the abominations of the heathen (2 Kings 21:2; Leviticus 18:25-29).
3. He rebuilt high places Hezekiah had destroyed (2 Kings 21:3; 2 Kings 18:4).
4. He reared up altars for Baal (2 Kings 21:3).
5. He made a grove after the pattern of Ahab (2 Kings 21:3).
6. He worshipped and served all the host of heaven (2 Kings 21:3; Deuteronomy 4:19; Deuteronomy 17:2-3).
3. His Perversion of True Worship (2 Kings 21:4-5)
1. He built pagan altars in the house of the Lord (2 Kings 21:4) in the place where the LORD chose to put His name (Jeremiah 32:34).He built other altars (2 Kings 21:5).
2. He built other altars (2 Kings 21:5).
1. For all the host of heaven
2. In the two courts of the house of the Lord
4. His Provoking of the Lord to Anger (2 Kings 21:6)
1. He made his sons pass through the fire (Leviticus 18:21; Leviticus 20:2-3; 2 Kings 16:3; 2 Kings 17:17; 2 Chronicles 28:3; 2 Chronicles 33:6).
2. He observed times astrology (Leviticus 19:26).
3. He used enchantments he cast spells.
4. He dealt with familiar spirits he practiced channeling (Leviticus 19:31).
5. He used wizards male witches (Deuteronomy 18:10-14).
6. He did it in the sight of the Lord to provoke the Lord to anger.
5. His Leading of the People into Sin (2 Kings 21:7-9)
1. He set a graven image of the grove in the house of the Lord (2 Kings 21:7).
2. This is the house where God chose to place His name (2 Kings 21:7).
3. This is the place God promised to bless Israels obedience (2 Kings 21:8).
4. This was the final cause of judgment on the land of Judah (2 Kings 21:9).
1. They were seduced by Manasseh.
2. They did more evil than the heathen nations God had destroyed.
2. THE JUDGMENT OF MANASSEHS SIN (2 Kings 21:10-16)
1. The Cause of Judgment (2 Kings 21:10-11)
1. The word of the Lord (2 Kings 21:10) spoken by the prophets
2. The wickedness of Manasseh (2 Kings 21:11)
1. In doing these abominations
2. In doing wickedly above the Amorites
3. In making Judah to sin with his idols
2. The Extent of the Judgment (2 Kings 21:12-14)
1. Such evil to cause ears to tingle (2 Kings 21:12)
2. Done with the efficiency of a carpenter (2 Kings 21:13; Isaiah 28:17)
1. With the line of Samaria
2. With the plummet of the house of Ahab (Zechariah 4:10)
3. Done as a man would wipe a dish (2 Kings 21:13)
1. Wiping it clean
2. Turning it upside down
4. The judgment of God on the remnant (2 Kings 21:14)
1. Forsaken by the Lord
2. Delivered to their enemies
3. Becoming a prey and a spoil
3. The Provoking of the Lord to Anger (2 Kings 21:15-16)
1. They have provoked God to anger (2 Kings 21:15).
1. By all the evil they have done
2. From the time they came forth from Egypt
2. The major sins of Manasseh (2 Kings 21:16)
1. In filling Jerusalem with innocent blood
2. In making Judah to sin
3. THE END OF MANASSEHS REIGN (2 Kings 21:17-18)
1. The Completion of His Reign (2 Kings 21:17)
1. All that he did
2. The sin that he sinned
3. In the chronicles of the kings of Judah
4. Note: 2 Chronicles records a captivity of Manasseh and a prayer of repentance that is not recorded in 2 Kings (2 Chronicles 33:11-20).
2. The Death of Manasseh (2 Kings 21:18)
1. Slept with his fathers
2. Buried in the garden of his own house
4. THE EVIL OF AMONS REIGN (2 Kings 21:19-26)
1. A Summary of His Reign (2 Kings 21:19)
1. Began at age of 22
2. Reigned for two years in Jerusalem
2. The Character of His Reign (2 Kings 21:20-22)
1. Did evil in the sight of the Lord (2 Kings 21:20)
2. Walked in the way of his father (2 Kings 21:21)
3. Served the idols of his father (2 Kings 21:21)
4. Forsook the Lord God of his fathers (2 Kings 21:22)
5. Walked not in the way of the Lord (2 Kings 21:22)
3. The End of His Reign (2 Kings 21:23-26)
1. Conspired against and killed by his servants (2 Kings 21:23)
2. The people slew the conspirators and made Josiah king (2 Kings 21:24).
3. The record of the chronicles of the kings of Judah (2 Kings 21:25)
4. The burial of Amon in the garden of Uzza (2 Kings 21:26)
5. The reign of Josiah in the place of Amon (2 Kings 21:26)

CONCLUSION: Judah has turned their back on the Lord to the point that they are worse than the nations God destroyed in order to bring Israel and Judah into the land.