Title: Manasseh's Sin (Jeremiah 15:1-9)
The name Manasseh appears several times in the Bible. The text refers to Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah. A quick look at the name Manasseh is as follows.
(1) First, he is the eldest son of Joseph who was born in Egypt. Her mother was Azerat, the daughter of the high priest in the Egyptian temple in Zion, and she called her son Manasseh, meaning that God made him “forget” all his sufferings (Genesis 41:51). The younger brother is Ephraim (Gen. 46:20). Because Manasseh is the older brother, he will receive a lot of inheritance as the firstborn, but Jacob gave Ephraim a greater blessing (Genesis 48:1-22, Num 1:35). As is common in the Old Testament, these two inherited their grandfather's inheritance with both hands of Jacob. In 1 Chronicles 7:14 Manasseh took a Syrian concubine and bore him Machir the father of Gilead. This means that the Israelites married Canaanite women after the conquest of Canaan. In the Canaanite land distribution, the descendants of Manasseh were usually called "the half-tribe of Manasseh," and the remaining half-tribe was Ephraim, the consummation of Joseph's inheritance.
(3) Manasseh in the text is the son of King Hezekiah. Although he was the most wicked king of Judea, he reigned for a long time in peace and prosperity (687-642 BC). His history is recorded in 2 Kings 21:1-8 and 2 Chronicles 33:1-20. His religious synthesis appeared to serve Baal, Ashtaroth, the sun, and the heavenly hosts. He initiated the Molech sacrifice in the Valley of Hinnom, causing children to burn to death as they passed through the fiery pit (Deut. 7:15 - during the captivity). It is said that the fall of this religion was the direct cause of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Although there is no record in the book of Kings, 2 Chronicles 33 records that Manasseh was captured by the Assyrians and went to Babylon to repent and pray to God. Some say that the Chronicles record is true, because at that time the kings of Assyria lived in Babylon, while others say it was to explain the long reign of the evil King Manasseh. In rabbinical texts, it is said that Manasseh killed Isaiah to saw him.
1. Manasseh's sin King Manasseh of Judea ascended to the throne at the age of 12 and remained on the throne for 55 years. He became subject to the Assyrian kingdom and abandoned his faith in God, the Creator of the universe. He worshiped idols and built a male prostitute's house next to the temple in Jerusalem. Jeremiah cried out in rage at this. Verse 5 says, “I will scatter them throughout the nations of the world because of what Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah did to Jerusalem.” That prophecy was true and Jerusalem was destroyed.
(1) The sin of idolatry Manasseh betrayed the Lord and built a pole to serve Baal and Asherah, contrary to the choice of his father Hezekiah. He also worshiped the sun, moon, and the Holy Ghost. I even made it dirty.
(2) Rebellion against parents and tyranny. He disobeyed his father Hezekiah's will and built idols in various places and polluted the country with superstitions and idols. They disobeyed their parents and rebelled against God. In addition, Manasseh was cruel and shed many innocent blood. Regarding this, the Bible records, in 2 Kings 21:16, "He made Jerusalem full of blood from one street to another."
2. God's Punishment
(1) Death and the sword After the prophecy of Jeremiah, the mighty and brutal Babylonian invasion caused great calamities. They slaughtered Jews at random. Judas could not use his hands properly and was helpless for their actions. God judged Judea by taking Babylon, a Gentile tribe, and using it as an instrument. God judged Israel with the sword. The sword means pain or war in the Bible (Psalm 42:10, Psalm 76:3). The tribulation of war that came upon Judea was the obvious result of their rebellion against God.
(2) Famine Famine refers to a state of hunger and thirst due to famine due to climatic abnormalities. Famine is a natural famine, but in the text, the famine that came to the Jews was a punishment. Their greatest suffering is not a thirst for food or water, but a spiritual famine because they did not hear the word of God (Amos 8:11).
(3) Captivity Finally, Judea became a captivity to Babylon and lived as a slave without hope for 70 years. In other words, it teaches us that if we become deeply stained with sin, we can lose the kingdom of heaven, the home of our hearts. Those who have lost the kingdom of God are the most pitiful believers.