Posted by Chester Morton / Sunday 15 January 2017 / No comments
Manasseh the Apostate king
Introduction
Manasseh, whose mother was Hephzibah, began to reign over Israel
when he was only twelve years old and reigned for fifty-five years. According
to the biblical historians, Manasseh did evil in the sight of the Lord by
engaging in the abominable practices of the pagan nations that surrounded him.
APOSTATE ACTIONS OF MANASSEH
High Places
Manasseh rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had
destroyed. He built altars for Baal and made an Asherah similar to the one Ahab
had made and worshiped all the hosts of heaven, in fact, he served those
heavenly hosts.
Built an altar in the house of God
Another apostate action that Manasseh took was the building
of altars in the house of the Lord. This was against the wishes of God, who
desired to put his name in Jerusalem. The altars were for Baal and not for the
Lord that is why it was regarded as wrong.
Altar for the host of heaven
Manasseh also built altars for the host of heavens. These were
located in the two courts of the house of the Lord.
Graven image
Manasseh also made a graven image of Asherah and placed in
the house of the Lord. This same house was the place the Lord had chosen to put
his name for ever but which was desecrated by Manasseh’s action.
Human sacrifice
Of all the abominable things Manasseh had done, one of the
most grievous was human sacrifice. In fact, Manasseh sacrificed his own son as
an offering to the gods. The introduction of this dastardly practice encouraged
others to engage in it.
He practiced augury
Manasseh also introduced the practice of augury which is an
ancient Roman religion where omens were interpreted through the use of the
observation of birds.
He practiced soothsaying
Manasseh practiced soothsaying also. Soothsaying is the
ability to foretell the future with the use of supernatural means. It is a
practice where the people involved want to know the future and therefore engage
the services of people who know the art of doing so.
Seduction
In fact, Manasseh seduced the whole nation to follow him in
his apostate journey. In other words, all the bad practices that he introduced influenced
the population of Israel to follow him.
Shedding of innocent blood
Manasseh shed a lot of blood. There were people who opposed
him and the new things that he represented. Such people spoke against his
actions but many of them were mercilessly dealt with, some of them even lost
their lives. He was described to have filled the whole of Jerusalem from one
end to the other with innocent blood.
The wrath of God
The anger of god was kindled against Manasseh and the whole
of Israel and God promised to wipe them out from his face like the way a bowl
is wiped. God said he would hand them over to their enemies and they shall
become prey.
Death of Manasseh
Manasseh died and was buried in the garden of Uzzar, in his
house.
IN WHICH WAYS CAN BAD
LEADERSHIP AFFECT A NATION?
Lead people away from God
One of the ways in which bad leadership can affect a nation
is when the leaders engage in religious practices that foreign to them. It can
lead the people away from God.
Lead the nation into a senseless war
Another way in which bad leadership can affect a nation is
that the nation can be led into a war that they should not fight. The United
States has engaged in wars which have later been seen as largely unnecessary,
such as the war in Vietnam in which many U.S. soldiers were killed.
Leads to poverty
Bad leadership can also lead to poverty. This has been the
case in most African countries where there are a lot of natural resources but
the wealth accruing from it is not evenly distributed. One of such cases is
Nigeria which is the fifth largest producer of oil in the world but 90% of whose
citizens live on less than $4.00 a day.
Lead to economic difficulties
Another negative way in which bad leadership can affect a
nation is that it can throw the nation into economic difficulties. This makes
it difficult for people to make ends meet because their power to purchase has
been eroded by the decisions of their leaders.
Can lead to corruption
Bad leadership can also lead to corruption and the breakdown
in the moral strength of the nation. In Africa, many of the nations are
regarded as corrupt. Where there is bad leadership, this can easily happen.
Again, in Nigeria, the perception is that the nation is corrupt, leading to
economic woes.
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
1. a. Describe the reign of Manasseh.
b. Mention three ways in which bad leadership
can affect a nation.
2. a. Give an account of the reign of King Manasseh.
b. In which three
ways can leaders avoid leading their followers astray?
3. a. Highlight six actions of Manasseh under his reign which
were opposed to the will of God.
b. How did God
react to his actions?
