The Promise

Manasseh and Josiah: the Worst and the Best

Picture: Manasseh and Josiah: the Worst and the Best 2TC 191.1

The kingdom of Judah was brought low once more during Manasseh’s wicked reign. Paganism had revived, and many were led into idolatry. “Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel.” 2 Chronicles 33:9. Gross evils sprang up and flourished—tyranny, oppression, hatred of all that is good. Justice was perverted, and violence prevailed. 2TC 191.2

Yet the trying experiences that Judah had safely passed through during Hezekiah’s reign had developed in many a strength of character that now served as a barrier against iniquity. They spoke up for truth, and this sparked the anger of Manasseh, who tried to si lence every voice of disapproval. “Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another.” 2 Kings 21:16. 2TC 191.3

One of the first to fall was Isaiah, who had stood for more than half a century as the appointed messenger of Jehovah. “Others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword.” Hebrews 11:36, 37. 2TC 192.1

Some who suffered persecution during Manasseh’s reign had brought special messages of reproof from God. The prophets declared that the king of Judah “has acted more wickedly than all ... who were before him.” 2 Kings 21:11. Because of this, the inhabitants of the land were to be carried captive to Babylon, there to become “victims of plunder to all their enemies.” Verse 14. But those who in a strange land would put their trust wholly in the Lord would find a sure refuge. 2TC 192.2

Faithfully the prophets spoke to Manasseh and his people, but backsliding Judah paid no attention. As an example of what would happen to the people if they continued unrepentant, the Lord permitted their king to be captured by Assyrian soldiers who “bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon.” 2 Chronicles 33:11. This affliction brought the king to his senses. He “humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and ... He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.” Verses 12, 13. But this repentance came too late to save the kingdom from the influence of years of idol worship. 2TC 192.3

Among those whose life had been shaped beyond recall was Manasseh’s own son, who came to the throne at the age of twenty-two. King Amon “walked in all the ways that his father had walked.” “He forsook the Lord God of his fathers.” 2 Kings 21:21, 22. The wicked king was not permitted to reign long. Only two years from the time he came to the throne, his own servants killed him in the palace, and “the people of the land made his son Josiah king in his place.” 2 Chronicles 33:25. 2TC 192.4

Josiah Resolves to Be True to His Trust

When Josiah came to the throne, where he was to rule for thirty-one years, the faithful people began to hope that they had seen the end of the kingdom’s downward course. The new king, though only eight years old, “did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.” 2 Kings 22:2. Warned by the errors of past generations, Josiah chose to do right. His obedience made it possible for God to use him as a “vessel for honor.” 2TC 193.1

At the time Josiah began to rule, and for many years before, the truehearted were questioning whether God’s promises to Israel could ever be fulfilled. The apostasy of former centuries had grown stronger; ten tribes had been scattered among the heathen; only Judah and Benjamin remained, and they seemed now to be on the verge of moral and national ruin. The prophets had begun to predict the destruction of their beautiful city, where the temple built by Solomon stood. Was God about to turn aside from His plan of bringing deliverance to those who put their trust in Him? Could those who had remained true to God hope for better days? 2TC 193.2

Habakkuk gave voice to such anxious questions: “O Lord, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear? even cry out to You, ‘Violence!’ and You will not save. ... Plundering and violence are before me; there is strife, and contention arises. Therefore the law is powerless, and judgment never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore perverse judgment proceeds.” Habakkuk 1:2-4. 2TC 193.3

God answered His loyal children. Through His prophet He revealed His determination to punish the nation that had turned to serve heathen gods. Within the lifetime of some who were even then inquiring regarding the future, He would bring the Chaldeans upon the land of Judah as a divinely appointed scourge. The princes and the best of the people were to be carried captive to Babylon; the Judean cities, villages, and cultivated fields were to be laid waste. 2TC 193.4

Habakkuk Bows in Submission to the Lord

“Are You not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One?” Habakkuk exclaimed. Then the prophet’s faith laid hold of the precious promises that reveal God’s love for His children, and he added, “We shall not die.” Verse 12. With this declaration of faith he rested the case of every believing Israelite in the hands of a compassionate God. 2TC 194.1

This was not Habakkuk’s only experience in exercising strong faith. On one occasion he said, “I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me.” Graciously the Lord answered, “Write the vision and make it plain upon tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith.” Habakkuk 2:1-4. 2TC 194.2

Faith Will Sustain God’s People Today

The faith that strengthened Habakkuk in those days of trial was the same faith that sustains God’s people today. Under the worst circumstances, the believer may keep his trust firmly on the Source of all light and power. Through faith in God, he may renew his courage. “The just shall live by his faith.” The Lord will more than fulfill the highest expectations of those who put their trust in Him. He will give the wisdom their needs demand. 2TC 194.3

We must cultivate the faith that lays hold on God’s promises and waits for deliverance in His chosen time and way. The sure word of prophecy will meet its final fulfillment in the glorious advent of our Savior as King of kings and Lord of lords. The time of waiting may seem long, and many in whom we have had confidence may fall by the way. But with the prophet who tried to encourage Judah in a time of apostasy, let us declare, “The Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.” Verse 20. 2TC 194.4

O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years!
In the midst of the years make it known;
In wrath remember mercy. Habakkuk 3:2 2TC 195.1

Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength. Habakkuk 3:17-19 2TC 195.2

Habakkuk was not the only one to whom God gave a message of hope and future triumph as well as of present judgment. During the reign of Josiah the word of the Lord came to Zephaniah, telling the results of continued apostasy and calling attention to the glorious prospect beyond. His prophecies of judgment on Judah apply with equal force to the judgments that will fall on an unrepentant world at the second coming of Christ: 2TC 195.3

The great day of the Lord is near;
It is near and hastens quickly.
The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter;
There the mighty men shall cry out.
That day is a day of wrath,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of devastation and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
A day of the trumpet and alarm
Against the fortified cities
And against the high towers. Zephaniah 1:14-16 2TC 195.4

Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath. But the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy, for He will make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land. Verse 18. 2TC 196.1

Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth,
Who have upheld His justice.
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
It may be that you will be hidden
In the day of the Lord’s anger. Zephaniah 2:3 2TC 196.2

In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: 2TC 196.3

“Do not fear;
Zion, let not your hands be weak.
The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:16, 17 2TC 196.4