The Wickedness, Humiliation, Restoration and Reformation of Manasseh

Why study the life of Manasseh who was such a wicked and deplorable man? Aside from the thief on the cross who hung there next to the Christ, Manasseh is the "other" near deathbed convert that one finds in Scripture. Manasseh ought to hold a special place to two kinds of people who read the Bible. The first is the sinner who thinks they have sins that are bigger than Christ is a Savior. They are timid to come to the Savior, believing that God might not save such a lost person as they are. And the second are believers who wonder how their sinning after conversion affects their standing before God, robbing them of the full assurance of faith that they should have in Christ. God worked in the life of one of the most wretched people who ever lived, and the narrative in 2 Chronicles 33 shows how a despicable heathenish dog can be converted and changed by the abundant power of Jesus Christ through the Covenant of God's free Grace. As wicked as Manasseh might have been, God still reached down from heaven to change him, save him, reconcile him, and begin reformation not only of his own life, but life in the church at large. Consider that God saved a wretch like Manasseh from sin and hell, as abominable as he was, and abundantly pardoned him through saving grace only found in Jesus Christ. Such a truth should give sinners hope and give Christians a reason to cultivate a greater amount of godly assurance as they walk through the journey of this life before the face of God. Study Questions follow at the end of the work. C. Matthew McMahon, Ph. D., Th. D., is a Reformed theologian, and pastor of Grace Chapel in Crossville, TN. He is the founder and chairman of A Puritan's Mind, the largest Reformed website on the internet for students of the Bible concerning Reformed Theology, the Puritans and Covenant Theology. He is also the founder of Puritan Publications which publishes rare Reformed and Puritan works from the 17th century, specializing in the Westminster Assembly.