2 Kings 21

17-18 According to 2 Chronicles 33:1117, Manasseh was captured by the Assyrians later in his reign and taken prisoner to Babylon, which at the time was under the control of Assyria. In his distress he repented of his sins and cried out to God. God brought him back to Jerusalem, and then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God (2 Chronicles 33:13).

When he arrived back in Jerusalem, Manasseh attempted to restore the true worship of the Lord. He removed the pagan altars and idols from the temple; he offered sacrifices on the true altar, and urged the people of Judah to serve the Lord (2 Chronicles 33:15-16). However, all this was too late to change the course of Judah’s history. Manasseh’s son Amon was as evil as Manasseh himself had been before he repented, so as soon as Manasseh died the people returned to their idolatry as before.

Manasseh, in spite of all his evil, teaches us one important thing: from a human perspective it is never too late to repent. Yes, for Judah it was too late, but not for Manasseh. We must never give up hope for people, no matter how wicked they are; we must never stop praying for them. Yes, God may have rendered final judgment on them, but we humans can never know that. Like the thief on the cross, people can come to faith in the final moments of life (Luke 23:32,39-43); as long as breath remains, it is never too late to repent.

Notice how God brought about Manasseh’s repentance: He caused him distress (2 Chronicles 33:12). It was the distress of imprisonment that prompted Manasseh to turn to the Lord. Thus Manasseh’s distress” was a sign of God’s mercy and grace. God often uses distress to bring us to repentance. During times of distress, we should always be asking: “God, what are you trying to show me?” If we respond to God’s discipline in this way, we shall be able to thank Him for it in the end⁸³ (Hebrews 12:11).

Amon King of Judah (21:19-26)

(2 Chronicles 33:21-25)

19-26 Amon undid any good that his father Manasseh had done during the last years of his reign. The former idolatrous worship was quickly reestablished. Then after two years, Amon was assassinated by conspirators, who in turn were killed by the people of the land—ordinary citizens (verses 23-24). Then Amon’s son Josiah, the last godly ruler of Judah, became king (verse 26).