Listen to Audio Devotion
2 Chronicles 33:15-16
He got rid of the foreign gods and removed the image from the temple of the Lord, as well as all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem; and he threw them out of the city. Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel.
If you watch enough motivational videos on YouTube, you’ll come across this teaching that says that you need to stop pointing fingers at the world and its problems; that you have to be the change that you want to see in the world. Though we can’t explicitly look at a particular passage as a proof text for that teaching, it does point us towards a very biblical teaching that’s all throughout the scriptures.
Manasseh was the king of Israel succeeding Hezekiah. He was just 12 years old when he became king, and the kind of stuff this guy does once he became king is almost laughable. He brings back the idols into the temple, sacrifices his children in the fire, practices divination and witchcraft, and consults mediums. He is a king and what he does directly influences the actions of the nation as well. This way everyone has given in to what Manasseh is doing. God warns them, but they have no regard for God’s words. And so, God hands over Manasseh to be taken as a prisoner. The army commanders of Assyria took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon. Just imagine the humiliation.
In his distress, he humbled himself before God and repents. God hears him and gives back control of his kingdom (2 Chron. 33:12–13). The newly converted king rebuilds the city walls and destroys the pagan idols (vv. 14–15). He instructs Judah to worship the Lord, the God of Israel, and repairs the Lord’s altar (v. 16). Now the thing you need to notice here is that as Manasseh underwent a radical change, the whole nation also underwent a radical change (v. 17).
Today, we may not be in major leadership positions where we may influence the whole nation, but we all have a circle of influence. The numbers don’t matter, but we are definitely out there in the world. And maybe we have blended so well that there’s no difference between them and us. It’s almost like they’re saying “What’s the big deal about Christianity? I worship my Gods and you worship Jesus. Apart from that, I don’t see any difference between us.” We know that this is not true.
We know that we’re supposed to be in the world but not off the world. I’m not suggesting that we put our holiness on a florescent yellow t-shirt, so that people may notice us. No. But as Manasseh did, we can humble ourselves, recognize what we’re doing wrong, repent, and ask that God would transform us radically as we seek Him. And by our transformation, we may transform our circle of influence with the help of God.
Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, we desire to be more and more like Jesus. Let Him increase and let us decrease. Help us to be lights in this dark world. You take away our darkness and help us shine bright. We repent father. Forgive us and cleanse us from our sins. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
