Will God Forgive Me?

October 23, 2022

This week we finished reading 2 Chronicles. We read about the different kings and how some were good, and some evil. If you remember, of the 20 kings in Judah, 8 of them were good. This week we are going to talk about an evil king who turned good. His name was Manasseh.

We see how bad this king was in 2 Chronicles 33:1-9, “Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. ² He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. ³ He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had demolished; he also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. ⁴ He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “My Name will remain in Jerusalem forever.” ⁵ In both courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. ⁶ He sacrificed his children in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced divination and witchcraft, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

⁷ He took the image he had made and put it in God’s temple, of which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever. ⁸ I will not again make the feet of the Israelites leave the land I assigned to your ancestors, if only they will be careful to do everything I commanded them concerning all the laws, decrees and regulations given through Moses.” ⁹ But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.”

King Manasseh basically spit in God’s face. He built altars in God’s temple and worshipped other gods, sacrificed his own children to the god Moloch by having them burned on an altar, and more. He led the people to act more evil than any nation before.

The Lord spoke to Manasseh and the people of Judah through prophets but they did not listen or turn from their evil ways. Because of this, the LORD handed Manasseh over to the Assyrian leaders. 2 Chronicles 33:11 says, “So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.”

The Bible does not say that Manasseh looked to all of the gods he worshipped previously. 2 Chronicles 33:12 says, “In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. ¹³ And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.”

Manasseh was truly repentant and because of that the LORD listened to him, forgave him, and brought him back to Jerusalem.

Manasseh did not just talk the talk after God forgave him. He changed. 2 Chronicles 33:14-15 states, “Afterward he rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, west of the Gihon spring in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate and encircling the hill of Ophel; he also made it much higher. He stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah.

¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ The people, however, continued to sacrifice at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.”

Manasseh was evil. More so than others we’ve read about in the Bible. God still forgave him. God can also forgive you.

How can you get forgiveness and salvation from God today?

1. Realize that you are a sinner. In Romans 3:23 the Bible says that we are all sinners. “For all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.”
2. Know that God wants to give you the free gift of eternal life. Romans 6:23 states “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in^[a] Christ Jesus our Lord.”
3. There is no sin too great for God, and he will forgive you while you are committing sin. If you remember the story of King Manasseh, you will know God will forgive you if you are truly sincere and repentant. Romans 5:8 says that he loves us even when we sin and forgives us. “While were still sinners Christ died for us.”
4. Ask for forgiveness of your sins in the name of Jesus. On the day of Pentecost, Peter spoke to the crowd about Jesus’ death, resurrection and forgiveness of sins. They asked in Acts 2:37, “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” ³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
5. Have faith, believe in your heart, and confess with your mouth: Romans 10:9-10 shows us how we can be “saved”: “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

If you want forgiveness like King Manasseh, and are not quite sure how to pray, here is an example of a prayer of surrender from Christianity.com

“Dear God, I come before you today with a humble heart and surrender my life to you. I believe that Jesus Christ was born free of sin, died on the cross as a payment for my own sin, and rose three days later. I believe in your gift of salvation and eternal life because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. God, today I repent and turn from my old way of life. Because of your mercy and grace, I can have childlike faith. Today I ask for new life through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you, God for forgiving me and making me brand new. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

If you prayed this prayer, please let me know. I want to support you in your new life. I also encourage you to get involved with a Christian Church so that you can grow in your faith.

Next week we will be reading the entire book of Ezra. Have a blessed week.