One of my favorite biblical characters is King Manasseh. He came from a blue blood family. What he started with one can only imagine, good and bad. By all accounts he was embraced Evil like no one before him and few since. My interest in the story picks up when he was finally subdued, arrested, and by many accounts tortured. According to Jewish tradition, his first recourse was pagan gods. To them he turned, hoping beyond hope that he would be rescued and restored. Those initial prayers went unanswered.
When every alternative had failed, he turned to the God he had spent much of his life taunting and blaspheming. In this prayer left for us an unknown author, a theme emerges in three parts. First, an acknowledgement that the God of Israel’s three founding fathers, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham was the God of all gods. Secondly, his confession of past actions and the ripples that followed. This was made without reservations or justification. Third, a plea for forgiveness. There was no ambiguity in Manasseh’s words. He came, by his own words, bending the knee of his heart.
Each time I reflect on the potential of his life, the pain and anguish of the waste and tragedy that followed, and in the end the accountability that stripped everything away, I see glimpses in the mirror. Yes, my life was not a catastrophically visible, but there are monumental screw-ups a plenty. Yes, I may not have had as much, but I did grow up without hunger and with people that cared and were involved. In the end, this did not stop me from living out selfish priorities.
I find myself embracing Manasseh’s response. It is a model that resonates with a God of Compassion, Caring, and Community. “We thank you, God, we thank you – your Name is our favorite word; your mighty works are all we talk about.” (Psalm 75.1) Today, like many before, is an opportunity to respond in the belief that making a difference is an opportunity, a calling, and reflects our salvation.
