Who was Manasseh in the Bible? And what is the prayer of Manasseh?

God regularly visits death row. Prisoners who have committed unspeakable crimes turn to Jesus Christ for forgiveness and a new life. Outside the prison walls, people react with wonder, resentment, or disbelief about God’s pleasure in saving such individuals.

The story of King Manasseh

King Manasseh in the Bible knew the joy of God firsthand. From his filthy cell on Babylon’s death row, he reviewed years of unspeakable crimes – worshiping the sun and stars in the temple of the Lord, shedding the blood of innocents, sacrificing his own sons to idols .

He realized that his rebellion against God had brought him nothing but pain. Then he looked up to the God of his fathers and cried for help. Fortunately, the Lord always hears the cries of the humble and delights to answer their prayers.

Manasseh’s prayer

Interestingly, the Bible does not tell us What King Manasseh said to the Lord God. Instead, it simply tells us How he prayed.

“In his distress he (King Manasseh) sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed to him, the Lord moved by his prayer and listened to his request; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God” (2 Chronicles 33:12-13 NIV).

Humanly, even God’s holy prophets must have thought that King Manasseh had gone too far for the Lord to bring him back. After all, his sins had driven the kingdom of Judah so deep into idolatry that the Lord’s judgment on the nation could not be reversed. And his despair at his wickedness could not bring back to life the people he had killed and the families he had crushed.

However, because of God’s forgiveness, King Manasseh could enter God’s Temple as a forgiven man. Freed from Babylon and given a new chance to rule, Manasseh took big, bold steps to show that his repentance was real: demolishing pagan altars, restoring the Temple and worshiping the Lord in public.

I certainly can’t always undo the damage caused by my actions. But I know that the sins of my past are never so great that God’s love and mercy cannot forgive me, restore me, and give me a fresh start.

All I have to do is humble myself before the Lord my God, turn from my sins, return to God and ask for forgiveness.

Manasseh in the Bible

• Joseph names his eldest son Manasseh (Genesis 41:51) and years later, Manasseh is adopted by Joseph’s father, Jacob (Genesis 48:5). Joseph’s firstborn is the ancestor of one of the Israelite tribes. He grew much more between the exodus and the entry into the promised land (Numbers 1:35 And 26:34). Moses ends up dividing the tribe into two half-tribes (Numbers 32:33).

• The most famous descendant of the second half of the tribe of Manasseh is Gideon (Judges 6:15).

• Unrelated to these two half-tribes, one of King David’s descendants is called Manasseh. Without a doubt, Manasseh is the wickedest king of Judah, 2 kings 20:21–21:18 and 2 Chronicles 33:1-11. Nothing could stop the inevitable and devastating effects of King Manasseh’s decades of wickedness (2 kings 21:20, 11:26 p.m.And 24:3 And Jeremiah 15:4)

• To everyone’s surprise, King Manasseh repented, God restored him and led a great revival (2 Chronicles 33:12-20).

• The biggest surprise? The most famous descendant of King Manasseh is Jesus (Matthew 1:10).

David Sanford Coach leaders passionate about demonstrating the relevance of Jesus Christ in all major areas of life. His book and Bible projects have been published by Zondervan, Tyndale, Thomas Nelson, Doubleday and Amazon. His speaking engagements range from UC Berkeley (California) to the Billy Graham Center at the Cove (North Carolina).

Photo credit: Pexels / Donald Tong