We have here an account of the great wickedness of Manasseh. It is the
same almost word for word with that which we had 2 Kings xxi. 1-9, and
took a melancholy view of. It is no such pleasing subject that we
should delight to dwell upon it again. This foolish young prince, in
contradiction to the good example and good education his father gave
him, abandoned himself to all impiety, transcribed the abominations of
the heathen (v. 2), ruined the established religion, unravelled his
father's glorious reformation (v. 3), profaned the house of God with
his idolatry (v. 4, 5), dedicated his children to Moloch, and made the
devil's lying oracles his guides and his counsellors, v. 6. In contempt
of the choice God had made of Sion to be his rest for ever and Israel
to be his covenant-people (v. 8), and the fair terms he stood upon with
God, he embraced other gods, profaned God's chosen temple, and
debauched his chosen people. He made them to err, and do worse than the
heathen (v. 9); for, if the unclean spirit returns, he brings with him
seven other spirits more wicked than himself. That which aggravated the
sin of Manasseh was that God spoke to him and his people by the
prophets, but they would not hearken, v. 10. We may here admire the
grace of God in speaking to them, and their obstinacy in turning a deaf
ear to him, that either their badness did not quite turn away his
goodness, but still he waited to be gracious, or that his goodness did
not turn them from their badness, but still they hated to be reformed.
Now from this let us learn, 1. That it is no new thing, but a very sad
thing, for the children of godly parents to turn aside from that good
way of God in which they have been trained. Parents may give many good
things to their children, but they cannot give them grace. 2.
Corruptions in worship are such diseases of the church as it is very
apt to relapse into again even when they seem to be cured. 3. The god
of this world has strangely blinded men's minds, and has a wonderful
power over those that are led captive by him; else he could not draw
them from God, their best friend, to depend upon their sworn enemy.