The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.--Psalm 51:17
To My Daughters in Him:
I have been studying Psalm 51:17 for several days. I can remember the first time I studied it, perhaps more than 11 or 12 years ago, coming away with a desire to be humble before my God. Why...Because I wanted to be one the Lord looked on and dwelt with...one whose prayers He heard. Studying it now, I am coming away with a deeper understanding of the depth of the riches both of His wisdom and His knowledge, but also of His mercy toward us, His creatures. Truly His judgments are unsearcheable and His ways past finding out. His mercy towards us never ceases and brings to mind the beautiful hymn, Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing....
Streams of mercy, never ceasing call for songs of loudest praise. Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God. He, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood; How His kindness yet pursues me, mortal tongue can never tell.
Let's look at Psalm 51:17 now with Manesseh, the most evil king in the history of Judah, in view. Manesseh's father was a good king and a righteous man. Manesseh's early training was godly and yet his reign was more evil than those of pagan kings. Manesseh rebuilt the high places which his father had torn down and erected altars to worship gods other than the God of Israel. He practiced sorcery and astrology. He sacrificed his own children to the gods of Molech and Baal....placing them alive in flames of fire. He did not and would not listen to God's prophets when they warned him to turn from his evil doings. He led the people of Judah and Jerusalem into error and caused them to do worse than the heathen nations that surrounded them.
The summarized story of Manesseh can be read in 2nd Chronicles 33. Repeating the verse from above for emphasis:
And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken. Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon. And when he was in affliction, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he was God.--2nd Chronicles 33:10-13
The Assyrians came...bound him and took him among thorns, (literally piercing- they put a ring through his nose or his lips) and led him as a captive to Babylon. Reading the account of the Chaldeans, we learn that Manesseh was afflicted greatly in Babylon. It tells of torture of a horrific scale. This from the Blue letter Bible and Chuck Smith:
"For the Chaldeans made a brazen mule, and pierced it full of small holes, and put him in it. They then kindled fires all around it; and when he was in this affliction, he sought help of all the idols which he had made, but obtained none, for they were of no value. He therefore repented, and prayed before the Lord his God, and was greatly humbled in the sight of the Lord God of his fathers."
Wow! God did not give up on Manesseh. Look at what it took though, to bring him to the point where he cried out to the Lord His God. Look at the level of affliction that was necessary to rid him of his pride and bring Him before His God with a broken and contrite heart. This wass not God's vengeance upon Manesseh, this was His mercy and kindness. How much better it was for Manesseh to suffer here on earth for a short while than to suffer eternal torment. God allowed all of Manesseh's afflictions to bring him to His knees...to bring him to a place of safety and protection from the eternal fires of hell.
What would you do to this man, Manesseh, if you were God and he cried unto you? This man who had done so much evil...who had compelled Jerusalem to sacrifice their little ones...your children....to the god of Molech by placing them alive in flames of fire.....this man who had caused your people, your children, to do worse than the heathen nations around them.
My response would have been to not listen to Manesseh...to turn away from him in anger and allow him to suffer as he himself had made so many others suffer. My response would not have been mercy and forgiveness...BUT THAT WAS GOD'S RESPONSE.
God heard both Manesseh's heart and his prayer. God brought him back to Jerusalem, returned to him his throne and forgave him of all his transgressions. WOW! WOW! WOW!
This brings such hope and comfort to my heart and a deeper understanding of so many of the promises in God's word. It gives us much insight into God's nature and character and His unfathomable mercy toward us. If my God can forgive Manesseh, surely He can and will forgive you and me.
You might be feeling right now in your life similarly to how Manesseh might have felt....in bondage to sin, in pain and in affliction and seemingly up against the proverbial brick wall with no recourse or place to go. Cry out to Him....seek Him as Manesseh did. He will answer...He will forgive...He will do in your life exceedingly abundantly above all that you can ask or think.
Love
Mom
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