Jeremiah

I have neglected to study the old testament, which may have given me a better understanding to begin with then the new. Or maybe not. Maybe God new what he was doing in the order I seem to be going through the scriptures.

In any case, for reasons which are a story in themselves which I’m not going to go into, I have decided to study the book of Jeremiah. In this post I just wanted to point out how great the mercy of God was to the King of Judah, Manasseh. Under Manessah, the entire kingdom had become filled with idol worship and the destruction was so bad that it was declared in Jeremiah,

“I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, on account of King Manasseh, son of Hesekiah of Judah, and of what he did in Jerusalem” (Jer. 15:4)

The prophecies about him pretty much sealed Jerusalem’s fate. Yet when Menasseh was captured by the King of Assyria, at his lowest point when coming to God tends to  be easiest, he “prayed to Him, and He granted his prayer, heard his plea, and returned him to Jerusalem, to his kingdom; then Manasseh know that the Lord was God.” (II Chr. 33:12-13)

Here he was responsible for so much destruction of the Jewish faith, yet God in his mercy forgave him in the end! How encouraging is that! I feel that God’s judgements on the nations are very different then his judgements on individuals. He must judge the nations for their crimes so that all dominions and powers will eventually be brought under him, but he shows individuals his tenderest of mercies.  Its like the story of the prodigal son. As soon as we turn our eyes toward him, our Father comes running to embrace us.

This is much later than when I wrote my original post, but I feel like a prodigal or a Lost Sheep. May the Father embrace me!