Same Old Satan

2 Kings 21:1-2

“Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.”

When I was growing up, we had bullies at my school. Rumors would go around about these bullies. These rumors would be filled with outlandish things that these so called “bullies” had done. Just hearing about them made you fear them, never mind the fact that the rumors could never be substantiated. It was enough just to know that this person could have done some of these things. Therefore, we stayed clear of them.

Manasseh was the son of king Hezekiah, the king who did right in the eyes of the Lord. However, the apple did not fall close to the tree. Manasseh was not like his father at all. Chapter 21 is a brief outline of his life as well as Amon’s, his son, and his brief stint as king before an 8 year old boy named Josiah becomes king of Judah.

When Hezekiah was buried, Manasseh became king at twelve years old. He did not waste any time going in the opposite direction of his father. The Bible tells us that he followed the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. Here is a list of them: (verse 3-6)

1. He rebuilt the high places………(temples to pagan gods)
2. He put up altars to Baal…….(Old Canaanite god)
3. He made Asherah poles…….(female god of lust and sex)
4. He bowed down to the starry host…….(sun, moon, and star worshiping)
5. He sacrificed his son in the fire……(Molek god of child sacrifice)
6. He practiced divination…..(seeking knowledge of the future through ungodly means)
7. He sought omens….(pagan practice of telling future by signs)
8. He consulted mediums…..(connecting with the dead)
9. He consulted spiritists…..(connecting with spirits for guidance like tarot card readers)

What a list! In today’s world, much of the nine things above are still practiced but under different names. Molek, the god of death and child sacrifice, has been renamed under the practice of abortion. Worshiping the starry host has been renamed under Astronomy worship. We still have the horoscopes in all the papers which is the practice of divination and omens. The practice of connecting with dead is still done today as well and spiritists has been renamed as tarot card readers. We can go on but the point is that Satan has not changed his tune at all. He will only steal, kill, and destroy you and anything/anyone around you to abolish the image of Jesus on this earth.

If you have practiced any of these things listed above it would be wise to stop. Repent of this and ask Jesus to renew your mind and heart. These things are not what the Lord uses; they are straight out of the devil’s manual for destroying your life. Stop reading your horoscope! Don’t play with ouija boards, burn that thing! Stop looking for omens to predict your future. The black cat you saw nor the eagle in the sky can predict your future. Asherah poles don’t exist but pornography does all over the internet and on nearly every show streaming platform. Instead of looking at and practicing these things, become obsessed with pleasing the Lord and you will find that you will not have room for them.

As a matter of fact, you don’t have to experience all of these to know your enemy. We can read about them in the Bible. All of them have the ability to wreck your life and I am sure we have all seen it first hand. Repent, turn to the Lord, and he will give you peace. The Bible tells us that His mercies are new every morning so you are never too far gone (Lamentations 3:22-23). The amazing grace of Jesus is the only thing you need!

Prayer: Jesus, help us recognize the things in our lives that are against you. Help us get rid of them from our minds, heart, and life. Help us to get rid of the friends who practice such things and find Godly friends that will point us to you Lord. In Jesus name, amen.