Thursday, January 30, 2014

God Could Never Forgive Me

"You don't know the wicked things I've done. God could never forgive someone like me."

In the Bible, the most wicked king in Judah's history was Manasseh. It says that he was so wicked that he shed enough blood that it filled Jerusalem with the blood of the innocent up to bridals of the horses. In other words, this is a vivid picture to inform us that there was a blood bath. Let us see what the Bible has to say about this:
2 Kings 21:1-18
1Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Hephzibah. 2And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 3For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, "In Jerusalem I will put My name." 5For he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 6And he made his son pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and used divination, and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD provoking [Him to anger.] 7Then he set the carved image of Asherah that he had made, in the house of which the LORD said to David and to his son Solomon, "In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever. 8"And I will not make the feet of Israel wander anymore from the land which I gave their fathers, if only they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that My servant Moses commanded them." 9But they did not listen, and Manasseh seduced them to do evil more than the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the sons of Israel.
10Now the LORD spoke through His servants the prophets, saying, 11"Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations, having done wickedly more than all the Amorites did who [were] before him, and has also made Judah sin with his idols; 12therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I am bringing [such] calamity on Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears shall tingle. 13'And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. 14'And I will abandon the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies, and they shall become as plunder and spoil to all their enemies; 15because they have done evil in My sight, and have been provoking Me to anger, since the day their fathers came from Egypt, even to this day.'" 16Moreover, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; besides his sin with which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the LORD. 17Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh and all that he did and his sin which he committed, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 18And Manasseh slept with his fathers and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza, and Amon his son became king in his place.

2 Chronicles 33:1-20
1Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2And he did evil in the sight of the LORD according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD dispossessed before the sons of Israel. 3For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he also erected altars for the Baals and made Asherim, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4And he built altars in the house of the LORD of which the LORD had said, "My name shall be in Jerusalem forever." 5For he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 6And he made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery, and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him [to anger.] 7Then he put the carved image of the idol which he had made in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, "In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever; 8and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers, if only they will observe to do all that I have commanded them according to all the law, the statutes, and the ordinances [given] through Moses." 9Thus Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the sons of Israel. 10And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention.
11Therefore the LORD brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze [chains,] and took him to Babylon. 12And when he was in distress, he entreated the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 13When he prayed to Him, He was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD [was] God. 14Now after this he built the outer wall of the city of David on the west side of Gihon, in the valley, even to the entrance of the Fish Gate; and he encircled the Ophel [with it] and made it very high. Then he put army commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah. 15He also removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the LORD, as well as all the altars which he had built on the mountain of the house of the LORD and in Jerusalem, and he threw [them] outside the city. 16And he set up the altar of the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it; and he ordered Judah to serve the LORD God of Israel. 17Nevertheless the people still sacrificed in the high places, [although] only to the LORD their God. 18Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh even his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the LORD God of Israel, behold, they are among the records of the kings of Israel. 19His prayer also and [how God] was entreated by him, and all his sin, his unfaithfulness, and the sites on which he built high places and erected the Asherim and the carved images, before he humbled himself, behold, they are written in the records of the Hozai. 20So Manasseh slept with his fathers, and they buried him in his own house. And Amon his son became king in his place.
You see, you may have done many wicked things in your life, but God is able to forgive you if you humble yourself before Him like Naaman. Let us look at what the Bible has to say about this:
2 Kings 5:1-27
1Now Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man with his master, and highly respected, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man was also a valiant warrior, [but he was] a leper. 2Now the Arameans had gone out in bands, and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she waited on Naaman's wife. 3And she said to her mistress, "I wish that my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy." 4And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, "Thus and thus spoke the girl who is from the land of Israel." 5Then the king of Aram said, "Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel." And he departed and took with him ten talents of silver and six thousand [shekels] of gold and ten changes of clothes. 6And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, "And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy." 7And it came about when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man is sending [word] to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But consider now, and see how he is seeking a quarrel against me." 8And it happened when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent [word] to the king, saying, "Why have you torn your clothes? Now let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel."
9So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots, and stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha. 10And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you and [you shall] be clean." 11But Naaman was furious and went away and said, "Behold, I thought, 'He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place, and cure the leper.' 12"Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage. 13Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, "My father, had the prophet told you [to do some] great thing, would you not have done [it]? How much more [then,] when he says to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?" 14So he went down and dipped [himself] seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
15When he returned to the man of God with all his company, and came and stood before him, he said, "Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel; so please take a present from your servant now." 16But he said, "As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will take nothing." And he urged him to take [it,] but he refused. 17And Naaman said, "If not, please let your servant at least be given two mules' load of earth; for your servant will no more offer burnt offering nor will he sacrifice to other gods, but to the LORD. 18"In this matter may the LORD pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon your servant in this matter." 19And he said to him, "Go in peace." So he departed from him some distance.
20But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, thought, "Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, by not receiving from his hands what he brought. As the LORD lives, I will run after him and take something from him." 21So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw one running after him, he came down from the chariot to meet him and said, "Is all well?" 22And he said, "All is well. My master has sent me, saying, 'Behold, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothes.'" 23And Naaman said, "Be pleased to take two talents." And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags with two changes of clothes, and gave them to two of his servants; and they carried [them] before him. 24When he came to the hill, he took them from their hand and deposited them in the house, and he sent the men away, and they departed. 25But he went in and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him, "Where have you been, Gehazi?" And he said, "Your servant went nowhere." 26Then he said to him, "Did not my heart go [with you,] when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants? 27"Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cleave to you and to your descendants forever." So he went out from his presence a leper [as white] as snow.
You need to repent, to change your mind, and agree with God in regard to what He says about you. You need to stop doing the wicked things that you have been doing and trust Jesus to help you to change, to be transformed. "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5; cf. Ps. 138:6; Prov. 3:34; Matt. 23:12). As long as you continue trying to justify yourself and your sins, God will resist you and be opposed to you. But as soon as you humble yourself and agree with what He says about you and your lifestyle, then God will forgive you and save and adopt you as His child. This is good news, that even the most hardened, most wicked among us is able to be forgiven of their sins and made righteous before God. Why? How? Because Jesus took your sin upon Himself when He was crucified and died on the cross at Calvary. Then He rose again three days later, demonstrating that He defeated sin, death, and the grave. Today is the day of salvation. Do not put it off only to find out that it is too late.