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Speaker 1: Let us pray, and he did that which was evil

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Speaker 1: in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manassa did.

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Speaker 1: Second Kings twenty one twenty. Heavenly Father, I stand before

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Speaker 1: you as a conduit to those who are lost in

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Speaker 1: wicked thoughts, actions, and behaviors. As you did with Manassa,

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Speaker 1: I pray you will do with all those who are

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Speaker 1: desiring to harm and inflict torment on those around me.

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Speaker 1: Because you are a forgiving God and a good God.

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Speaker 1: I pray for the hearts of all those whose faith

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Speaker 1: has grown cold to be turned round so they can

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Speaker 1: behold and experience your goodness again. I come against every

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Speaker 1: lie that would tell them that you are mad at

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Speaker 1: them and that you have abandoned them. Instead, use me

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Speaker 1: as a vessel to spread your love so that your

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Speaker 1: truth can shine through the darkest of arts. As you

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Speaker 1: forgave me and gave me a new life, I know

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Speaker 1: that you will do the same for them through the

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Speaker 1: power of your Holy Spirit. I know that nothing is impossible,

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Speaker 1: So I thank you in advance that souls are being

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Speaker 1: saved and lives are being restored back to you in

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Speaker 1: Jesus name. Amen, thank you for praying with us today.

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Speaker 1: Continue your time with God by listening to today's Bible story,

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Speaker 1: brought to you by Bible in a Year dot com.

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Speaker 2: An evil king is restored. In our last story, King

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Speaker 2: Hezekiah is saved from the clutches of death and spared

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Speaker 2: for another fifteen years. In this time, Hezekiah became friends

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Speaker 2: with the leaders of Babylon. In an attempt to impress them,

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Speaker 2: he showcased all of Judah's wealth. This would prove to

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Speaker 2: be a fatal mistake for the righteous king, since Babylon

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Speaker 2: was an evil nation rising slowly to overtake the world.

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Speaker 2: Now we see the evil reign of Hezekiah's son, Manassa.

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Speaker 2: His cruelty and wickedness was unmatched by any king before him.

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Speaker 2: He made his dwelling place in darkness. However, all darkness

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Speaker 2: needs is a little bit of light. Inspired by the

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Speaker 2: Book of Second Kings, Hello.

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Speaker 3: And welcome to today's episode of the Bible in a

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Speaker 3: Year podcast. This is Jack Graham. In our last episode,

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Speaker 3: we heard how God spared Hezekiah from death and gave

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Speaker 3: him fifteen more years of life. We also learned that

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Speaker 3: in his eagerness to impress the nation of Babylon, Hezekiah

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Speaker 3: foolishly opened his gates to show a rising enemy all

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Speaker 3: that Judah had to offer, and ultimately to plunder. It

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Speaker 3: was a naive and selfish decision and a costly lapse

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Speaker 3: in judgment and discernment. Today we'll learn of the reign

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Speaker 3: of his son Manassa, a stark contrast to his father's

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Speaker 3: reign of righteousness. Manassa proves to be an evil king

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Speaker 3: far from God. But as we will be reminded today,

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Speaker 3: God is able always to drive out the darkness with

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Speaker 3: his perfect light. Let's listen now to the word of God.

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Speaker 2: Where does evil begin in a man's life? Does circumstance

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Speaker 2: cause bitterness to turn into hatred and hatred to turn

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Speaker 2: into evil? Is evil conceived through one's broken childhood? Or

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Speaker 2: does evil creep its way into someone's nature without warning

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Speaker 2: or cause? These answers may never be fully known. However,

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Speaker 2: for King Manassa, evil was just as much a part

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Speaker 2: of him as his beating heart. Manassa, the son of

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Speaker 2: the righteous king Hezekiah, began his rule in Judah at

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Speaker 2: the young age of twelve. Even as a child, death

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Speaker 2: and cruelty enticed him. He was drawn by the exotic

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Speaker 2: idols of ancient cities. Manassa devoted himself to the gods

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Speaker 2: of mountains and forests. He erected altars in the city

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Speaker 2: to Bale and Asserath. As Manassa grew older and more powerful,

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Speaker 2: his capability for evil increased. He would lure children and

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Speaker 2: young women into the forest to offer them up his sacrifices.

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Speaker 2: He even burned his own sons as an offering to

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Speaker 2: the valley of the son of Hinham. Manassa laughed and

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Speaker 2: cried as his son's burning corpses turned to ash. His

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Speaker 2: worship of exotic gods muddied his mind like a swamp.

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Speaker 2: He was never satisfied. He was continually looking for new

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Speaker 2: and creative ways to sin. He delved into omens and sorcery,

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Speaker 2: studying the ways of witchcraft and human sacrifice. He developed

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Speaker 2: a curateuriosity for necromancers and speaking to the dead. Manassa's

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Speaker 2: mind and heart were completely covered in darkness, and he

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Speaker 2: loved it. He enjoyed the dark recesses of wickedness. He

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Speaker 2: made his home there. He did not sin ignorantly as

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Speaker 2: other kings had. No Manassa was much more shrewd than that.

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Speaker 2: He saw his vile ways as an act against God.

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Speaker 2: He challenged him. He challenged his goodness, his righteousness, and

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Speaker 2: his power. King Manassa thought himself equal to God, a

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Speaker 2: mistake many men had made before him. One evening, Manassa

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Speaker 2: sat at the edge of the forest in Jerusalem. He

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Speaker 2: sat praying and speaking to the evil spirits he had

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Speaker 2: bound his soul too. In the dead of night, he

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Speaker 2: chanted and sang to the false gods of ancient Canaanites.

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Speaker 2: The forest rested on a small hill, and Manassa could

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Speaker 2: see the temple at the bottom in the middle of

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Speaker 2: the city. He smiled a wicked smile, and began to

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Speaker 2: walk into the sea dy with his servants. Manassa stood

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Speaker 2: in front of the vast temple. The ivory pillars and

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Speaker 2: beams of cedar were illuminated by torchlight. It was a

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Speaker 2: truly beautiful sight, especially after his father had restored it.

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Speaker 2: Manassa remembered his father's obsession over the temple. It bored

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Speaker 2: him as a child, but as an adult it vexed him.

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Speaker 2: His father, King Hessekiah the Righteous was a pitiful man

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Speaker 2: to him. Manassa spat on the temple floor and gestured

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Speaker 2: for his servants to break open its doors. Together, they

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Speaker 2: erected large idols to the Canaanite gods. The temple, the

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Speaker 2: dwelling place of God, had been defiled with Manassa's worthless idols.

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Speaker 2: Manassa burst into laughter as he remembered the words of

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Speaker 2: the Lord in Jerusalem, shall my name be forever. The

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Speaker 2: evil king lay in his bed, pleased with his work.

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Speaker 2: He enjoyed provoking God to anger. It was a pleasant

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Speaker 2: game for him, and he loved every minute of it.

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Speaker 2: As the weeks went by, Manassa's depraved practices seeped into

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Speaker 2: the daily lives of Judaean's. They entered the temple to

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Speaker 2: pay homage to false gods, and mediums were consulted by

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Speaker 2: many in the city of Jerusalem. Manassa was pleased with

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Speaker 2: his influence on judas culture, but God was not playing

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Speaker 2: Manassa's games. He would not allow for him to corrupt

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Speaker 2: his children. The Lord sent messengers regularly imploring of Manassa

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Speaker 2: to repent and turn from his ways. Every messenger was

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Speaker 2: either rejected or killed for sport. The Lord tugged on

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Speaker 2: the King's heart with his spirit, but his soul had

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Speaker 2: been sealed shut by years of calloused rebellion. The Lord

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Speaker 2: had given Nassa many chances to turn from his ways.

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Speaker 2: Now it was time for God to remove his protection

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Speaker 2: from the king. Manassa awoke in the dead of night

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Speaker 2: to screams. He looked out his window to see flames

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Speaker 2: near the palace. He could see shadows of Assyrian soldiers

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Speaker 2: raiding nearby Holmes. They were not harming anyone, No, they

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Speaker 2: were looking for someone. They were looking for the king. Panicked,

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Speaker 2: the king began to move his furniture in front of

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Speaker 2: his doors. He ignored the priest for help on the

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Speaker 2: other side of the door and continued to fortify his chambers.

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Speaker 2: Smoke began to creep in through the window, and King

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Speaker 2: Manassa could barely breathe. He could hear violent banging on

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Speaker 2: the other side of the fortified door. The banging grew

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Speaker 2: louder and more violent. Manassa watched helplessly as the furniture

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Speaker 2: began to move and the door cracked open. The Assyrians

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Speaker 2: burst through the door after several minutes of banging. Manassa

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Speaker 2: lifted his sword to fight, but was quickly struck down

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Speaker 2: onto the floor. He could barely see the Assyrian's faces

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Speaker 2: because of the smoke. However, he could see the large

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Speaker 2: metal hook dangling on a chain in one of their hands.

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Speaker 2: The man drew closer with the hook. Nassa tried to

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Speaker 2: crawl away, but was kicked in the ribs immediately. Manassa

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Speaker 2: held his side and watched as the man bent down

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Speaker 2: and drove the metal hook into his shoulder. The hook,

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Speaker 2: attached to a chain of bronze, was driven deep into

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Speaker 2: the king's right shoulder. He screamed in agony as the

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Speaker 2: man tugged on the chain, forcing Manassa to his feet.

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Speaker 2: Manassa was then led away out of Jerusalem, captive to

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Speaker 2: the Assyrian army. Manassa was dragged out of the country

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Speaker 2: of Judah towards Babylon. He was beaten and bound in

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Speaker 2: bronze chains. Food and water were scarce, and the evil

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Speaker 2: king began to break down. As the Assyrians were camping.

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Speaker 2: Manassa lay in the cold, bound in chains, with the

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Speaker 2: hook still driven securely in his shoulder. He looked up

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Speaker 2: to the stars and began to weep. He did not

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Speaker 2: pray to the dead that night. He did not seek

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Speaker 2: the comfort of bail or the shrine of Asherah. In

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Speaker 2: the cold and in pain, Manassa wept before God. He

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Speaker 2: asked for the Lord's favor and forgive. He wailed towards

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Speaker 2: the sky and humbled himself before the living God. The

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Speaker 2: Lord saw Manassa's tears. God was moved by Manassa's words.

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Speaker 2: For the first time in the king's life, he had

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Speaker 2: a true connection with his God. Early the next morning,

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Speaker 2: the Assyrians released the king and sent him back to Jerusalem.

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Speaker 2: He returned to his home with a damaged ego and

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Speaker 2: a humbled heart. No longer did Manassa spite God. He

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Speaker 2: knew that he was the Lord of heaven and earth.

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Speaker 2: He knew that he was not only powerful, but merciful.

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Speaker 2: Although Manassa did not deserve mercy from God, he received it.

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Speaker 2: As the sun breaks the morning fog, Manassa's mind began

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Speaker 2: to clear. He saw his nation with new eyes. He

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Speaker 2: fortified the cities to protect his people from harm. He

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Speaker 2: stripped away the idols in the streets and temple. He

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Speaker 2: restored the temple that had been desecrated, and became a

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Speaker 2: devoted worshiper until the end of his days. After Manassa died,

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Speaker 2: his son Aman was made king. Haman did not share

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Speaker 2: the story of his father. He devoted himself to evil

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Speaker 2: and conspired against the Lord. He led many people astray

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Speaker 2: and was selfish, and everything he did he abused those

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Speaker 2: who served him and worshiped himself as a god. Because

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Speaker 2: he refused to humble himself, his servants assassinated him in

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Speaker 2: his own home. His son Josiah was then made king

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Speaker 2: after him.

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Speaker 3: In today's scripture, passage, Hezekiah has been succeeded by his

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Speaker 3: son Manassa, still a child when he became king. Manassa

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Speaker 3: did not follow the righteous footsteps of his father or

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Speaker 3: live in the wonderful legacy that he had been given.

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Speaker 3: In fact, he went the exact opposite direction. Hezekiah had

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Speaker 3: torn down the idolatrous altars and even the high places

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Speaker 3: where evil gods were worshiped in Judah. But as Manassa

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Speaker 3: grew his evil heart could not get enough of the

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Speaker 3: evil deities of the foreigners. He erected altars and asherah

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Speaker 3: polls in the city. He defiled God's house and sacrificed

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Speaker 3: his own sons to false gods. As much as Hezekiah

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Speaker 3: found great joy in serving the Lord, his son Manassa

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Speaker 3: seemed to take joy in blaspheming and insulting God, making

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Speaker 3: a mockery of his holiness, and doing all kinds of

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Speaker 3: evil things. But as we have seen time and time again,

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Speaker 3: as the king went, so did the people. They soon

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Speaker 3: turned their back on God and went back to their

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Speaker 3: old ways, chasing after the exotic gods and empty promises

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Speaker 3: of those false deities. Here's what we read in Second

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Speaker 3: Kings twenty one, verses eleven and twelve. Because Manassa, king

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Speaker 3: of Judah, has done these abominations, having done wickedly more

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Speaker 3: than all the Amorites who did go before him, and

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Speaker 3: has also made Judah sin with his idols. Therefore, thus

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Speaker 3: the Lord says the God of Israel, behold, I am

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Speaker 3: bringing such calamity on Jerusalem and Judah that whoever hears

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Speaker 3: of it, both his ears will tingle. Yes, God is

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Speaker 3: a god of love. He is full of mercy and

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Speaker 3: grace towards his children. But there is a time when

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Speaker 3: God sends judgment. Manassa and the people of Judah deserve

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Speaker 3: this judgment to be annihilated, wiped out because of their

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Speaker 3: mockery of God. The Bible says, remember this, whatever a

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Speaker 3: man sows that he will also reap. The people were

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Speaker 3: sowing their own judgment, and they reaped it. But even

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Speaker 3: in his judgment we see God's immeasurable mercy. He sent

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Speaker 3: Assyrians to capture the king. They drove hooks into his

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Speaker 3: shoulders and let him in change through the forests, likely

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Speaker 3: some of the very land where Nasa had murdered his

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Speaker 3: own children in the fire, and then they took him

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Speaker 3: out of Judah. Imagine this king who so pridefully mocked God,

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Speaker 3: defied God, and engaged in so many vile acts. Now

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Speaker 3: he is brought down chained like a slave of the enemy.

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Speaker 3: It is a visual depiction of his inner state. He

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Speaker 3: has been enslaved to sin and wickedness for years. The

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Speaker 3: hooks in his flesh were strong, but not nearly as

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Speaker 3: powerful as the grip that sin had on his heart

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Speaker 3: and mind. So Manassa was led out of the land

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Speaker 3: in Change under the control of the sworn enemies of

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Speaker 3: God's people. Manassa's heart broke. He cried out to God,

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Speaker 3: the only one who could rescue him, and though he

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Speaker 3: didn't deserve it, God heard his cry. He forgave the

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Speaker 3: king because God could see there was genuine repentance, heart

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Speaker 3: change Was this all just desperation and fear, Well, certainly that,

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Speaker 3: but it does not make it any less genuine. If

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Speaker 3: God chooses to forgive a contrite heart, a repentant heart

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Speaker 3: is what God seeks from all of us, and that's

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Speaker 3: what Manassah offered to the Lord. So amazingly, the Assyrians

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Speaker 3: released the king and he returned, humbled and restored to Judah.

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Speaker 3: He tore down the altars and restored God's temple and

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Speaker 3: lived out his days in humility serving the Lord. This

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Speaker 3: is a wonderful story of salvation that comes through repentance

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Speaker 3: and deliverance from God. His son Ammon sadly did not

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Speaker 3: follow him and persisted in evil until he was killed

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Speaker 3: by his own servants. But Amon's son Josiah would lead

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Speaker 3: Judah into another area of reform, revival and return to

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Speaker 3: the Lord. We'll hear his great story the next time

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Speaker 3: we're together. Dear God, thank you for your word always

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Speaker 3: that reminds us that you will judge sin. But when

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Speaker 3: we genuinely cry out to you and seek you and

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Speaker 3: return to you in your grace and mercy because of

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Speaker 3: your cross and resurrection, that we can come back to you,

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Speaker 3: and that you will receive us like prodigal children, into

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Speaker 3: your family. And we pray this with deep gratitude in

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Speaker 3: our hearts for your grace and mercy. Amen. Thank you

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Speaker 3: for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm

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Speaker 3: Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download Theprey dot com app

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Speaker 3: and make Bible study and prayer a priority in your life.

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Speaker 3: And if you enjoy this podcast, please let as many

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Speaker 3: people know as possible. And also, if you would like

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Speaker 3: to know more about Christ, know more about the Christian life,

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Speaker 3: know more about what the Bible says, visit me at

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Speaker 3: Jack Graham dot org. That's Jack Graham dot org because

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Speaker 3: we have many resources there available to you. God bless

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Speaker 3: you