When Success is not Success
When Success isn’t Success
Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 19-21; Acts 2; Psalm 146
"Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the Lord..."
—2 Kings 21:1–2"Now when he was in affliction, he implored the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers..."
—2 Chronicles 33:12
By most earthly standards, King Manasseh was a success. He ruled Judah for fifty-five years—longer than any king before or after him. In a time when kings were often assassinated or overthrown, Manasseh's grip on power was astonishing. His long reign suggests political savvy, and possibly even a period of economic stability. He kept the mighty Assyrian Empire at bay and maintained control over his kingdom.
But heaven's perspective tells a different story.
Spiritually, Manasseh was a failure of the worst kind. He didn’t just tolerate idolatry—he championed it. He desecrated the temple, sacrificed his own son, consulted mediums and spiritists, and led the people into practices more evil than the nations God had previously destroyed. His reign was so corrupt that it left a stain on Judah’s history that even later reforms could not fully cleanse.
If we stopped there, the story would be tragic but familiar: a man who climbed high by the world’s standards and fell hard in God’s eyes.
But the story isn’t over.
In a surprising twist, we read in 2 Chronicles that when Manasseh was taken captive by the Assyrians—dragged away with hooks and bound in chains—he finally humbled himself. In prison, in affliction, he called out to the Lord. And God, in His mercy, heard him. Manasseh was restored to his throne and set about removing idols, repairing the altar, and encouraging worship of the Lord.
The story of Manasseh is complex. It speaks of God’s amazing grace but also reminds us that there are long term consequences to evil actions. We can be forgiven and still suffer the consequences of our sins. The turnaround in Manasseh’s life is remarkable. It reminds us that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace—not even the most rebellious heart. But it also reminds us that true success is measured not in years or achievements, but in faithfulness to God, and serves as a warning to us that sin, while it can be forgiven, is not something to be toyed with under a false assumption that we can avoid its consequences.
