How Would You Know?

“The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention” (2 Chronicles 33:10).

1 and 2 Chronicles and 1 and 2 Kings records a depressing history of how the kings of the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah rebel against God. Every once in a while, you come across a king who does what is right.

It’s not because Israel and Judah didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t because the kings didn’t know what was right and what was wrong. It wasn’t because God wasn’t present. The writers of Chronicles and Kings tell us over and over how God would send his prophets to guide, warn, and prophesy against the rebellion and rejection of God.

One of these kings was named Manasseh. We are told by the Chronicler that “the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention” (2 Chronicles 33:10).

Notice that God spoke to Manasseh and his people. It wasn’t that God was absent. It wasn’t that God was silent. It wasn’t that Manasseh and his people didn’t know what God wanted from them. Despite all of this, Manasseh and the people paid no attention.

Question – how would you know that Manasseh and the people paid no attention to God? What would be the proof of their indifference?

Obedience. They knew what God had said. They knew what God expected from them. But they paid no attention. They kept living as if God had said nothing.

How sad. Why would anyone do that?

Hmmm.

God has made his will clear to the people of our day through God’s word. It’s not that we don’t have access to God’s word. It’s not that many Christians don’t know what God says about worshiping God, prioritizing God. It’s not that we don’t know what God says about money, sexuality, about taking care of the weak, the orphaned, the widowed.

How would we know if the people of today pay no attention to God?

Obedience.

We can do better. We must do better.