Child of God, don’t think for even one moment that you have no influence. We read today of the culmination of evil choices made by the leaders of Judah back in ancient times. I want you look at one King - King Manasseh. His father King Hezekiah had been a good King and a good man but he died when Manasseh was only 12. Who influenced him? Because he turned so EVIL. He rebuilt the high places and altars for Baal and the Asherim, had altars to other gods (idols) put in the Temple court, and a carved Asherah pole in the Temple. He practiced sorcery and divination and consulted mediums and spiritists. He sacrificed his own sons to Molech, which means he had his own baby sons tortured to death.

God sent Assyria against Manasseh - they captured him and took him to Babylon. In his pain and humiliation he finally cried out to God and humbled himself, repenting of all he had done. God saw the truth of his repentance in his heart and had mercy upon him and returned him to Jerusalem and his Kingdom. Manasseh then tried to undo all the former Evil he had done, he atoned for his actions, but for some it was too late. The bad influences he had previously sown had already taken root with devastating results. His heir obviously born before his father's repentance, did EVil. But he didn't last long on the throne, he was killed and Manasseh's younger son Josiah who was only 8 years old became King. He hadn't seen as much of the bad influence but more of the good and he turned out to be one of the best Kings Judah ever had.

But more evil Kings followed and in today's Old Testament reading it seems like YAHWEH is dismantling all of his promises. Temple (priesthood) … took 7 years to build – gone. But the bigger issue is that the place of reconciliation is no longer present. Physically there is no way to seek reconciliation with God. Palace (kingship) … took 14 years to build – gone. But the bigger issue is the promised kingship. Who will lead? Where will the true Davidic king come from? All important buildings … records, library, government – gone. Protective Wall – gone. Everyone except the poorest people – gone. They no longer have a land or a city or anywhere to go.

While it is true that we are not responsible for someone else’s choices, we are responsible for how we use our influence and for the choices we make that may well influence someone else’s choices. The destruction of Jerusalem was the result of the people's choice to follow very evil sins. God gave them everything, they only have themselves to blame. It could have been so different. The choices we make do have consequences. Some are short-term and some are long-term. They can bring grief. When we choose sin, God doesn't have to act against us - for him to do so might destroy us completely, so what he usually does is just stop shielding us. He removes his blessing from us and allows the natural consequences of our actions to manifest. But he doesn't just remain silent and watch.....God sent Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Joel and Ezekiel (from Babylon) to warn them of the coming judgments. They had PLENTY of time to repent and return to their covenant relationship with God, but they refused to listen.

God warns us also, in many ways....but often we also are stubborn and refuse to recognize the warnings. So what happens when everything just falls apart in our lives? What if the consequences are so great that we just lose hope? That is where the very last date and event in Kings comes to the foreground. God is in the business of bringing about restoration and hope. At the end of the book of Kings, we find a small message of forgiveness and hope still being available. Just as Manasseh repented and was returned home. So eventually did the people of Judah, they were returned home by a Great King of Persia, King Cyrus who ordered them to rebuild the Temple. Because God is merciful and compassionate.