Because of the Sins of Manasseh

 It is hard to overstate the damage done by sin in our lives and in the lives of others around us. Our sins separate us from God. The wages for our sins is death in the fire of Hell forever. If we don't repent of our sins and turn to Jesus alone for our salvation that will happen to us. But that is not all. Our sins affect other people around us in a very damaging way, too.

God worked on the people of Judah to get them to turn to him, but they never did. Finally, the sins of one man doomed the entire country. (II Kings 24:3) It was the commandment of the Lord for Jerusalem and the temple to be destroyed and to remove the people from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all he had done. Yes, others contributed to the downfall, but God called out one man as the ultimate cause.

I wonder how much destruction our sins are bringing on our family, friends, and others around us? It is very sobering to think about this reality. I know that people are held accountable for their own sins, and we can't force anyone else to sin, but our sins can be the trigger that sets off God's punishment in their lives. Then, at the Judgment time we will be held accountable, just like Manasseh.

Another story in the Bible about this is the sin of Achan after the battle of Jericho when he stole some of the accursed items for himself and hid them in his tent. (Joshua 7) It was a totally secret sin, but God knew what he had done. When they attacked Ai, a small city, 36 of Israel's men were killed, and they suffered a terrible defeat. None of those men had sinned. It was all Achan's fault, but they still died. This is one reason why we must be careful to live a holy life and stay away from sin.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read I Chronicles 2-4.