LFTW- You Don't Always Have To Be The Lesson

I personally prefer to learn from other people's mistakes. I wouldn't say I am overly averse to risk taking because in some instances I have blind faith. However, some instances don't require I tow the same path a relative, friend or even stranger took and expect a different result. It's a known fact that when you put your hand in fire, you can get burned. You could get pregnant when you have sex with someone you are not married to or have a host of other problems. So why nurse the probability that you might be an exception and perhaps miraculously, be exempted?

God has told us what we should do. We do not need to go outside of it before we know punishment awaits us.

This is the lesson I learnt from Manasseh in 2 Kings 33.

Manasseh's Example

Manasseh was the son of King Hezekiah. He was quite young when he became king (12 years old ). He didn't tow the path of his Father (I wonder why a lot of Israel's kings had this issue 🤔). He rebuilt altars for pagan gods, altars his father had torn down. He worshipped idols and hosts of heaven, practiced child sacrifice, used witchcraft and consulted mediums and spiritists. He even had the effrontery to put idols in the house of God! 😫🤦🏽‍♀️

Here is the thing, God spoke to him but he didn't listen (vs 10). Then God brought the Assyrian army to attack Jerusalem and he was taken away shamefully in chains.

So the Lord sent the commanders of the Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon.

Here's the interesting part, the bible says, "Now, when he was in affliction, he implored the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers." 🤣 Same God he didn't listen to when he was reprimanded! the same God he openly insulted! 😅 why do we do this to ourselves? and I say we because it still happens now. You may think oh, I'll never do that. Nah uuhh, we do much worse!

Anyway, God being the loving and forgiving Father that He is brought him back to Jerusalem, that's when he then KNEW that the Lord was indeed God. The ONE TRUE God.

After his near death humiliating experience, he took away the foreign gods and idols he had put in the house of God and threw them out of the city. He then began to worship Jehovah God.

Good story. I mean, he didn't have to go through that harrowing experience to learn since he had the benefit of history (previous kings) but still, i'm happy he learnt his lesson in the end and came back to God.

Now, WE can SEE the repercussion of turning from God, do we honestly need to have the same experience before we draw closer to God and serve him with all our heart? 🥵

I know we will still make mistakes (don't even kid yourself) we should just pray the mistakes we make do not take us far away from God.

What do you think about this story? Do you think stories like these can be avoided in our personal lives? I'd love to hear your comments.