Attentive

2 Chronicles 33:10

The LORD spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention.

Not to be unkind but there is a significant difference between ignorant and stupid. This is a case of the latter. Ignorance is to simply not know but stupid is to know and not act accordingly. Ignorant is only wrong when someone chooses to not learn what is available to them but stupid knows the truth and decides to act apart from what is known.

The Israelites had lived under kings for three-and-a-half centuries with the Lᴏʀᴅ providing direction through not only the Torah, early books of the Old Testament but also the ever-present priests and prophets. In the account immediately before today’s verse we see that following the reign of his godly father, Hezekiah, Manasseh departed from the ways of God and lead the nation in sinning greatly. During his reign, Isaiah, Habakkuk, Nahum and Zephaniah all prophesied to the Israelites “but they paid no attention.”

“Therefore the LORD brought upon them the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh with hooks and bound him with chains of bronze and brought him to Babylon. 12 And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 13 He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.”  1 

So, the Israelites paid no attention to God and then came to a day of reckoning—captive to the consequences of not heeding God. When life of being inattentive to God proved too distressing, then Manasseh entreated the Lᴏʀᴅ’s favor, humbled himself, prayed and was heard.

How chaotic does life need to become before we pay attention to what God is saying to us? Fortunately, Manasseh knew about the Lᴏʀᴅ and was able to repent and return which was the only cure for stupid. 

Let us use what God has revealed, be attentive to Him and not need to remedy stupid. Even in the little things of today.

FOOTNOTES:
1 2 Chronicles 33:11-13 (ESV) –  https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/2ch/33/11-13/s_400011

 

2 Chronicles 33:10 (ESV) - https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/2ch/33/10/s_400010
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