Manasseh became king when he was only 12 years old. Could you imagine trying to be responsible for a nation when you were only in middle school? Those are horrible pre-teen hormonal changing years to be endured in the spotlight of the nation. That also means that he was born in the 15 year window that God gave to his father after he almost died of a strange illness. It is almost like he was born just to be the next king.
Manasseh reigned for 55 years. He had a long run, but he turned from God. We don't know why, but maybe because his father died when he was so young, maybe because he knew how his father had messed up just in his lifetime, or maybe he resented loosing his childhood. We will never know what made him so angry within.
Manasseh mutilated God's temple, sacrificed his own son to fire, practiced witchcraft, and consulted with spirits. Those were just a few of his public sins that angered God. The worst one though was leading the people away from God and that brought disaster to Jerusalem. He angered God unlike any king before him.
When Manasseh died, his son Amon became king. Amon was 22 when he became king. He was still young, but at least a man that understood how the world worked. He only reigned two years doing evil by God's standards and abandoning God. His servants assassinated him, but the common people killed them.
When Amon died, his son Josiah became the next king. It was now up to another child to change the direction of a nation.
2 Kings 21
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