The Raymer enterprise., 1911-07-06
Mana..eh'. Wickedne..
and .Penitence
s..ly ssl..l L..... f~ J.y IL. 1911
Specially Arranged sor This P.psr

So06QU AIT8d&0o IoS In1 t1p0
LESSON TExT-II Chronicles u:l-2o.
MEMORY vERsES-n. u.
GOLDEN TExT-"Cease to do svfl;
learn to do well"-Isa. l:1e-17.
TIME-Aanasseb reigned IS Year,. from
B. C. eN-St0 He began In tbs zaoth year
Of the kingdom Of Judah.
PLACE-Judah and Jerusalem its capi-
tai Nanasseh was carried captive to
Babylon for . time.
The Kingdom Of Israel had been de-
stroyed quarter Of century before
Manasseh began TO reign.
The teacher Of boys or girls may b.
gin BY asking what q lighthouse is for.
or foshorn. or bell buoy In the har.
Dor. ID 1t to tell the sailors where to
60! No. 1t IL to tell them where not
to go. Why are stories Of bad men
told in the Bible. such as the one in
this lesson! They arc q warning.
They are pictures Of . character that
repels us. that urges ~ not to enter
any path that leads to that end.
During the long reign Of Manasseh
jerusalem was At peace while the
neighboring lands were harried BY A.
syrian armies. 70 that Jerusalem had
large share Of the trade Of Palestine.
The king and his subjects benefited
in many ways from the immense in
crease Of traf1c caused BY the inclu-
sion Of Egypt and western Asia under
one empire. The political rank Of
Jerusalem secured to her the chief
markets Of the internal commerce Of
judah. az well as the gifts which It
was customary for foreign traders to
leave with the lords Of the territories
they visited; and thus in spite Of the
disadvantages Of its site. the city
must have become . considerable en-
porium.
Manasseh was the son and heir Of
Hezekiah, q great, and, on the whole,
good king. His mothers name was
Hepzlbah. the delight Of her husband.
He was only twelve years old when he
began to reign in form. But In Judah
q king was not supposed to be Of age
until he was eighteen. For six years
Manasseh must have been to a great
extent under the influence Of his re-
gents and counselors. He was the Six.
teenth king Of Judah. He reigned
fifty and five years. The longest reign
in the history Of Judah and Israel.
And he did that which was evil in the
sight OF the Lord. Manasseh was
king Of the Lords people, and his
business was to carry out Gods plan
Of peculiar people who should teach
the nations righteousness, and the
true way Of living.
He was mere boy, unable at first
to assert himself as a ruler. He doubt
less was waited on, petted, fattered.
courted, treated as a superior being.
whose will should never be checked.
nor fancy thwarted; with no regular
business. no hard tasks. What Manas-
sch did was popular and fashionable:
following the ways Of the greatest,
most cultured. most influential nation
in the world, then the master Of Judah.
The people were doing business with
the Assyrians. Trade demanded con-
formity. Society was dominated by
Assyrian influences. Moreover, many
doubtless used the same argument
Rabshakeh used to Hezekiah that the
prosperity under heather gods. and
their conquering power proved that
these gods were mightier than Jeho-
yah the God Of the little Province Of
Judah.
Mannasseh degraded true religion
that was meant for the comfort and
elevation Of man. by leading his peo-
pie away from the one true God, the
only source Of help, into all manner Of
useless. irrational. degrading enchant.
ments by which the people sought for
guidance and help. Thus these prac.
tices were treason and disloyalty.
The Lord spake to Manasseh, by
means Of tho prophets. Of whom Ma.
hum may have been one; by means
of his conscience. by the ex.
ample Of his father, by means Of his
conscience. by the written word. by
providence. 1t is not known Just when
Manasseh was made to pay the pen.
atty OF his sins. but 1t must have been
after many years Of idolatry.
Wherefore the Lord brought upon
them the captains Of the host Of the
king Of Assyria and Manasseh was
made captive. The records Of Assur.
banipal record q review Of the %
kings Of whom Manasseh was one ap-
parently at Nineveh. Which took
Manasseh among the thorns. I'm
chains" margin. with hooks" "As-
syrian kings sometimes thrust hook
into the nostrils Of their captives. and
so led them about.
He had been sailing down tho
Niagara rapids carelessly, and now he
feels the tossing Of the waves. the
current swiftly flowing by the rocks.
he sees spray over the cataract. and
hears its roar. whyi In order that
he may stop ere 1t 10 too late. The
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