The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1917-08-01

on, Charter Oak.
Secretary-Treasurcr, Chas. X. Mey
.ers, Denison.
Elementary Superintendent, Mrs
Anna Williams. Denison.
Secondary superintendent, Frank
Wooston. Denison.
Adult and Home Superintendent
Mrs. E. w. Pierce, Denison.
Educational Superintendent, Miss
Monetta Jorgensen, Vail.
Supervision Superintendent, +. L.
Hoffman, DenisOn
August "Manasseh and Repen
tance"-Chron. SO, 1870.
: Again we have called to mind a sec
ton of the history of the Jews in the
days many hundred of years before
Christ was born. This time, it as to
King Manasseh who reigned over the
kingdom of Judah, and thus had his
capital at Jerusalem He was but
twelve years old when he became king
and kid-like he went in for SIP, and
high old time.
OF course. there was an awful temp
.tation to. do the things of the heather
people about. They had images to be
seen with the eye to worship: their
religion pandered to the sensual and
animal in the nature of the people,;
there were dances, drunkenness, great
eating feasts, much to appeal to the
low nature in man. Pretty near the
same today are the enticements OF
wrong doing. Young people get the
idea that all there is Of life is what
animal enjoyments they can get out
of it. Debauchery seems worse Of
course, when king or leader OF the
nation sets the bad example.
Manasseh went to the limit and his
people were not slow to follow. The
temple was desecrated walls of the
city taken down, heather nasty wOr
ship encouraged, until the record as
to the man said that the Jews were
worse than the heather which had
been wiped out to allow the Children
of Israel to inhabit the land But the
almighty God had His eye on this
condition of things and took hand
at making of the king an example for
even the people Of today to profit by.
The kings 10y ride came to an
end one day when his enemies came
uOWu anu TIC IouNu !llIl,VIi
bound in chains and carried off to
prison in Babylon. Often it was the
custom to put out the eyes of kings
made prisoners or kill them. but in
this case, life was spared. Now comes
the interesting part OF this lesson:
1t is told in the great story OF the
prOdigal son that when he arrived at
the place where lie was hungry and
was set to feeding hogs he came to
himself" and began to think of his
fathers house and what a fool gen
orally he had made of himself. Well,
King Manasseh came to himself in
prison and then bethOught himself as
to the why's and WherefOres which had
brought him there. Then he discov-
cred that the help of Jehovah, and the
God of his fathers would be pretty
handy to a man in his condition. The
record says, when he was in dis.
1ress he besought the Lord his God,
and humbled himself greatly before
the God of his fathers" He prayed
and entreated, and happily for him,
his words were needed. Menasseh re-
gained his throne, was brought again
to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Now
comes the powerful sentence in the
bible record:
Then Manasseh knew that Jehovah
was God"
One might we'll ask why it took
those years of wrong doing and res
cue from prison and chains to have
this truth soak into the mind of the
king. At the same time one answers
this question. let them tell why boys
and girls insist in our day in career
ing toward hell. blind to the fact
which stares at them from every
church steeple, comes from the mouths
Of parents, teachers. friends that there
is a God in the world who will not let
any guilty man or woman escape.
Perhaps one reason is that the afore-
said boys and girls don't believe that
God will ever bring them up with a
short turn, but He will. There is one
bible verse which it would be well for
such people to remember: BE not de-
ceived, God is not mOcked.'
The king was given another chance
in life and he had the good sense to
take advantage of it. Strange to say
there are people who are rescued,
their life spared from near death,
who arise from their sick beds and
defy God who gave them another
chance. Such situation is simply
terrible, incomprehensible. fearful. Yet
men who think themselves sane do
lust that very thing. They laugh and
declare they are not afraid, and start
out on another round Of defiance to
their creator the one who held their
breath in His hand. | have personal
knowledge of this thing. and so has
everyone vino has arrived at adult age.
NV heart goes out to such and | cry |
why? Why? Why" and there is no
answer. There is a promise that some
day we shall all understand. but for
the present there is no answer to why |
our choicest loved ones will not heed
Gods call.
Manasseh did his best to undo the |
wrong he had done. He removed the |
idols from the temple, built the walls, |
obeyed God and commanded the peo-
ple of Judah to do likewise. lie was |
a wise fellow. He did not close his |
ewes to the new light which came to !
him when he knew that the Lord He |
was Cod.
.ly ts,NNH ~