2 Kings 21:10

THE PROPHETIC ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DOOM OF JUDAH

"And Jehovah spake to his servants the prophets, saying, Because Manasseh hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, that were before him, and made Judah also to sin with his idols; therefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Behold, I bring such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab; and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. And I will cast off the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; because they have done that which is evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day."

"Jehovah spake by his servants the prophets" (2 Kings 21:10). "Probably Isaiah was one of these."[9] Keil included Habakkuk among them,[10] and Adam Clarke added Hosea, Joel, and Nahum.[11] Zephaniah may also have been among the number.

Manasseh's abominations listed in this chapter are by no means a complete record. Of course, throughout his reign, Judah was dominated by Assyria. "The inscriptions of Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal record his tribute to Assyria."[12] This indicates that at least some of the sinful innovations introduced by Manasseh were probably the result of suggestions or orders from his Assyrian overlords. However, Manasseh went far beyond that, sending messengers to distant lands to discover other pagan gods and idols which were then brought to Jerusalem and worshipped there.

"Whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle" (2 Kings 21:12). The meaning here is, "That like a sharp discordant note that pains one's ears, so the news of the harsh punishment to be meted out to Judah will give pain to all who hear it."[13] As Keil expressed it, "It denotes such a judgment as had never been heard of before, exciting alarm and horror."[14]

The true proclaimers of God's Word, as were the prophets of old, and as ministers of the gospel today should be, are faithful to deliver unwelcome truth to their hearers. The message of God to all mankind is to countless sons of Adam a message of torment and not of comfort. It is said of such witnesses to the truth that, "They tormented them that dwell on the earth" (Revelation 11:10). Alas, in our day, that element of faithful preaching is sadly lacking. "The sermons of some ministers would never cause the ears of anyone to tingle."[15] But if preachers of God's Word do not sound the alarm against the wickedness of mankind, who will?

"The line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab" (2 Kings 21:13). "This denotes the measure (the extent) of the destruction of Samaria, and the extermination of the royal house of Ahab."[16] Thus, just as Samaria was taken and her people deported, so will it happen to Jerusalem; and just as the royal house of Ahab was exterminated, the same will happen to the ruler of Jerusalem. Of course, all this happened exactly according to the prophecy. Zedekiah, the last ruling monarch of Jerusalem, was captured and compelled to witness the slaughter of all his sons!

"I will cast off the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies" (2 Kings 21:14). Here is the prophecy of the fall of Jerusalem and the deportation of its people to Babylon. Not merely one prophet, but all of God's prophets reiterated and emphasized this message over and over again for God's people, but it did not, in any sense, make any difference with the people.

In our own generation, we see the same thing. The Christ has warned that, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3), but sinful people dash wildly ahead, heedless of their fate.