Knowing God - 1 Chronicles 33:16

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He also restored the altar of the Lord and 
offered on it sacrifices of well-being and of thanksgiving;

and he commanded Judah to serve the Lord the God of Israel.

2 Chronicles 33:16

Most of the kings of Judah and Israel were not so good. Manasseh, in fact, "33:2 did what was evil in the sight of the Lord."

So ... after "10 they ignored all God's warnings" -- "the Lord ... 11 sent the commanders of the Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon.

"12 But ... Manasseh ... sincerely humbled himself before God ... 13 And when he prayed, the Lord ... was moved by his request [and] brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem." Now here's the best line:

13 Then Manasseh finally realized that the Lord alone is God!

What has it ever taken for you to be humbled and rebuild the altar in your home, your life, your heart?

In Christ's Love,

a guy who doesn't ever

want a ring in his nose

(I'd rather humble myself)

--------------------------------- 

The rings through the nose aren't always visible and the chains aren't always made of bronze, but we have all been a prisoner of some sort at some time in our lives.  I haven't read the rest of the story, but I wonder how long after he was imprisoned and realized that the Lord alone was God was Manasseh freed from his chains?