Amon Turns Away From God

Manasseh had started out to turn Judah completely away from the Lord, worshipping the gods of all the people around them and using the temple for idolatry.  When God sent prophets to warn him and then caused the things they warned about, he changed and began to serve the Lord, eliminating all the idols and false worship he could.  He had reigned fifty five years, but had been unable to completely eradicate the worship in the high places once he started it.

His son Amon had been born after Manasseh turned to the Lord, and never saw the struggles when they were going against him.  Like Manasseh, he started his reign by returning to the worship of all the idols Manasseh had originally worshippe, as II Kings 21:19-22 describes.  “Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh did.  And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them:  And he forsook the LORD God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of the LORD.”

When Manasseh saw the consequences of his sin, he had changed his course and followed the Lord.  Amon did all the same things against God, ignoring the warnings and example of turning to God, as II Chronicles 33:22-23 tells us.  “But he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as did Manasseh his father: for Amon sacrificed unto all the carved images which Manasseh his father had made, and served them; And humbled not himself before the LORD, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more.”

After two years of doing things his own way, his personal servants had had enough and murdered him, according to II Kings 21:23.  “And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and slew the king in his own house.” It was not a widespread conspiracy, and the people promptly executed the conspirators, as II Kings 21:24 tells us, making his Josiah king.  “And the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.”

While the people did not approve of his murder, they did not consider Amon as one of the great kings of Judah.  Like his father, Amon was buried in the garden of Uzzah, rather then in the sepulchers of the great kings of the past, as II Kings 21:25-26 tells us.  Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?  And he was buried in his sepulchre in the garden of Uzza: and Josiah his son reigned in his stead.” 

When people deliberately turn away from him, God is not obligated to give them numerous chances to return.  Amon had Manasseh’s example, and when he ignored it, God only gave him a short time to repent and make changes.