Grace Doesn’t Always Follow Family Lines

What Three Kings Taught Me About Grace, Guilt, and God’s Mercy

I don’t really know where to begin with this post. I’m feeling undone by the truths I’m reading. I’ve been in the book of Isaiah and cross referencing 2 Kings & 2 Chronicles to understand the state of Israel and Judah during the time of Isaiah’s prophecies.

It all started with King Hezekiah in Isaiah 34-39.

He was a righteous king, and the one who trusted in Yahweh when the Assyrians tried to attack Judah. It says the Angel of the Lord went and killed 185,000 men in one night because of Hezekiah’s trust.

Hezekiah also tore down pagan idols, restored the temple worship, and prayed to God to extend his life (which God granted).

When I read all this, I thought it might be a good idea to study this king.

While not as popular or well known as King David or King Solomon, the scriptures say ….

"He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him."
— 2 Kings 18:5

However in studying him, it got me thinking: Why did Hezekiah have to restore temple worship? Didn’t he come AFTER King David & Solomon (who built the first temple).

Turns out, King Ahaz - his father - was an evil king and had shut it down.

Ahaz engaged in child sacrifice, and burned one of his sons as a sacrifice to a pagan god. He made a deal with Assyria to keep the Kingdom safe (instead of trusting Yahweh as Isaiah said) when Israel and Syria were attacking.

How is it that Hezekiah, a righteous king, came from such a terrible father? I didn’t know how to answer this.

And my confusion only deepened when I realized that Hezekiah’s son - King Manasseh - was even MORE evil than Ahaz.

• King Ahaz - Evil

• King Hezekiah - Righteous

• King Manasseh - Evil

King Manasseh also engaged in child sacrifice- along with sorcery, idol worship, and even placing pagan altars inside the temple- and he upended all the work his father had done.

As if this story isn’t incredulous enough, Manasseh gets exiled to Babylon later on, has a moment of awakening, repents, and God hears him and forgives him.

I mean… what?

See how I said I don’t know where to start with all this?

The first big aha moment for me was the realization that even a righteous king can have a son that might do incredible evil. And in just the same way… evil King Ahaz had a son who was righteous.

This truth flies in the face of many popular Christian tropes around favor and blessing among generations of families (I’ll explain).

We often hear, “If you raise them right, they’ll walk with God,” or “Your children’s faith is a reflection of your own.” But the story of Hezekiah (righteous son of an evil father) and Manasseh (evil son of a righteous king) interrupts that neat formula.

Hezekiah's story shows us that a fractured home doesn't disqualify someone from being used by God. Manasseh's story reminds us that faithful parenting doesn't guarantee faithful children.

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It’s humbling.

It’s also strangely freeing.

This doesn’t remove responsibility. But it does remove pressure. Your legacy matters- but you are not sovereign. God is.

There were several points over the last decade where I felt crippled with fear that my sin was playing out in some of the poor choices of my children as they went through the teenage years. I took on every misstep they made, and attributed it to my sinfulness.

This fear only came to life more when I heard it echoed audibly from people around me who thought I had somehow let demons into my home and they were now plaguing my kids.

It buried me in shame.

Yes my sin mattered, it always does. Thank goodness for God’s mercy.

But over time, I began to see that while my sin may have shaped parts of their story, it didn’t have the power to define it. God is sovereign.

Phew.

The second big aha moment for me happened at King Manasseh’s moment of repentance. Some Jewish rabbis even point out he didn’t repent until he was in chains, suggesting that his repentance was more regret than anything else.

Nonetheless, God grants forgiveness.

Who can understand this level of mercy?

Certainly no human.

It’s important to note that God didn’t erase the consequences of Manasseh’s actions. There was still a price to pay in real life (and of course we can’t leave out God’s mercy was ultimately and fully paid for by Jesus sacrifice), but think about this for a moment.

Manasseh committed child sacrifice. And God forgave him when he turned his heart to God.

This is unbelievable.

This is Old Testament Yahweh.

We love to put God in a box. Yahweh in Torah & Tanakh is holy, just, and full of wrath against sin. Jesus is love and grace and mercy. Together they balance each other out.

ABSOLUTELY NO.

Yahweh, Jesus, Holy Spirit. They are ALL fully holy, just, sovereign, and dripping with breathtaking mercy & grace. We can’t collapse them.

“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity… because he delights in steadfast love.”
– Micah 7:18

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets… I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
– Matthew 5:17

It’s scary, isn’t it?

When there’s no formula- no guaranteed favor for “doing everything right,” no guaranteed ruin for doing it wrong.

But there is one thread that runs through every page of Scripture:

A heart that turns toward God in humility and repentance… He does not turn away.

That’s what makes pride so terrifying. It shuts the door that mercy is always willing to enter.

You, your children, and your children’s children are never outside the reach of His grace. Not if the heart turns.

The story of Hezekiah, Ahaz, and Manasseh is the gospel before the cross ever appeared.