II Chronicles: Amon

The brief reign of Amon is recorded in a mere handful of verses. His story is explained by relating it to his father Manasseh's story. The two verses that describe his life contain three connections or comparisons to his father.

The first statement is a comparison, stating that Amon "did evil in the sight of the LORD as Manasseh his father had done" (II Chronicles 33:22). While Manasseh dramatically turned to God in his later years, the sad truth of his evil reputation lingered. Manasseh's early years had been incredibly wicked, and those were the years that Amon chose to emulate, even though he had probably not been alive to see any of them.

The second statement reveals a consequence: "Amon sacrificed to all the carved images which his father Manasseh had made, and he served them" (33:22). Manasseh had tried to do the right thing after he turned to God. He had removed idols and destroyed altars, but apparently his work was not thorough. Whether Amon found those idols in a warehouse or a rubbish heap or some other place, he chose them as his objects of worship. He undid the spiritual reform that his father had initiated, and he re-established the false gods that his father had rejected. Manasseh's days of evil had a lingering effect that the reformed Manasseh would never have wanted to see.

The third statement is also a comparison. Amon "did not humble himself before the LORD as his father Manasseh had done" (33:23). God always offers the possibility of repentance, as had been powerfully illustrated in the life of Manasseh. Amon likewise could have turned to God. He could have humbled himself, but he chose not to. Amon did not give even a moderated show of repentance. Instead, he "multiplied guilt" (33:23). His stubborn rebellion and his insistence on walking away from God brought an abnormal increase in the level of guilt. Amon had grown up under a father who must have exuded the excitement of a changed life and who had enjoyed the spiritual refreshing that accompanied a humble, repentant heart. Amon had been given a golden opportunity to choose righteousness; he rejected that advantage and chose the way of evil instead. The passage suggests that in light of his potential, his blatant rejection yielded guilt that extended beyond the ordinary.

Amon's wickedness is not described in detail, but then he was king for only two years, so there weren't a lot of details to share. What is clear is that even his servants recognized the danger of his evil ways and were unwilling to endure a prolonged wicked reign. Amon's reign was apparently so unpleasant and was viewed so negatively, that after a very short time people realized his reign was going to be miserable and disastrous if allowed to continue. "Finally his servants conspired against him and put him to death in his own house" (33:24). The word "finally" is telling. Amon's reign hadn't lasted very long at all, but apparently it seemed like it. By the time two long years had passed, these servants had endured as much as they were able to endure. They had put up with this king's wicked ways long enough, and they assassinated him at the cost of their own lives.

The brief life of Amon illustrates that parents do have an influence on their children, but that ultimately each child must make his own decisions. Manasseh's life offered two possible models for imitation: the evil lifestyle of Manasseh's early years and the repentant lifestyle of his later years. While Amon did imitate his father, he made the wrong choice. He chose to imitate the wrong segment of his father's life, and did not follow that up by also imitating the right segment. Like his father, Amon could have turned God's anger away, but by his choices, Amon increased that anger instead.