The Power of the Prodigal

Children have a strange power over us, don’t they? A newborn hand gripping a new dad’s thumb can drive a hulking man to his knees in tears of thanks. A baby’s giggle can turn tears of grief into a hopeful smile.  

But a child’s rebellion can affect the whole family. How do I know? Well, we’ll save my personal story for future posts. Suffice it to say, prodigals wield a power to destroy, but when their hearts return to the Lord—as they often do—they bring with them an incredible joy and power to heal. 

Overlapping Projects 

As many of you know, though Of Fire and Lions (OFL) is my next release (coming March 2019), I’m already writing Isaiah’s Legacy (IL) that will release in 2020. IL is the sequel to Isaiah’s Daughter and continues Hephzibah’s story by delving into her son Manasseh’s life. 

So why am I talking about Manasseh when we’re gearing up for the OFL release? 

Remember, it was Yahweh’s judgment on Judah that brought King Nebuchadnezzar’s armies to destroy Jerusalem. And what roused His anger? 

“Then the Lord said to [Jeremiah the prophet]: ‘Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people…I will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.’” Jeremiah 15:1,4 (emphasis added) 

When I began researching Daniel’s life, I had no idea I’d find stains from Manasseh’s sin contaminating Judah one hundred years later. King Manasseh was the prodigal of all prodigals, and his fingerprints were all over Daniel’s story. 

Forgiveness vs. Consequences 

Since Scripture tells you Manasseh was taken prisoner by the Assyrians, humbled himself before Yahweh, and was returned to his throne in Jerusalem—I’m not ruining the ending of my book by telling you here. 

“And when [Manasseh] prayed to Him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so He brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.” 2 Chronicles 33:13 

Here’s a question for you: If God heard Manasseh’s prayer and restored him to Judah’s throne, why did God still punish Judah “because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem” (according to Jeremiah 15:4)? 

Let’s look at the example of a New Testament prodigal. It’s my hubby’s favorite part of Scripture, the parable of the prodigal in Luke 15:11-32. (You can click on the reference to read the whole passage.) Please read the story before continuing… 

Who Hurts More? 

The father welcomes his son with open arms (literally) and the prodigal’s wild living is erased. A thing of the past. Right? But some things have changed in the years the younger son has been gone. The father is older. That can’t be reversed. The money the son spent can’t be recovered. But the father chooses to focus on the future, on the things they can build on.  

The final verses tell us of the older brother’s reaction to his brother’s homecoming—a different attitude than his father’s. We see a glimpse of changes he’s endured while his brother was gone. 

“All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!” Luke 15:29-30 

The consequences of his little brother’s wild living fell heavily on the older brother’s shoulders. He’d borne the weight of obedience and “slaving” for years without enjoying friends or—it would seem—a close relationship with his father.  

The consequences of his brother’s sin made forgiveness difficult for the older brother, but had the consequences been less for his father? Wasn’t it the father’s wealth that declined? His reputation in the community that was damaged? The sin against the father seems greater, yet the older brother took greater offense. 

Back to Manasseh & Judah 

If Yahweh is the Father, Manasseh the younger brother, and Judah the older brother—we see Yahweh welcoming Manasseh into his unconditional forgiveness the moment he humbled himself in prison and repented. Manasseh returned home and made every attempt to repair the damage by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and tearing down pagan altars. 

“Then he restored the altar of the Lord and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. The people, however, continued to sacrifice at the high places, but only to the Lord their God.” 2 Chronicles 33:16-17 

The nation’s stubborn determination to sacrifice at the high places—rather than the Temple, where God’s Law required—was a consequence of Manasseh’s sins that led the nation back into rebellion as soon as his son Amon became king. Did God forgive Manasseh? Absolutely! But the consequences of sin flow in ripples that serve as individual choices for generations. 

Prodigal’s Positive Power 

How do we leverage the power of a prodigal’s return for the glory of God’s kingdom and the good of future generations? I wish Jesus would have given us a glimpse into what happened between the brothers after the feasting, don’t you? Perhaps He wanted to leave the decision up to us. Can we build on a future based on celebration and forgiveness, or will we be dragged down by bitterness and regret? The choice is the same for the prodigal and those who receive them—grace given and received. It’s a two-way street.  

Tweet-A-Licious! 

• The consequences of sin flow in ripples that serve as individual choices for future generations. 
• How do we leverage the power of a prodigal’s return for the glory of God’s kingdom and the good of future generations? 
• The choice is the same for the prodigal and those who receive them. Grace given and received. 

Today’s Question: 

• What’s something GOOD that’s come from a prodigal situation you’ve witnessed?