The policy of the Assyrians was to force small nation states under their control so that they could milk them of their wealth. Under Ahaz, Judah had been submissive to Assyria. But when Hezekiah dedicated the nation to God, he severed all these ties in the belief that he and his people should only ever be bound to God. When the Assyrians returned to punish Hezekiah, he gave way at first. This is not surprising because the Assyrians were a terrifying military force. Providentially for Hezekiah, however, Assyria was not able to respond for some time. This gave Hezekiah the time and resources he needed for his reforms that we have read about in Chronicles. In the time of Jesus many Jews felt that they needed to do what Hezekiah did and break the yoke of the Romans. But Jesus had come to upgrade their understanding. The political struggles of the past were just the outer manifestation of a spiritual struggle. Jesus was calling his people to be spiritually free. He taught them that they could attain this freedom even if they were slaves (and many early Christians were slaves). The ties that we must break are spiritual ties that inhibit our freedom to serve God. Take some time to reflect on what ties you must break to be able to serve God. Are you tied to personal ambitions, bad influences, lifestyle goals? Whatever it is you must remember to guard your freedom to serve God and him alone.
What ties do you need to break in your life to free yourself to serve God?
Read 2 Kings 18:1-16
