Freedom

I don't get to watch much television these days with my work schedule.  However, today I got a chance to catch about half of the Glenn Beck show.  I don't watch much, but I will miss it when it goes off the air.

Glenn had author Chris Stewart on the show talking about his book The Miracle of Freedom: Seven Tipping Points That Saved the World.  This book is now on my 'want to read' list.  On the show, Glenn and Chris talked about some of the topics from the book.  But one really stood out for me, and it became a dinner table discussion topic.  I don't think we really pay attention to history, and how significant just a few sentences in the Bible can really be.  No this is not a sermon, nor a "religious lecture" of any kind.  This is a historical discussion.

They were talking about a particular battle between the Assyrians and Judah (approximately 700 BC).  This is the battle talked about in the Bible, the book of 2 Kings, chapters 18 and 19.  Assyria sent 185,000 troops to Jerusalem, with orders to decimate the city.  King Sennacherib of Assyria was set to destroy Judah as he had Israel.  The prophet Isaiah had told Hezekiah (the sitting king of Judah) that the Lord said His city will not fall.  The Bible records in 2 Kings 19:35 that an Angel of the Lord came and slew the entire Assyrian camp by night, and Sennacherib retreated to Nineveh.  While this seems illogical and inconceivable, and this is greatly debated in archeological circles - Sennacherib's Prism (an Assyrian historical document/artifact) does support the defeat, or at least the lack of a victory.  That, and I am 100% sold out to the Bible's complete inerrancy.  So, it happened!

A few things that really have to be understood here:  First, Assyria was not just any random country.  They were a super-power.  Israel and Judah were two separate kingdoms, with separate kings.  The children of Israel, the nation of Israel if you will, were divided after the death of King Solomon.  Israel and Judah were the two resultant nations of that split.  Israel was geographically north of Judah (Judah being regarded as the southern kingdom), and sat between Assyria and Egypt.  Modern day geography would set these as Syria, Israel, and Egypt.  Understand Assyria did not have the same political borders as Syria has today.  It was much larger and included portions of modern day Turkey, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq. 

So this also was no ordinary "I'm going to pick a fight" type battle.  Assyria, the dominant military and political super power wanted more land and more power, and wanted to take out Egypt to get it.  Israel already fell to Assyria, and its people were carried back to Assyria as slaves.  Sennacherib was angered that Hezekiah would not bow to him, and join in rebellion against Egypt.  It cost too much to launch an assault on Egypt over water, and Judah was in the way for an overland assault.  Solution:  Take out Judah.

Big deal, right?  Come on Mike, what does this have to do with anything.  Chris Stewart's big point here is that if Judah had fallen, western civilization as we know it would not exist. 

Freedom is not a natural outgrowth of humanity.  Take a good hard look at the rest of history, and tell me where you see a people being set free without someone making them.  The fact is, there is no time in history, no place in this world, and no proof that mankind just gives up power and control.  Man is not inherently good, and is not evolving into a better creature.  If you think we are anywhere near a utopian society - take a good look at last night's news!

Assyria certainly wasn't a nice place to live, and there was no freedom for anyone.  Persia enslaved its conquering.  As did Greece, Rome, The Gaul’s, The Saxons.  India has a millennia’s old caste system from which the only escape is death.  China, Mongolia, Japan - all dynastic monarchies; no freedom.  African tribal governments, South American civilizations, all the same.  The concept of freedom came from one place:  the Cross of Jesus Christ.  But, how could the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, David's descendant, yes I mean Jesus, be such if Judah was destroyed?

I do not doubt that God would have found another way to bring his plan to pass, but if Judah had been destroyed in 700 BC, our history and the fate of our civilization would have been much different. 

Here is a real eye opener – at least it was for me.  Out of the estimated 106 billion people who have ever walked this earth (not my estimate, Google it) only about 5 billion have ever lived free for more than 50 years.  And 3 of those 5 billion are alive now.

I implore all of us, as parents, as Christians and as free people to understand our freedom is not some random environmental condition that just magically occurred in some evolutionary scheme.  Don’t give in to the new-aged ideas that say man is good.  The Biblical truth is we are all sinners, separated from our God, and inherently evil.  Study history.  Teach it to your kids because it is not taught in school.  Gather wisdom and understanding.  Know where freedom comes from so that we are never again enslaved by a lack of knowledge. 

As always, your thoughts and comments invited.