DAY SIX: Unchained Allegiance

When we study Manasseh’s life, we see a king whose allegiance was first established in pagan practice but then stunningly uprooted and secured in Yahweh. 

Studying the Process

Christians have varying levels of allegiance: 

1. Those who “believe in God all their lives.” 

2. Those who “give all their lives to God.” 

Which group do you think would die for their faith?

When the Truth of Who God is transcends the daily-ness of this world, God becomes more than a belief. He becomes our reality, and life with Him is more enduring than the world we see, taste, hear, smell, and touch.

How do we reach this life-guiding, experiential allegiance and enjoy the freedom it brings?

From Darkness to Light

Relationship is built on time and conversation. God spoke to His chosen people through what Christians call the Old Testament, through Jesus (the Living Word—John 1:1), and through letters and stories preserved by the early Church—what we call the New Testament today. 

Hezekiah would have prepared his bright son Manasseh by teaching him Yahweh’s holy commands. Despite Manasseh’s knowledge, however, his allegiance went to pagan gods, and his knowledge of God’s Words lay dormant for decades. But in a dark Babylonian prison, the Words of Life inscribed on his heart of stone made his heart alive.

• Are there Scriptures that are forever etched on your heart?
• What Scripture could you memorize today that might strengthen you forever?

From Manasseh to the Cross

In the years before Manasseh’s imprisonment, he had welcomed Assyria and worshiped their gods. When he returned to Judah, he immediately built a wall to protect Jerusalem from foreigners and their gods, declaring allegiance to none but Yahweh. 

It could have cost Manasseh his life, his throne, and his people’s lives, because it was declaring Judah’s independence—and their dependence on the one true God. We may be called someday to such boldness. For now, most of us are simply called to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ as Lord.

What is Jesus calling you to do today that requires unchained allegiance?