What are you a slave to? Is it your job? Your addiction? Your emotions? Whatever you devote the majority of your life, your thoughts, your lack of sleep to; it holds you prisoner. You give and give and desperately seek some return that never seems to come. The harder you press in the tighter it squeezes you and sucks the very joy out of your life. What holds you in slavery may very well be something that was a beneficial part of your life in the beginning. I’m reminded of the House of Jacob going into Egypt to escape the famine in Canaan. Joseph’s father and brothers were given the best land in Egypt (Genesis 47:5-6) and even flourished there (Genesis 47:27).
Time passes by and circumstances change. Joseph and his brothers all pass away but leave many descendants in the land of Egypt who become slaves to Pharaoh. It goes so far as to have Pharaoh decide that every male child born of an Israelite woman be put to death so that the descendants of Jacob will not be powerful enough to rise up against him.
Seeing the misery of His people, God proclaims a promise over them (Exodus 3:17). He will take them out of Egypt, set them free from that which they have become slaves to, and take them to a new land flowing with milk and honey. We all know the story of Moses. Burning bush, plagues in Egypt, the Israelites allowed to leave by Pharaoh, Pharaoh changing his mind and pursuing the Israelites. God has promised to bring the Israelites out of Egypt and place them in a new and better land. God has miraculously fulfilled the first half of this promise and is leading them towards the second half. Yet the Children of Israel say “Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, `leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians`? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” (Exodus 14:12)
They were not looking forward to the other half of God’s promise. They were too focused on where they were and were more willing to go back into slavery than to trust in the promise they were given. They were unable to trust in what they could not yet see. Even still God intervened and parted the seas so that His children could pass into safety. They continued through the desert and every step of the way God provided for his children. When they needed water there was water (Exodus 15:25). When they needed Food God showered Manna and Quail down upon them (Exodus 16). God provided at every turn exactly what the Israelites needed.
Fast forward to Mount Sinai. Moses is up on the mountain receiving the tablets with the Law written on them. He is taking too long for their liking. So they make an idol in the shape of a calf and bow down to it and say “these are our gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt” (Exodus 32:4). After freedom was provided for them by God they turned from him and gave the glory elsewhere. God delivers us from our slavery, or provides for us in our times of need. How often do we then turn around and give praise to something else? To other men? To ourselves? We need to give God the glory for everything that He provides.
God presses on with His promise for Israel. He tells them to leave the mountain at Horeb an go possess the land that He has promised them (Deuteronomy 1:8). God says later “Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 1:21). They decided to send spies to go and check out the land that God had promised them. And they saw that the land God had promised them was good. They also saw that it was occupied already and they rebelled. They decided “the Lord hates us; so He brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us.” (Deuteronomy 1:27) How is it that when God has delivered us from slavery, brought us through the desert and delivered us to the doorstep of his promise that we can then say “No, this is going to be too hard, I don’t think I can do it. Thanks anyway but I will find something else” We are willing to wander in the wilderness because we don’t trust that God is going to do what He said He will do.
What are you a slave to? What has God promised for you? Are you willing to lay down that which God has told you to lay down and follow him wherever he takes you? Or will you turn back and pick up whatever you have already laid down because it seems easier to live in bondage and know you are in bondage than it is to take a journey with God and trust in him? God is with you in “Egypt”. He is with you in the “desert”. He wants you to trust that He is leading you to the “Promised land”. Remember Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Let God free you from whatever holds you in bondage, whatever holds you back. Trust in His plans for your life. When he tells you to stop then stop. When he tells you to go then go. He will never lead you wrong! Don't look back when it gets too hard or you aren't sure what to do next. Look to Him instead. He will show you the way no matter how daunting it looks.
Mike
