The Source of Freedom
“And God said to Moses, “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they dwelt as sojourners. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold in bondage and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment, and I will take you for my people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’” Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel; but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and their cruel bondage. And the Lord said to Moses, “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land” (Exodus 6:1-11).
Do you have any doubts who is fighting for you? We spent three days in the wallows of our sins but alas, God is on our side! As surely as he did for Israel he will do for you. Sent into the world as the “new” Moses, Jesus Christ has the power to break the chains of your bondage and set you free.
If you are still wrestling with this concept of freedom, rest easy as you are in good company. Even Moses missed the mark. He thought it was all about him, struggling to look past his own obstacles and shortcomings. “But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me; how then shall Pharaoh listen to me, who am a man of uncircumcised lips?” (Exodus 6:12).
The saga intensified as Moses continued to question God, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips; how then shall Pharaoh listen to me?” (Exodus 6:30).
Meanwhile, the Lord patiently and assertively affirmed who was in charge:
Exodus - Chapter 7:
• “See, I make you as God to Pharaoh…”
• “You shall speak all that I command you”
• “But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart”
• “I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt”
• “I will lay my hand upon Egypt and bring forth my hosts”
• “And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.”
• “I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the rod that is in my hand”
Eventually Moses got it. Seeing God’s initiative in action, Moses began to become more and more emboldened with trust. No longer afraid to confront Pharaoh, Moses boldly proclaimed, “Be it as you say, that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God” (Exodus 8:10). To put it bluntly, Moses was saying, “Whatever Mr. King, Mr. Big Shot, Mr. Pharaoh, say whatever you would like, I’m not scared of you anymore. Even you will come to know that there is no one like our God. The Lord desires to set us free and there is nothing you can say or do about it!”
Moses began to see that God was more powerful than the force currently oppressing his people. He believed it. He harnessed the power of God to set his people free. Yes, God could have done it alone, but he didn’t. In typical fashion, he used man to carry his salvific plan, but only after a personal call to act and respond. Moses, Aaron and the Israelites were not passive in this process.
Miracles, signs and wonders followed. An incredible adventure of deliverance took place that was passed down and echoed throughout the ages. With a mighty hand, God delivered them from the hands of the Egyptians. The Lord our God has come to his people and set them free.
For the first time in ages, freedom was at hand for the Israelites. But their journey was not over just yet; in fact, it was just getting started. Something big and vast stood between Egypt and the Promised Land that the people hadn’t bargained for.
© 2022 Paradisus Dei
