Getting Free

Imagine a whole nation in slavery. What a terrible situation! Now…imagine that they need to be persuaded to escape.

Their rescue is guaranteed by a God who won’t let them down. But still, they waver. There’s a big part of them that doesn’t want freedom. They know their place in Egypt, and there’s comfort in their chains.

God says, “Come with me! I’ll set you free!” But they shrink back. Too dangerous.  Too risky.

So how does the Lord persuade them to step into the unknown?..

“You can do it!”

“Don’t make me angry…”

“Let’s break it down into achievable goals…”?

No.

He gives them a bigger view of himself.  Three declarations:

“I am the LORD your God”.

“I am the LORD your God”.

“I am the LORD your God”.

And sandwiched between these words; seven promises. Promises for those of us who are tempted to prefer our old slaveries. Promises for people like me, who want to shrink back….

I am the LORD,

1. I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

2. I will free you from being slaves to them, and

3. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.

4. I will take you as my own people, and

5. I will be your God.

Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

6. I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.

7. I will give it to you as a possession.

I am the LORD.

Powerful words for a petrified people. And here’s what they teach us;

1. First, who it is that brings us out (or ‘leads‘ us). When we feel like nothing is stronger than our fears or habits or self-doubts, we remember this –  it’s not our power that frees us, it’s the LORD.

2. We are brought face-to-face with our chains — we really are ‘slaves’ to the old ways. But the LORD will free us (literally, ‘snatch’ us) from these powers.

3. We are ransomed / redeemed — that is, freed at a great cost. It took the outstretched arms of the LORD to save us. He has committed Himself to saving us.

4. We’re not rescued and then abandoned. We not snatched from one cruel master to be enslaved to another. We belong to the LORD who takes us as as His people.

5. We have God as our very own. Because He possesses us, freedom isn’t fluffy or abstract.  We are in Him and He is in us.

6. We are ‘carried‘, (literally), to our promised hope. There’s no point in trying to be strong enough pilgrims, (we’re not). The good news is, we are being gathered by an almighty Redeemer.  Yes it’s hard being carried through a wilderness, but we are carried through it.

7. We are given this promised future forever. Like the Egyptians we may have been worn down by years of despair and drudgery… but in the Lord’s promise we can finally hope. And this hope will never be snatched away.

In Jesus, we are already redeemed…but this doesn’t mean things are easy. Right now, we’re in a wilderness…yet we’re being brought through, to a new land, a new hope, a new way of being. In the midst of it all, our greatest treasure is this: to know the LORD our Saviour. The LORD who leads, frees, redeems, takes, possesses, carries and gives.

‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted handto give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.’ (Exodus 6:6-8)

 

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