The
exodus from Egypt was a pivotal event in Israel’s history. The
prophets and psalmists refer to it often. For the people of Israel it
brought an end to over 400 years of slavery.
It’s
surprising, then, that the Pharisees said to Jesus, “We are
Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can
you say that we shall be set free?” (John 8:33). They prided
themselves on their ancestry, and to them slavery was just something
in their people’s distant past. In Jesus’ teaching, Israel’s
slavery in Egypt was a symbol of slavery to sin, a problem for every
person in all times.
Even
the Israelites in Micah’s day felt that God somehow cramped their
style. The Lord asked them, “My people, what have I done to you?
How have I burdened you? Answer me. I brought you up out of Egypt and
redeemed you from the land of slavery.”
Many
people today, when offered the gift of freedom from sin and release
from death to life, prefer the “freedom” to engage in any kind of
behavior they desire. Even while dragging chains of sin, some think
they can save the world. But, as Jesus said to the Pharisees, unless
we believe in him we will die in our sins (John 8:24). Only in Christ
can we be set free from slavery to sin and death.
How
about you? Are you a slave to your sins and addictions, or have you
been set free through faith in Jesus Christ?