Slavery

Exodus 6:6-8, "I am the LORD, and I will free you from your slavery. I will redeem you with mighty power and great acts of judgement. I will make you My own special people, and I will be your God. And you will know that I am the LORD your God who has rescued you from your slavery... I am the LORD!"

The entire book of Exodus is dedicated to people who were slaves, and the God who was rescuing them. If you have ever been a slave to anything, then you can understand these people. As I read through this book I was able to see many different aspects of God and the people that He chose.

Our first glimpse of God is His desire for everyone to know Him. (9:16), "But I have let you live for this reason- that you might see my power and that My fame might spread throughout the earth." By the end of the plagues all believed in Him. They all believed, but in the end the choice was theirs to make; They could either make Him their God, or not, but they knew the choice they were making. He proved that He was LORD, and He let them all decide. Throughout the first 14 books, God would harden Pariah's heart so that all could see His mighty power. Once you have seen with your own eyes what God can do, it is much harder to keep denying His power. But in the end, Pharaoh changed his own mind and ran after God's people. This was God's final great act in front of all Egypt. (14:18), "When I am finished with Pharaoh and his army, all Egypt will know that I am the LORD." (14:31), "When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the LORD had displayed against the Egyptians, they feared the LORD and put their faith in Him and His servant Moses."

God was known to all of the people. They were slaves and now they were free, but freedom is very hard to a slave. How easily we turn on those we swear to follow. Their hearts were hard and full of bitter. They now knew that they were truly free, yet they were very untrusting (15:22-27). God decided to test the people and see if they would follow Him, without complaint. Time after time they refused to place their trust in Him. Instead of turning to Him, in their time of desperation, they turned against Him. (16), "I will test them in this to see whether they will follow my instructions... He has heard your complaints, which are against the LORD and not against us... He has heard all you complaints against Him. Yes, your complaints are against the LORD, not against us." (17), "'The place of testing' - 'The place of arguing' - because the people of Israel argued with Mosses and tested the LORD by saying, 'Is the LORD going to take care of us or not?'"

Finally, after so much time and trials had passed, it seemed the LORD had finally gotten through to them. They seemed to be finally strong enough in their faith for Moses to leave them so that God could talk with him. At first they seemed to be strong and excited, but it did not take long for their old ways to come back in full force. They turned against God, (32:1). It seems that so often when we are first relieved of our slavery, God is very visible in our lives. Then it seems He will leave you alone for, really, just a short time. It seems He is testing you to see if you will really stay with Him, even if He is quiet for a time. In His unfailing love and forgiveness, He chose to forgive the people for their unfaithfulness. Finally His law was given and at the same time He gave them a job, so that they could feel needed. His law was actually an act of mercy, because when you have been a slave you need the comfort of knowing your boundaries. The tasks that He allowed them to undertake was also an act of mercy. They needed to see their good works and have a place to go in order to feel His presence.

Many times people see the book of Exodus as a hard book to understand because of all of the unfaithfulness of the people and the laws of God. But I can relate to the people and I can see God's undying mercy in His laws. I was once a slave to this world and I knew not how to accept love. After God released me from my slavery, I felt like I was wandering in a dry land that was consuming me every day. Then, for a time I worked for Him. I needed to feel His rules and His commandments, before I could accept His love. He allowed me to hear all of His statutes, in order for me to see my boundaries. I needed boundaries to follow, in order to start walking on the right path. Then, after I had learned more about Him, I was allowed to experience His love. He showed me Christ and how I was saved by Him and not by my works. He gave me a job to do, but it was out of my love for Him, that I work for Him. (40:33-34), "So at last Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glorious presence of the LORD filled it." At last I was able to feel Him and allow Him to live peacefully in me. He has made His home in my heart. I work for Him, because He loves me. I work for Him, because I love Him. He saved me, while I was still a slave to sin. He saved me, because I accepted Him as my LORD. How thankful I am that I serve such a wonderful God.