Bondage

Exodus 5:3-9
Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword."
But the king of Egypt said, "Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!" Then Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working."
That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and foremen in charge of the people: "You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don't reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ Make the work harder for the men so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies."

Bondage is not a pretty or fun place to live, is it? Whether it’s a physical bondage - to drugs, alcohol, food - or even a mental bondage, to a person, money, or whatever - bondage is bondage. Not only is it a terrible place to live, God has so much more for us, beyond our bondage.

The history of the Jewish nation’s captivity in Egypt is such a vivid picture of what it is like to live in bondage. And just as God worked to set them free, He also works in our lives to free us from any bondage we may be dealing with. In this passage, Moses and Aaron have gone to Pharaoh and asked that he let the Israelites go to worship God. Obviously Pharaoh says no, and then heaps even more work onto the Israelite nation. Not a pretty picture - downright discouraging!

Isn’t that just the way it is, though? When we really make up our minds and make a motion to be set free, and allow God to work that freedom in our lives, instead of the bondage losing its grip, it tightens it. Instead of life getting easier, it gets harder. It feels like one step forward and five steps back.

Discouraging, isn’t it? Here is where God asks so much of us. When we want to just sit back and tell God that we tried, but it didn’t work; when we want to blame Him for "not showing up"; when we want to just sit down, cry, and roll around in the misery that is our bondage, God asks us to step up, brush ourselves off, and go again. Look how long it took for Pharaoh to finally release his hold on the Israelites! Why should we assume it will be any easier in our situation? Of course, sometimes God is so gracious, and He just cuts the ropes right off, and we are free to fly. But most of the time, He asks us to work, and grow, and try and try again. He asks us to trust Him as He builds our character in the midst of our fight for freedom.

So, let’s not get discouraged when our fight is be set free is fraught with discouragement. Rejoice! It means that God is working in us and our lives, just as He worked in the lives of so many Israelites, so many thousands of years ago. We cannot give up! That would make our "pharaoh" so happy - to just bow under his oppression. We must keep at it, and eventually we will be set free - free to worship our God, just as He intended.