After four hundred years of slavery in Egypt and a profound display of the power of God, Moses had finally secured their release. It took ten dramatic plagues, including blood and death before Pharoah finally gave in. Like all other suspense thrillers, Pharoah changed his mind and sent his army in pursuit of the fleeing Hebrews, but God gave the Israelites passage through the Red Sea, and then closed the sea around the Egyptian army, completely destroying them.
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
“I will sing to the Lord,
Exodus 15:1-4 –
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
he has hurled into the sea.
“The Lord is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
The Lord is a warrior;
the Lord is his name.
Pharaoh’s chariots and his army
he has hurled into the sea.
The best of Pharaoh’s officers
are drowned in the Red Sea.
Can you imagine, you have finally been set free and then out of nowhere, you have this huge army with weapons and moving at lightning speed on your tail? You may feel that death is not a price you are willing to pay for your freedom. I think many of these men and women wanted to turn back, surrender and allow these men to take them back to a life of slavery.
In ancient Egypt slavery focused mainly on male slaves used as soldiers and female slaves used for sexual slavery as concubines, and female slaves used for domestic service in harems.
Men and women would go back to that because that had become normal to them, that had become life. Even when Moses who was sent by God to negotiate the freedom of God’s people, they considered turning back, still they could not escape the slavery mindset, the mindset that lives can change. That God had called them to freedom because He loved them and planned a life for them far better than they could ever imagine.
To the choirmaster A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie! You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.
Psalm 40:1-17 –
Like Moses and the Israelites, David knew that waiting upon the Lord with an upright heart will always bring results. He will find you and He will restore you.
If we could be brave we can find the freedom Moses and the Israelites were singing about. We can find our strength to walk through a raging ocean and walk the desert because we will be set free not only for our families but for ourselves, to find the Father who loves us who came to save us and who wants to hide us inside His glory and protection.
We are brave and because we are brave anything is possible.
When our mindset changes we will do the unthinkable, dance in the rain, speak up to an audience, go to the make-up tutorial or find the woman lost in her slavery.
