* 7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
* 8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
* 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.
* 10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.
God called Moses and told him He wanted just one thing: for His people to be delivered from the bondage of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 18:15-19
Here there was a transition from Moses to Jesus Christ. Transition from the one that was, to the One that will be, transition from the one that was with a single nation to the One that is the Lamb, Saviour and Deliverer of the whole world. Moses was to set free, and deliver the Israelites out of Egypt while Jesus would come to deliver the entire human race from destruction, His coming would not be for just one individual or a select few. He would give freedom from sin, sickness and oppression.
A. DESCRIPTION OF BONDAGE AND OPPRESSION
You need to know what bondage and oppression is and what Jesus has delivered you from.
Exodus 1:11
* Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.
Here Pharaoh represents Satan, the devil, the adversary, the wicked one. Jesus calls him a thief who had come to steal, kill and destroy. Satan is in charge of all those who refuse to put themselves under the control of God.
It was not only Pharaoh that oppressed the Israelites but all the ones he appointed in position of taskmasters. In the same way has the devil set taskmasters, oppressors and people who afflict to oppress everyone in the world today who is not under the control of God (Deuteronomy 26:5-6)
Romans 7:14-20. Without sin, there will not be suffering. Sin attracts the devil to any life. Here, Apostle Paul recounted the life he lived before his conversion. Majority of the people in this world do not have ownership of their lives, whatever the devil prompts them, they do. Many people do not want to drink, commit adultery and fornication but the devil pushes them into such things. The bondage of sin brings sinners into other bondages.
II Peter 2:14-19. The bondage of sin brings people into the bondage of sickness, for example, one who fornicates may contracts HIV Aids yet, they continue in sin. Despite the fact that the way of sinners are hard, they continue in such. They refuse to repent and thus, continue suffering.
There is a point when sinfulness becomes madness. Despite hearing the words of warning, a sinner sees fire of hell ahead of him and continues and eventually ends in destruction. There were people who were born again before, but they still go into corruption. The children of Israel were delivered from bondage but shortly after, they started desiring the onion and cucumber of Egypt (vs 20-22). Same way some sinners today who seem to be born again still go back to the terrible lives of sin they used to live. You have been delivered from the yoke of drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, occultism and idol worshipping. You will never go back into them. Jesus will set all free.
John 8:32-35
* 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
* 33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
* 34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
* 35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
People who are used to lying will continue to lie until they become born again. Imagine the Pharisees saying in the presence of Jesus that they were never in bondage to anyone, how about the bondages of Pharaoh, Herod, Nebuchadnezzar, Sennacherib, Belteshazzer?
Some people idolize individuals till it becomes a sin unto them. The servant of sin, of satan abides not in the house forever, but the Son of God, our Lord and Saviour reigns forever and ever. True and lasting freedom comes from Him, only Him.
B. DELIVERANCE FROM BONDAGE AND OPPRESSION. Exodus 13:3
No one can be free from sin by himself. Sinners will keep going and coming out of sin because no one can save himself. The Lord Jesus Christ has come to deliver you from all forms of bondage.
Deuteronomy 8:7-14
* 7 For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
* 8 A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;
* 9 A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.
* 10 When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.
* 11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:
* 12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;
* 13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;
* 14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;
After the Israelites have been delivered from Egypt, the house of bondage, they were warned ahead to not forget the Lord, their God, that they should not be proud or puffed up. The Lord has great plans ahead for you, but you must ensure you do not forget Him when you are settled and blessed. After He has delivered you from the yoke of sin, may you no longer be entangled in it.
ch 13:1-5
* 1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
* 2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
* 3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
* 4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
* 5 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.
In case anyone comes to you, suggesting that you go after other gods, and forget your Saviour, and remove your focus from Christ and plead your loyalty and allegiance to other gods, you must not listen to him. In Bible days, such people were to be stoned to death, but today, you completely forget, ignore and count them as one who is dead. Jesus has given us freedom and you are supposed to appreciate and celebrate Him. You must make Him first in your life. You must never put anyone in the exalted position of your Saviour, Redeemer, Liberator, no one is qualified to occupy that position.
vs 6-10
* 6 If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;
* 7 Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth;
* 8 Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him:
* 9 But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.
* 10 And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
No one: not your sibling, spouse, or children must influence you to go against the will of God. Some people worship their spouses, they would rather abide with whatever decision they make concerning their worship of God. Some, it is their children, they would do anything to please them, to the point of disrespecting and dishonoring God in their family.
To some people, it is their religious leaders whom they idolize. Some hear the pure words of life, and some false prophets still deceive them out there, diluting or destroying all that they have heard. You must never listen to your friend’s suggestion to put God aside in your consideration, but to do away with such relationships immediately. Forget all those who want to compete with your Saviour.
Galatians 5:1
* Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Christ is the only one who has made us free. You are already out of bondage, do not allow anyone to put you back there.
C. DECISION TO BE FREE FROM BONDAGE AND OPPRESSION. Ezra 9:9; Isaiah 14:3,5
* 3 And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve;
* 5 The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers.
The Lord has set you free from sorrow and hard bondage, and you will be happy and enjoy your freedom (Job 36:8)
Joel 2:32
* And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Today is the day of deliverance, rise up and pray for yourself.
Written by Kemisola Omoyiola
