All over the world in synagogues this week, Torah scrolls were opened to the book of Exodus, and we began to read about Israel’s slavery, and the rise of Moses to leadership. As we begin to read the book of Exodus, we come to a statement that G-D made concerning His people, the children of Israel.
“Now behold, the cry of Bnei-Yisrael has come to Me. Moreover I have seen the oppression that the Egyptians have inflicted on them” (Ex. 3:9, TLV).
By the time G-D spoke these words, the children of Israel had gone from being honored guests of the Pharaoh of Egypt to being a perceived threat to the government. They once were free men who multiplied and prospered, but now had become slaves under cruel taskmasters.
This transition from prosperity to slavery took many years and, like a frog in a pot of water, the Israelites remained in Egypt as the temperature rose from a time where they were happy growing families to the time when the government was murdering their babies.
Before going on, we should stop to remember that the reason the children of Israel moved to Egypt was because of the great famine. However, that famine had been over for hundreds of years. Yet, Israel remained in Egypt instead of returning to the land of promise.
Even as things got worse and worse, the Israelites remained in Egypt. They made the choice to be satisfied in the slavery of Egypt until things got so bad that they finally cried out to G-D.
Reading these words should cause us to examine our hearts and survey our lives to see if we, like the children of Israel, have allowed the slavery of sin to either begin to control us or even allowed sin to enslave our lives completely.
As we search our hearts and minds, it may be easy to look at our lives and say, “I read my Bible,” “I go to worship every week” or even “I pray daily.” But, as we say those words, we must remember that even after they became slaves, the children of Israel were identifiably different from the Egyptians. Yet they still remained in Egypt and allowed themselves to become slaves.
Today, there are many believers who live lives that would outwardly identify themselves as believers in Yeshua. Not only do they appear to be believers in Yeshua outwardly, but they also attend worship services, pray, sing and read their Bibles. Some actively teach classes, lead worship and preach sermons, and yet they have allowed the Egypt of this world to slowly enslave them.
Like the Israelites of old, they attempt to serve the G-D of Israel while being slaves to Egypt. As we read the narrative of Israel’s redemption from Egypt, we can clearly see that Pharaoh was fine with the Israelites serving the G-D of Israel, as long as they remained slaves to Egypt, just as Satan is totally satisfied for people to pray to, worship and even teach and preach about the G-D of Israel, as long as they remain his servants or slaves.
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The enemy of our souls is absolutely fine with our attending worship as long as when we go home, we watch pornography. He is OK with us singing songs of praise as long as on the way home from worship, we listen to songs about infidelity, fornication and rape. He doesn’t mind our lifting our hands in worship as long as when we go home, we abusively lift them against our families. He has no problem with our teaching everyone to love G-D as long as after we leave, we continue to be racist and antisemitic.
As with the slavery of the children of Israel, our slavery to sin may start out seemingly mild and painless. However, also like the slavery of the children of Israel, it will increase in severity and pain until our slavery takes the lives of our children.
It is my hope that as we read through the book of Exodus this year, we will all also allow the Spirit of G-D to search our hearts and shine a light on any chains of sin that have us in bondage. It is my prayer that none of us will wait until our slavery takes the lives of our children before we cry out to our G-D for deliverance. Remember: the blood of our Lamb has already been shed, and our full redemption price has already been paid. We just need to get up and start our own personal exodus from Egypt. It is past time that the body of Messiah stopped trying to live for G-D while being slaves to sin, and we all cry out to G-D for our own personal and complete deliverance from our slavery.
It is past time for our exodus.
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Eric Tokajer is the author of Overcoming Fearlessness, What If Everything You Were Taught About the Ten Commandments Was Wrong?, With Me in Paradise, Transient Singularity, OY! How Did I Get Here?: Thirty-One Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Entering Ministry, #ManWisdom: With Eric Tokajer, Jesus Is to Christianity as Pasta Is to Italians and Galatians in Context. Visit his website at rabbierict.com.
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