Born To Set Thy People Free Day 5

BY Jamika Munn

It’s recorded that Harriet Tubman loved the Old Testament. She learned Bible stories from her mother and loved hearing about how God delivered Israel from slavery. Hearing these stories read to her and understanding their purpose and God’s power, Harriet was filled with hope for freedom. Unsurprisingly, she later earned the nickname “Black Moses” and similarly believed God chose her to set her people free.

The journey to freedom was not absent of trial and tribulations. Yet no matter how dark the road or how long it would take, Harriet remained hopeful that freedom was on the other side. This courageous faith echoes the heart of the African American Spiritual “O Freedom.”  

 O freedom, O freedom, O freedom over me.
And before I’d be a slave
I’ll be buried in my grave, and go home to my Lord and be free. 

For Israel, after 400 years of slavery in Egypt, God looked upon them with much compassion and employed Moses to lead them out. God had always planned to bring Israel to the promised land, a land free from the yoke of the Egyptians. Due to their suffering, the Israelites often doubted that God had a better plan. Their experiences made it challenging to believe in God’s love and care for them. These doubts made them believe it was better to remain enslaved despite their suffering. Yet God intervened and promised that he would set the people free with Moses leading them. (Exodus 3:7–17, 6:2–11)

We’re familiar with the cruelty of slavery in the Bible and in history. Although we have not experienced the physical horrors the Israelites experienced under the oppression of Egypt or those of Black and Brown people in American slavery, let’s consider the bondage we have all known in our lives. Spiritual bondage. We are enslaved to our sin. How often have we tried to stop doing that one thing? Everything you’ve tried has proven to make matters worse. You ask, “When will I be free from this?”

Where Black Moses was born to help abolish American slavery, the book of Exodus describes Moses as born to deliver the Israelites from the captivity of the Egyptians. The greater Moses, Jesus, was born to set His people free from the bondage of sin and death (Hebrews 3:1–6). God often uses people to accomplish His plan. Jesus is God and human, and He came to bridge the gap between God and fallen humanity. Once slaves to sin, now free, we experience the ability to say ‘no’ to that old way of life (Galatians 5:1). Temptation will entice us to go back, but stand firm, and remember that God has set us free! The fight will be hard, and some days may seem like it’s never-ending. Let’s remember His covenantal love for us. He is faithful. “So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free” (John 8:36).