“I think slavery is the next thing to hell.” – Harriet Tubman, 1856
Harriet Tubman was a conductor for the Underground Railroad. She knew the difficulties of escaping slavery; thus, she was likened to Moses. Egypt had enslaved Israel, and during their Exodus, Moses and the Israelites overcame many difficulties. The struggles they faced while escaping Egyptian slavery are notably similar to the struggles Christians face while escaping slavery to sin (John 8:34).
Though Pharaoh never stood a chance at retaining the Israelites, he clung to them tenaciously. Moses recalled the Exodus this way: “Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go” (Exod. 13:15). Similarly, sin tries to cling to you, even after you come to Christ (Prov. 5:22; Heb. 12:1). We underestimate sin if we think of it as a disheartened opponent who sees the writing on the wall. Christ died, was raised, and conquered sin; so, is sin defeated? Yes. Does it hang its head in defeat and ease off us? No. It is not discouraged because you converted, nor is it deterred because you are repenting— it keeps coming. The verse referenced earlier, which speaks of sin “clinging closely,” was addressed to baptized, bornagain, devoted Christians, yet sin had not abandoned their souls. If you want to break free from sin, put up a good fight, because, like Pharaoh, sin is reluctant to let go.
Oddly, one of the greatest struggles the Israelites faced in their liberation was simply remembering that God freed them. The Israelites were not expected to part the Red Sea by their own power, defeat the Egyptian army by their own strength, or navigate their own way to Canaan. They were simply expected to remember that God did those things. Moses commanded the people: “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt” (Exod. 13:3). However, time and again, they forgot. “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” they proclaimed as they worshipped something that had most definitely not liberated them (Exod. 32:8). Lest they ever thought they liberated themselves, God introduced Himself twentyseven times as “the Lord who brought them up out of the land of Egypt.” People are notoriously bad at remembering and praising God for the freedom He bestows. Never boast in your own goodness, but always humbly praise His mercy (Tit. 3:4-5). Never mistake your preacher for your Savior (1 Cor. 1:13). Sin enslaves, but God liberates. Remember to praise Him for freedom (Ps. 103:2).
Recognize the difference between “free from sin” and “free to do as you please.” Culturally, we understand freedom to mean something like “I can do whatever I want.” Therefore, a biblical explanation of the phrase “from slaves to free” might be necessary. God freed the Israelites from slavery so they could serve Him. The first part of Moses’s demand is well known: “Let my people go…” However, the second part explains what their freedom looked like: “… that they may serve me” (Exod. 9:1). God freed them, not for greater personal liberty, but for service. Similarly, God frees us from sin, not so we can follow any impulse, but so we can become slaves to Him. Romans 6:6-7 proclaims freedom from sin, but if you keep reading, you see that we have gone from slaves to… slaves: “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God…” (Rom. 6:22). No man can serve two masters. Thus, God freed us from sin that we might become slaves to Him. The hymn Pierce My Ear expresses love for service toward God this way: “I will serve you eternally. A free man I’ll never be.”
Escaping slavery has never been easy, nor has liberation ever been cheap. Praise God who has paid the price and freed us from sin. Sin may attempt to cling to you, the world may attempt to distract you, and culture may attempt to misconstrue biblical freedom, but in Him you can break free from sin’s grasp. It is written, “…you should not be their slaves; I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright” (Lev. 26:13).
-Eric Tipton