Leviticus 26:45 But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.
The Worst Kind of Slavery
In Leviticus 26 God is giving the children of Israel, these former slaves, something they’d never been given in their lives. He was giving them a choice. The choice God gave Israel was essentially that they could serve Him or serve a false god. He told them that if they walked in His statutes, He would give them blessing, but if they did not, then they would become slaves once again.
When these people were slaves in Egypt, what did they have to do in order to become slaves? The answer is “nothing.” They simply had to be born. What did the generation of Jews who were slaves to Babylon have to do in order to become slaves? The answer is “refuse God.” The worst slavery in the world is voluntary. It is the kind chosen by those who refuse God’s leadership.
In Leviticus 26:13 God says, “I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.” He said, “I’ve freed you.” Why did God bring them out? He states in verse 45 that He freed them so He could lead them. God has given you the same freedom so that you can serve Him.
Unlike other gods, Jehovah is honest about what serving Him or refusing Him will cost. All of us serve somebody. We don’t have a choice about that. We merely have a choice about who we will serve. You show contempt for the God who loves you when you serve a master who hates you. God told Israel that if they refused Him, those who hated them would reign over them. The worst slavery is voluntary.
Who are you serving? When I choose to be a slave to my passion and sin, I am refusing God. When I choose to follow God’s leadership, I choose the kind of freedom that gives life because I choose the kind of freedom that God ordained and only God can give.