The Making of a Deliverer

Read Exodus 2:1-10

The problem with slavery is that it steals your memory of freedom.  When slavery passes down a generation, it becomes a way of life.  Slavery is akin to captivity in that they preclude freedom to be an inside-out endeavor.  Each needs help from the outside.  Prisoners need someone from the outside to open the gates.  Slaves need a non-slave to purchase them.  Who will set the Hebrews free if they are all entirely subject to slavery?

But what if there was a Hebrew who experienced freedom for himself? Then there would be an insider who would know a life outside of slavery.  That is exactly what is going here.  The oppression and dishonor against God’s people was only growing, and so God took action to shape Moses' life from birth to become the very one who could deliver God’s people.  He was an insider who knew life on the outside, what it meant to be free.  We know that Jesus himself was prepared

 in the same way.  He sets us free spiritually because He knew the complete freedom of life outside of this broken world before He came to live in it to deliver us from this world.  He was a free man, who lived as a slave in order to lead all of us slaves to freedom.

We have, and will continue to speak about, how God delivers us for our freedom; but it is important here to notice a fundamental principle of ministry.  Paul speaks to those who have found freedom in Christ in Galatia saying, 

“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.”  Galatians 5:13

As freed people we have a special opportunity to reach and to serve others in love.  What makes Moses and Jesus unique in their ability to bring freedom to others is:

• They were people who were stewards of their own freedom.  They had experienced freedom for themselves.  As believers our authority and ability to help people with their sin is established by our own experience of freedom from sin.
  
• Though they could have stayed as outsiders, they made themselves insiders.  Though our authority is shaped by the freedom of our moral integrity, our impact is shaped by how close we get to slavery.  One friend of mine said, “if you want to help someone, their problem will become your problem.  If they struggle with anger, they will get angry with you.  If they struggle with manipulating, they will manipulate you.”  But that is ministry.  There is no way around getting our hands dirty.

Moses is going to have learn this the hard way.  We’ll save that for tomorrow though.  How have you seen people get their hands dirty in your life?

Posted by Marc