TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high. Leviticus 26:13
Read: Levitucus 26:11-13
Listen: Levitucus 26
TODAY’S MESSAGE
The Israelite nation is enslaved in Egypt for 400 years, where bondage strips them of all dignity. They experience the affliction of cruel taskmasters and hard work with no reward, rights or freedom. Israel cries out to God to set them free, and he hears their cry (Exodus 2:23-25). He raises up Moses to lead them out of slavery to the land God promised their forefather, Abraham (Genesis 12:1).
Israel leaves Egypt as a mob of unruly people who still think and act like slaves. Just like he walked with Adam and Even in the Garden, God desires for them to walk with him with their heads held high. He has broken the yoke of slavery and takes them from shame to dignity by dwelling among them in the tent (tabernacle) right in the middle of their camp. He doesn’t walk among them because they have dignity. They now have dignity because he walks among them.
Dwelling among his people in the tabernacle is an intermediate step on the way to restoring the relationship that was lost in the garden and will be found in Jesus. Jesus came to set us free from spiritual slavery—the slavery of sin (Romans 6:22). He’s the culmination of God’s plan to get us back for all eternity.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Listen to the song, “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus,” and thank him he was “born to set thy people free.”
NEW TESTAMENT READING PLAN
Join us this year as we read through the New Testament.
Today’s reading is Revelation 10.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
