Beginning of Freedom
Exodus 14:13, 14, 21-30 or 14:21-30
International Sunday School Lesson
November 17, 2013
Commentary
By
Jed Greenough
Some have entitled this week’s lesson as Beginning of Freedom. I would ask the question, “does freedom come cheap?” And I am sure you would answer that freedom generally comes at a great price.
In a sense it was a perceived freedom that Adam and Eve were trying to attain that resulted in their fall. They thought they could make the right decision on their own and look at the price.
Consider wars for freedom. Between the two world wars, 130 million people were thought to have died from the associated causes. That number is so high that the price that was paid for freedom was clearly staggering.
In that case what freedom was achieved? Freedom from persecution, freedom from oppression freedom from evil? Certainly the answer is yes to all those but what all was good and what all was bad and what in the end was God’s will is fuzzy to us right now.
Again as we consider today’s scripture we see some are calling this lesson “The Beginning of Freedom” and yes with this freedom would come cost. Why couldn’t the Israelites just march out of Egypt and be free? Why did Pharaoh’s army have to pay the price?
God says in the non-included verse 4, “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”
Once the Israelites saw that they were being pursued they cried out in the non-included verses 11-12, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”
For some of us Moses reply is included as he explained that the Lord would deliver and as you know He did. The army of Pharaoh paid the price for the Israelites’ freedom. It is another one of those fuzzy things we can’t quite grasp when we consider the loss of life and when we consider the episodes that followed.
When water became scarce the people grumbled (15:22-24 and 17:1-3). When food became scarce they grumbled (16:1-3). In fact, according to Deuteronomy 8:7b Moses said the following to the Israelites, “From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you have been rebellious against the Lord.” But they received their freedom anyway. Thus is the nature of God.
The Israelites were certainly a perfect example for us doing little but still receiving their freedom and with it came great cost. I know most of us have and some still shake their head in wonder at the behavior of the Israelites but let’s consider another people and another freedom achieved at great cost. Those people are Christians. I’m sure you already knew where I was going but the parallels are there.
Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice for our ultimate freedom from death. What did we pay for that freedom? Nothing. Despite our unworthiness and “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8. What’s more we still grumble and rebel.
I hope that we consider that the next time we shake our head at the Israelites.
For Discussion:
1. Find and discuss other scripture where God mentions the use of Pharaoh.
2. Discuss verse 31.
3. Read 15:1-21.
4. Discuss what the experience must have been like for the Israelites.
5. Discuss freedom.
6. Discuss the costs of freedom.
7. Discuss our being freed from death’s hold on us.
Upcoming Lessons
11-17-13 Beginning of Freedom Exodus 14:13, 14, 21-30 or 14:21-30
11-24-13 Beginning of the Tabernacle Exodus 40:16-30, 34, 38
12-1-13 The Angel Foretells Jesus’ Birth Luke 1:26-40
12-8-13 Mary Sings Her Praise or Mary’s Song of Praise Luke 1:46-56
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved
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