Our Personal Egypts February 6, 2016

²⁰ But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of his own inheritance, as you are this day.  Deuteronomy 4:20 ESV 

I recently heard on a radio program that Jesus quoted Deuteronomy more than any other Old Testament book.  That got me to thinking, "If Deuteronomy is that important to God's Only Begotten Son, perhaps I need to spend more time reading and studying it." So for the next several weeks, I will be reading and ruminating on Deuteronomy.

For four hundred years, the Israelites had lived in the land of the Egyptians.  The Bible is not clear how the first few hundred years were for them, but we do know that by the end of they stay in the land of the Pharaohs they were not a welcome people.  (Exodus 1)  Interestingly this deterioration of the Israelite with the Egyptian leadership appears to be no fault of their own.  Moreover, just the fact they were even living in Egypt was a decision that was made 400  years in their past, not something they had chosen for themselves.  Yet, they still suffered the persecution and retribution of the new Pharaoh.  Fair?  Perhaps not.  Just?  Doesn't see so.  Part of God's plan?  Most certainly.

However, for most of us, when we live in our personal land of Egypt with suffering and hardship, the reasons can more directly be tied to decisions we have or are continuing to make.  Sure our parents weren't perfect.  But then again, no one is.  Maybe we didn't have the best teachers in school or a bully made junior high miserable.  Perhaps the manager at work is difficult at best.  But the quality of our life is more dependent on our choices and decisions than by outside influences the vast majority of the time.

Maybe your personal Egypt is pornography.  Perhaps co-dependency is keeping you in the land of Pharaohs.  It might be fear is keeping you in bondage.  Although not in a literal sense, but we each have our personal land of slavery and bondage, our unique, individual Egypt.

The same God that led over two million people out of slavery to the most powerful nation on earth can most certainly lead one sincere, humble, hurting person to freedom.  If He can protect an entire nation from the war machine of yesteryear's superpower, His protection and guidance will more than meet your needs.

Bondage is not the plan for His children.  He does not wish for you to spend your life in Egypt living under the lash of sin and separation from Him.  "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."  2 Corinthians 3:17  You have but to call on His name.  Cry out to Him.  Let the tears run down your cheeks. He will lead you to freedom.