FREEDOM FOR THE FISH OF EGYPT

It didn't take long for the Children of Israel to forget the bondage of Egypt and the purpose of their freedom.  They had not been delivered from Egypt just to escape the evil taskmasters.  Oh no, God had delivered them because He had a covenant with their Grandfather Abraham.  They were a people, set apart to worship Him.  A few days out of Egypt, we find them willing to embrace the bondage of Egypt to alleviate their growling stomachs.  Numbers 11:5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”  Look at the first part of verse 5, “Remember the fish which COST NOTHING!”  OH NO, ISRAEL!   The “Fish of Egypt” cost you EVERYTHING!!! The “Fish of Egypt” cost you your children, your health, your ability to make your own decisions; it was the COST OF FREEDOM.

It didn't take long, after the Birth of the Church for some Believers to forget the bondage of sin and the purpose for their freedom.  We have been delivered from sin not just to escape Hell but because we are a “chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a people for His own possession, that we may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9, paraphrased)  But just a few short years from Pentecost, we find Paul and Peter warning the young Church to not ABUSE their freedom, trading it for the “Fish of Egypt;” reminding them the reasons for their freedom. 

Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

1 Peter 2:16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

Today, we celebrate Independence Day; the day we declared our independence from a tyrannical king; but America has forgotten the true reason for freedom.  We did not fight an empire as a country just so we could make our own laws, then use those laws to mean anything we could twist them to mean.  Oh America, how far you have come from the day of declaring “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed;”  The founders of this great nation fought because of a deeply held belief in God; a God that had given all people the right to LIFE, LIBERTY AND A PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS!

America, 238 years after declaring these words is trying to remove God from the equation.  In doing so, we are perverting the rights endowed by this same God.  The right to LIFE; our “Free” nation has passed laws allowing its “Free” citizens the liberty to deprive our unborn of the right to LIFE and many would desire prosecution for those who dare to guarantee that right to the millions of babies who cannot speak for themselves.  The right to LIBERTY;  our “Free” citizens willing hand our blood-bought liberty back to a government who has forgotten that rights are not bestowed upon us by government but by our Creator, in which they no longer believe.  The right to THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS; the greed of “free” people has traded their right to pursue happiness for the “Fish of Egypt.”  We no longer understand the satisfaction of the reward of labor.  Instead we ask and expect our government to provide our reward.  If we work, we allow those in power to confiscate our harvest, distribute it as they wish, and then thank them for their largesse in allowing us a small portion.  These are the COST OF FREEDOM and as Americans we have forgotten the true purpose of our freedom.  

Today as we celebrate with picnics, fireworks, parades and wave the “Red, White and Blue,” take a few moments to remember.  Remember those who have sacrificed their lives and families to guarantee the right to live as a free people.  Remember the Rights that were declared 238 years ago.  Remember the God who has endowed all people, not just America with those rights.  Remember the cost of the “Fish of Egypt” may be the loss of that precious freedom.  Finally, remember WHY we have been set free; free from a tyrannical government, free from sin, free to live, free to breathe in the winds of liberty, free to pursue happiness and determine that you will live in that freedom today and every day.  LET FREEDOM RING!!!