Category Archives: Slaves

Bible, Bondslaves, Freedom, Satan, Scripture, Slaves

A TALE OF TWO SONS

GALATIANS 4:22

“For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and one by the free woman.” 

This verse reminds me of the Charles Dickens’ classic, A Tale of Two Cities. It begins with this quote:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way…”

Do you see the analogies there? The opposites? Paul, in his own way is going to compare two opposites in the next several verses. One was Isaac, the son of Sarah, who was born free. The other was Ishmael, the son of Hagar, who was a slave of Abraham. Thus, Ishmael was born into slavery. This is the comparison we will see played out over the next several days.

APPLICATION

Now, hold it a minute, Carl. I am not a slave to anyone. Really? If you are not walking in the Spirit, you are slave to sin. Romans 6:16 says this, “Do you not know that the one to whom you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of that same one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?”

Slavery isn’t just chains and cells. Slavery is bowing to the will of the flesh. Paul is going to compare freedom in Christ and slavery under the law. Believe me, he understood the slavery of the law because he had personally bound people with it as a Pharisee. He knew the hopelessness of it. And we can put ourselves under legalistic rules and regulations and lose our freedom in Christ.

But let me encourage you today to be “free indeed.” Free yourself from the lure of sin. Free yourself for self-inflicted laws. Let Christ lead you into true freedom in Him. Shake off the shackles that the evil one wants to tie you down with. He has no power over you. But through Jesus, you have power over him. Hallelujah!

O God, my Father, I am so thankful I have been born into freedom through Your Son.

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Alone, Bible, Deception, Devil, Foolishness, Judgment, Loyalty, Obedience, Opponents, Satan, Scripture, Slaves

WILD DONKEYS

HOSEA 8:9

“For they have gone up to Assyria, like a wild donkey all alone; Ephraim has paid fees for lovers.”

We have all seen wildlife shows where lions or jackals attack a herd. Have you ever noticed which animal they go after? They attack the young, the weak and the ones who are isolated from the herd. Those animals are easy picking. They lack the protection of the herd.

Hosea compares Israel to a wild donkey that is all alone. They were carried off to Assyria and became a target. Being alone in a foreign land was scary enough but being alone was worse. Assyria carried them there and put them in cities as slaves. They were scattered. They were without their God. They were alone!

APPLICATION

Are you feeling alone? There is no need to feel that way. If you are a believer, you have a family of believers all around you. You need their fellowship and their support. You cannot walk safely on your own. Just like that lone wild donkey, you are a target for the enemy. Satan loves to find a lone believer. His schemes make us easy prey when we are alone.

I belong to a couple of men’s groups that I do life with. They are my allies. They encourage me in my daily walk with Christ and hold me accountable when I fall. They are my brothers. I would not want to even try to live without them. I can tell them anything and know they will hold it confidential.

Having fellow believers around you serves as protection. We can all be on the alert. We can all sound the alarm. When we see a fellow believer all alone, we need to reach out and surround them. They may not know how alone they are and how vulnerable they are. Don’t let them do this alone.

I am so glad I have a family of believers to walk with me, Lord. Help me reach out to those who need others.

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Bible, Cleansing, Confession, Encouragement, Forgiveness, God's Will, Love, Redemption, Scripture, Slaves

PURCHASE PRICE

HOSEA 3:2

“So I purchased her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver, and a homer and a lethech of barley.”

When my daughter got married, our mutual friend in Uganda (who calls himself her African father) asked her fiancé for 20 cows. It was all a joke, but I managed to get a video recording of him asking that to play at their wedding. My son-in-law was glad he didn’t have to produce that.

Hosea had to buy his wife back from where she had obviously sold herself back into prostitution. Now you need to see this purchase price. Fifteen shekels was about half the price of a normal slave which indicated her worth now. Barley was the offering for adultery and the food for animals, which again showed how low her worth had become. But Hosea still bought her back.

APPLICATION

What is your worth? Do you see yourself worthy of purchase by God? Some people don’t. They don’t think God can forgive them for all their sins. Let me tell you He can. There is not a hole deep enough where God cannot reach down and pull you out. God wants everyone to come to him.

Perhaps you don’t think you need God. You’re just fine like you are. So not true. No one claim that. You may think you are too good for God. He has a way to humble those proud hearts, as well. Why? Because He desires a personal relationship with you.

So, what’s it going to be? Will you come to Him today? Let Him purchase you off the slave block of sin. You may think you’re free, but there is no freedom until you are His. Gomer thought she was free but was a slave to her sin. How about you?

Thank You, Lord, for paying the price for my sin through Your Son Jesus. I am free because of His shed blood.

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