The Journey to Freedom
Main Point: We all desire to be free, but the journey to freedom often looks different than we imagined.
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” —Genesis 12:1-3
The Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the Desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. He said: “Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one. —Numbers 1:1-2
Moving from slavery into freedom is difficult and messy.
All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” —Numbers 14:2-4
Slavery was an awful way to live, but it was a familiar way to live.
They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.” —Numbers 13:27-29
God offers us freedom and waits for us to step into it with faith.
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. —Numbers 14:26-29
Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness. —Numbers 14:30-32
The Israelites had to learn that freedom wasn’t doing whatever they wanted to do.
Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: “This is what the Lord commands: When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.” —Numbers 30:1-2
These are the commands and regulations the Lord gave through Moses to the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. —Numbers 36:13
In order to be truly free we need structure and accountability.
Takeaway: The most difficult journeys are frequently the most worthwhile.
Discussion Questions:
Have you ever confused freedom for doing whatever you wanted to do? How did that turn out? What did you learn from that?
Sometimes we can return to something that is awful, but familiar. Why do you think we are sometimes tempted to do that? What can we learn about ourselves from that tendency?
Has God ever offered you something that was great for you, but required you to have the faith to step into it? What was it? How long did it take you to develop the faith that was necessary?
Table Discussion Question - What are the structures in your life that allow you to truly live in freedom? Are there any additional structures that you would benefit from?