[WR Journey]: Slavery

    

Deuteronomy eight records the call to the Israelites to not forget the Lord who, beginning in verse 14 it says,

“…brought [them] out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led [them] through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought [them] water out of hard rock. He gave [them] manna to eat in the desert, something [their] fathers had never known, to humble and test [them] so that in the end it might go well with [them].” 

Now, I don’t read the Bible like I should. I’ve never read it cover to cover and I’m certain there are some books within it that I’ve never even read one word from. I’m working on that. But, with that said, I am not unfamiliar with this particular passage. I’ve heard teachings on it before. I’ve even read it myself before. (I know because there were underlined verses throughout it when I was reading it this time.) But, I’d never caught a phrase that seemed to jump out at me as I sat there reading through it on the couch of Pastor & Mrs. Omega’s wonderful little home.

“out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

I wondered how many times the phrase “out of Egypt” was followed by “out of the land of slavery” in the Old Testament. I also remembered an article I’d read not too long before on praying through the wilderness realizing, as I read it, that I was – and had been – in the “wilderness” it speaks of. Feeling anything but close to Father even though I’d been traveling the world serving & loving Him and others to the best of my ability for eight months. I knew He was with me. But I did not feel Him at all.

For the first time, I saw the link between “Egypt” and “the land of slavery” and I recognized that the deliverance from that slavery was not, as it was probably expected (not to mention hoped for) by the Israelites, directly into the Promised Land but, rather, into the…wilderness.

Pondering these things, a question stirred within my heart: 

what had been my “Egypt”?