Freedom Begins with, “Thou Shalt Not”
Freedom is the highest goal of every individual and nation. Everyone strives for freedom. All along the history of humanity, much blood has been shed to obtain it. Our spiritual freedom was not achieved without the shedding of blood. The Scriptures tell us, “ …without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22). ” Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, [as] silver and gold, from your vain conversation [received] by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18, 19).
Sometimes, countries that have been oppressed for a long time under a foreign power, after having conquered their independence, end up under a painful local dictatorial regime. The greatest dictatorial power, after we have been taken from the grip of Satan, is our own ego. The intellectual knowledge of the truth without the experience of ” Jesus our righteousness” unfortunately makes us obnoxiously self-righteous.
It is commonly said that every nation has the government it deserves. In most countries, every four years there are elections and people freely choose their leaders on whom they set all their hopes for peace and righteousness; but very soon afterward they are disappointed and wait for the next election to vote for the opposite party, since their candidate did not meet their expectations. Sometimes, they cannot even wait for the four years to pass by, and in an act of violence or betrayal turn over the government.
The people of Israel were also a nation ruled directly by God through one of His chosen servants: Moses, the humblest man who walked upon the earth. Moses would not take a step without consulting God and due to his faith and obedience, God worked many miracles through him. He accomplished the great deed of leading God’s people out of Egypt and the people were able to see wonders in the course of their deliverance, wonders performed by a man holding a simple rod that was moved by his great faith in the almighty God who loved His children.
When they were out in the wilderness, the Lord tried to bring His people back to obedience to His law, and that after so many generations among the heathen had been erased from their hearts, He began with the hardest trial for man: a change of diet that meant to prepare their heart to accept the divine holy law.
God Himself fed His people with manna, the food of the angels. He wanted them to partake of the blessings of heaven. But, what was the people’s reaction? They protested against it. They wanted freedom, righteousness and peace without a reformation. Their natural reaction was complaining and murmuring against their leader. But Moses says, “Your complaints are not against us, but against the Lord” (Ex. 16:8). Not only did they complain about the food itself, but they disobeyed the Lord’s command and although the Lord said to them ” today you shall not” , they ventured unto the fields to look for manna.
Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, presents some thoughts of great significance, ” (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, [that they are] the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end [is] destruction, whose God [is their] belly, and [whose] glory [is] in their shame, who mind earthly things.) For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 3:18-20. There is an invisible thread that connects these two verses. Our belly seems to be the greatest impediment to have our citizenship in heaven, to accept the law of God in our hearts. We just need to follow the history of the people of Israel. All their murmuring against the diet the Lord had appointed them and their craving for the ” delicacies” of Egypt led them to build an idol and worship it while their leader was communing with God and receiving the law they were to commit their lives to.
The God of love had given the first creatures freedom to eat from all the trees in paradise. In Genesis 2:16 the word “freely” appears for the first time in the Bible. This term is followed by a ” but” , ” but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat you shall surely die.” The Lord provided man with a great variety of what would preserve him both physically and spiritually healthy and warned him about the terrible consequences of disobedience. He did not put an angel with a flaming sword to guard the tree and prevent his beloved creature from falling, although He knew how man was going to use his freedom. He had endowed man with intelligence and a free will and He was by no means going to interfere with his choice. He had set before man two ways, two trees; two possibilities: Life or death, obedience or disobedience. And death took its toll both in paradise and in the wilderness.
God did not force His people to eat the bread of heaven, the symbol of Jesus. Does God force us to accept Jesus, to receive His grace, to put in practice his teachings? No, He gave us a free will.
The Lord provided His people with what they wanted: meat. Flocks of quails flew over the camp in abundance and those who followed the craving of their heart perished. But the ones who remained, the ones who obeyed, who trusted the Lord and acted by faith, the ones who did not complain against Moses and did not ask for something else to eat, continued their journey toward Canaan with their faith strengthened. Soon the test became harder. Now they lacked water and it was their turn to murmur against Moses, but their leader turned to His God, to the One who had chosen him to lead His nation, to the One who had saved him from the waters when he was a baby and asked Him, “ What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me” (Ex. 17:4). And the Lord performed another miracle. Thus, with one miracle after another, with ” grace upon grace” , the people reached mount Sinai and they were given the Ten Commandments, ten simple statements, nine out of which imply a prohibition: ” Thou shalt have no other gods” , ” Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image… thou shalt not bow thyself to them” , ” Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God in vain” , “ But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work” , ” Thou shalt not kill” , ” Thou shalt not commit adultery” , ” Thou shalt not steal” , ” Thou shalt not bear false witness” , “ Thou shalt not covet” . This is the law of freedom James speaks about, the law by which we shall all be judged. Indeed, freedom begins with, ” Thou shalt not.” Is that the good news? Has that anything to do with the gospel? It all depends on whether we understand the letter or the Spirit of the law.
The law was given with great manifestation of God’s power (Ex.20:18). The almighty God who had opened the Red Sea for them to cross from slavery to freedom, who had provided them water in the dryness of the desert, showed that He was also a devouring fire and the people trembled, but not for long. When Moses came down from the mountain, he found them worshiping an idol. What did he do? We know very well what happened. Over and over again the stiff-necked people of Israel complained against Moses although they saw his face shine after communion with God.
Korah and his men rebelled against him and accused him of exalting himself above the assembly. “ And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown.” Numbers 16:3. The people of Israel did not want to follow any rule, they considered themselves holy and would not accept any leader, even if chosen by God Himself.
As they advanced on their way toward the Promised Land, they did not stop complaining, although they experienced so many miracles! “ Now when the people complained it displeased the Lord; for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused” (Numbers 11:1). In His anger, the Lord sent a punishment with a corrective purpose, but soon the people went back to their old way and once again they craved for the food they ate in Egypt. ” And the mixed multitude that [was] among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic” (Numbers 11:4-5). They rejected the manna, the bread from heaven, the food of the angels, God’s grace, and Moses’ heart was extremely burdened and asked the Lord: ” Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers? Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat. I am not able to bear all this people alone, because [it is] too heavy for me” (Numbers 11:11-14). And the Lord answered his prayer and gathered 70 elders, gave them of His Spirit to bear the burden of the people together with Moses.
Nothing made the Israelites happy, their views were upon this earth and its ” goodies” and they continued rejecting the manna and asking for Egypt. ” And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for [there is] no bread, neither [is there any] water; and our soul loatheth this light bread” (Numbers 21:4, 5). And the Lord, who until then had protected them from the serpents in the wilderness, withdrew His hand, and those who complained were bitten by the poisonous reptiles. What was the problem again? Food and water. And whom were they against? ” And the people spake against God, and against Moses” (Numbers 21:5). What was their attitude toward the ” bread of heaven” ? ” Their soul loathed it.” Their flesh hated it. They hated to be reformed, they hated Jesus, the bread of life and what He represented, they hated the law; they actually hated freedom. Does our flesh love Jesus? Does our flesh love the law? Does our flesh love the Health Reform? Does our flesh love freedom, that real freedom that begins with ” Thou shalt not” ?
“ But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members” (Romans 7:23). There is no sanctified flesh, even if we are in the process of sanctification, even if we have been taken out of Egypt and are on our way to the heavenly Canaan. It is our daily choice whether we shall be brought into captivity to the law of sin again, or we shall bring ” into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). ” Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41), warns Jesus to His disciples of all times.
But let us go back to the people of Israel in the wilderness, where we left them: Those who complained and loathed the manna were bitten by serpents, but the God of mercy did not abandon them and as soon as they acknowledged their sin, the antidote was given to them. ” Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live” (Numbers 21:7, 8). The plan was ready. The miracle of a new life by just beholding sin crucified and believing in it was presented to them and those who accepted it, those who obeyed without asking for a reason that would satisfy their mind, without doubting, were healed. The man in Romans 7:23 who acknowledges there is another law in his members, and in his misery asks, ” Who shall deliver me from this body of death?” , looks up and sees the cross and exclaims with great relief and gratitude, ” I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord” Romans 7:25.
When we are bitten by the serpent, we just need to lift our eyes to the cross, but if we turn our eyes from it after we have been healed, we shall be bitten again, therefore the great evangelist of the New Testament urges us to run ” … with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus...” (Hebrews 12:1, 2).
Christ was with His people in the wilderness, not only as a cloud that protected them from the burning sun, or as a pillar of fire to lighten their way at night, not only as the bread of life represented by the manna, symbol of the Health Reform, but He was also crucified, died for their sins, so that they might die to sin. In likewise manner, He reveals Himself to us today, and through faith in His constant presence at our side and His power, we can overcome.
Our victory does not depend on our leaders, on whether we live under the leadership of a man whose face shines because of his communion with God, or under the advice of judges or the rulership of a king chosen by ourselves against God’s better judgment. Our victory has nothing to do with an outside ruler or leader, but with whether we are controlled by our flesh or by the Spirit, whether we surrender to the law in our members or we look and live, whether we accept the fact that freedom begins with ” Thou shalt not” .
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is still planted in the garden of our heart and the serpent is still coiled in one of its branches making us doubt whether God requires strict obedience to His law, the law of the Spirit. But we should know, and not doubt, that the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus makes us free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2.
May the Lord, in His infinite grace, grant us opportunities to grow in faith and to strengthen our will power so that we can totally surrender our flesh to the holy influence of the Spirit and be able to sincerely pray for our leaders.
Amen.