The Israelites were slaves in Egypt. As they journeyed through the wilderness towards the promised land, they often complained of their situation and said that it would have been better if they had never left Egypt (Exodus 14:12, 16:3, 17:3, Numbers 11:5-20, 14:2-4, 20:5, 21:5).
In hindsight, we can see how ignorant the Israelites were in regards to God’s plan for them. They saw a rough road ahead and thought back to the good things they had when they were enslaved by the Egyptians. In Numbers 14 they were close to the promised land, flowing with milk and honey, but they couldn’t see that through their enemies who inhabited the land.
In our own ignorance, our relationship with God often follows a similar plot line. We are all born as slaves to sin. Even though we are promised eternal life through the blood of Jesus Christ, a life of sin continually calls to us. It seems easier in the moment to remain a slave to sin rather than to press forward in righteousness towards the promises of our Father.
The Israelites had the opportunity to experience the fruits of God’s promise to them, but they chose to despise God because of the perceived opposition. In turn, that generation of people did not get to experience God’s promise to them. We have the opportunity to experience the fruit of God that leads to sanctification, but our weak flesh would rather be free from righteousness as a slave to sin.
If we want to experience God’s promise, we must become slaves to righteousness rather than sin.
Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness…
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:16-18,20-23 (ESV)
To be free from sin, you must be enslaved to righteousness. The more you rely on God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the more free you will be from sin. The grip of sin on your life loosens as you press on towards the promises of God. To bind yourself to righteousness through the blood of Jesus Christ is to bind yourself to God’s promise of eternal life with Him.
Image courtesy of The Brick Testament.