THE REAL SLAVERY

Numbers 11: 4-6; 10-20

I really appreciated the study this week about focus.  It's a good study and says important things.  But, having a little extra time to think about this passage, due to my week off, I began to feel frustrated with the advice she gives from scripture.  I've been tired, and kind of discouraged lately, as we all are sometimes, and the appeal to just have the right focus felt like a burden to me.  I know it's true but oftentimes, I don't want to do it.  When I'm angry or depressed or tired and someone says 'just focus on the right things' I'm not inclined to respond well.

I think that the Israelites problem was, indeed, focus-- but I think it was also something much deeper than that.  We look at what they were saying about wanting to go back to Egypt where the fish was free and our first response is something like "What are you talking about?  Yes, the fish was free but you were slaves and your children were being stolen and you were being whipped and burdened with work beyond your capacity and what you remember is free fish?"

How can they be so stupid?  But then I recognize so many times when I'm just that stupid.  When I know the right thing to do, and I know the right perspective to have, but I don't do it.  I refuse to do what I know is the best thing.  C.S. Lewis writes about this in his book, "The Abolition of Man".  He writes that almost all religions recommend the same kinds of behaviors.  All religions teach people not to lie, not to break promises, to encourage justice and equity, to be generous with their possessions. Pretty much every religious teacher teaches that this is the right way to live.  And even a cursory look at the history of the world teaches us that it is humanity's failure to live this way that leads to all our problems.  So, we know what is right to do, and we know the consequences of not doing it, but still we choose what is not good.  What is it about the human heart that knows the consequences of sin, and yet does it anyway?  Paul talks about this in Romans 7 when he says, we are actually slaves to sin.  The good that I want to do, I don't do.  But what I hate, (envy, jealousy, evil thoughts, selfishness) those are the things that I do.  If you don't think this is true about you, then try an experiment and try for 24 hours to totally live the Golden Rule.  Try for 24 hours to work for everyone else's good as enthusiastically and as consistently as you for do your own good, and I think you'll see that we just cannot do it. 

In this passage, the Israelites are free from slavery in Egypt but their behavior shows us that they are now slaves to sin.  What is slavery?  Slavery is being powerless to do that which is best for you.  Economic slavery means that you are powerless to work yourself out of debt.  Physical slavery means that you are powerless to do the work and rest that would be best for you.  Political slavery means that you are powerless to make any good choices concerning the government which rules you.  And that's what the Bible is talking about when it says we are slaves to sin.  We are powerless to always choose those things which bring life and health to us.  Sin is not just doing a wrong act.  Sin is choosing anything above God.  And sinful choices are not neutral.  Every sinful choice has destructive power.  The Bible teaches that every sin unleashes destruction in our lives and we become a little smaller.  Sinful thoughts shrivel the mind; sinful emotions shrivel our hearts; sinful choices make our wills a little weaker each time.  What the Bible teaches about sin is that it destroys our freedom and slowly enslaves us.  It's not a passive thing.  Okay, this is very dark stuff, I know, but look at what happens to Israel.  By this passage, they have reached the point where they want to go back to Egypt when clearly, recognizing all that the past year has shown them, they should stick with the manna (no matter how bad it tastes) and go forward.  Reading this passage, everyone can see the right thing to do.  How could they forget so soon?  But look at the passage.  V4, they "craved".  Their self-pity had become so strong that their emotions were enslaving them.  V5 they "remembered the fish they ate in Egypt".  One of the most classic examples of denial in the Bible.  They remembered the free fish and forgot everything else?! They're minds had become enslaved to lies and self-pity.  And v6 says, "now we've lost our appetite"  The commentators say the Hebrew here more accurately says, "our strength is completely dried up".  Their wills are enslaved.  They no longer have the strength to go on.  Because of their sinful choices, sin has been at work in them in destructive ways.  They have become smaller people and are now powerless to do what is right.  That's how sin operates.  You think sin is going to bring freedom.  For example, let's says I've been hurt by somebody.  I choose to harbor that hurt and not forgive.  I think I'm free in doing that.  But that unleashes a destructive power in me that deepens into revenge, that clouds my thinking until I can no longer think of that person rationally, and I slowly lose my will to want to forgive and reconcile.  That's the power of sin.

Sin is living for anything above God.  Living for success, living for approval, living for a comfortable life for our family.  As we've said before, these are not bad things but when they are more important to us than God they begin to enslave us.  And just like an addiction to alcohol, we begin to need more and more in order to be satisfied.  The sin takes on a life of its own.  Tim Keller calls this the 'if only ...' principle.  Whatever you say in your heart, "If only I had that...then I could be happy, then I would be fulfilled", if that ultimately is anything other than God, than that is sin.  If only I could have a prominent career-but then you need more and more recognition.  If only I could marry well, but over time, you realize that that that is not enough.  If only I could have everyone's approval, but that turns into a balancing act that no one can survive. 

So, how are we healed from this destructive power of sin?  I've thought a lot in the last few days about something Jim said Sunday morning.  He said that the cross released tremendous spiritual power.  It was an act of spiritual power.  I guess I'd never quite thought about it that way but it certainly is Biblically true.  The cross overcomes this enslaving power of sin in our lives.  And this passage in Exodus, although it's chronologically long before the time of Jesus, it still teaches us a lot about how that happens-how we can be freed from this addictive power of sin.

1) First, God intervenes and we begin to see the problem realistically. The Israelites have a very different view of their problem than God does.  The Israelites say the problem is that they want more meat.  Just give us some free fish and then we'll be happy.  But in verse 20, God tells us how He sees the problem.  He says, "you have rejected me".  Free fish or rejection of God.  Very different viewpoints.  But the people were putting meat ahead of God in their happiness.  If only, we could have meat and garlic and leeks, we could be happy.  God says, the truth is only my presence can truly make you happy.  But you have rejected me and so I'll give you all the meat you want.  Our discontentment and powerlessness has to wake us up to the true root of our problem.  The truth is that God is not at the center of our need.  We go searching at all kinds of broken cisterns of water and fail to go the fresh streams of living water that are found in God.  But, at the cross, God intervened and showed us our problem realistically.  Our sin does not just disappoint God.  Sin creates  a barrier to God that we cannot overcome.  God had to take our sin upon himself in order to be able to dwell with us once again.

2) Increase your appetite for God. I did some reading about God sending the quail this week.  And commentators say that the gist of the passage is that God gave them what they wanted and that is what made them sick. God sent the quail and they went out and collected huge amounts of the meat and stuffed themselves so much that it killed them.  That was the nature of the plague that chapter 11 talks about.  Their appetite for meat eventually killed them.  But the secret of desiring God is not trying to kill your appetite for anything else. That only leads to guilt and more discouragement.  The secret is to increase your appetite for God. That's what Moses did.  Day after day, Moses sought the Lord.  He sought the Lord's Word and guidance, he sought the Lord's viewpoint, he sought the Lord's presence.  And instead of growing in his desire for free fish and garlic, his appetite for the Lord and the glory of the Lord became the guiding desire of his life.  We saw it at the end of Exodus.  All  Moses desires is to see more and more of the glory of God.  Lord, please show me your face.  And the Lord is faithful to fill His request.  A couple of weeks ago we talked about how the glory of  God is reflected in the face of Jesus Christ. When we want to truly know the fullness of God's love and beauty, we look at Jesus Christ and we look at the cross.  And we can finally see the depth of the heart of God.  At the center of God's character is love for each of us that is faithful and unchanging,  God's heart longs for us in a way we have trouble understanding.  But look at cross and there it is.  God demonstrated it to us in one act of completely unselfish sacrificial love.

It will take an eternity of reflection to get to the bottom of the love God has for us.  But meditating on the meaning of the cross, can begin to free us from the enslaving power of sin.

There's a lot of talk about quality time these days.  I find it humorous when parents talk about scheduling quality time.  My experience is that you really can't do that with kids.  You can't say, "Okay, Saturday morning we're going to have quality time".  Instead, you just have to spend a lot of time with your kids and wait for the times when they're ready to bring you their fears or concerns.  You have to just be around them a lot.  Put them to bed every night you can.  Be there when they're studying and playing and eating.  And the quality time will show up.

You can't legislate it.  This is true in our seeking God.  We have to spend a lot of time seeking God, a lot of time studying scripture, time in corporate worship.  And you'll begin to sense the greatness of God.  You will get glimpses of His love and faithfulness and beauty.  The bible says you will taste and see that the Lord is good.  You'll begin to long for Him and that longing will grow until it becomes the center of your desire.  That's what we see in Moses.  And it's the exact opposite of what we see in the rabble.  Moses' thirst for God grows and frees Him.  The people's thirst for free fish shrivels and enslaves them.

3) And finally, the cross shows us the one greater than Moses.  Turn to the one greater than Moses. It's very interesting to look at what Moses says to God here.  No heroes in this section.  Moses complains,   "why have you brought this trouble upon me?  What have I done wrong?  Are these my people, did I conceive them?  Why should I carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant?  I cannot carry these people==the burden is too great.  I'd rather die than have to carry this burden.  Now compare this with the descriptions of the Messiah that are found in the prophets.  Isaiah 40: " He tends his flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young."  Or Isaiah 53:  "He took up all our infirmities and carried our sorrows.  He was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him."  Moses said that he would rather die than carry the burden of the people's sin.  But one greater than Moses would come who would rather carry the burden and die than lose us.  Hebrews 3 teaches us that all these passages point toward the coming of Jesus. Hebrews 3:3 "Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses.  V5 "Moses was faithful as a servant...but Christ is faithful as a son.  The writer of Hebrews goes on to say, "Today if you hear God's voice, don't harden your hearts as they did during the time in the wilderness,...but encourage one another daily so that none of you may be hardened by sin."  The cross released the spiritual power to free us from the enslaving of sin.  Sin no longer has to destroy us.  In Jesus Christ, the truth can set us free.  Take time  to reflect on the meaning of the cross.  Let that reflection fill you with a deeper understanding and a deeper trust in God's love for you.  And turn to the one greater than Moses-the one who was willing to carry our burdens and take the punishment that brought us peace.