“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” These words from “The Declaration of Independence” help us realize a powerful truth. Our nation was built on the concept of freedom, flawed as it may have been throughout our history. It was and continues to be the clarion call of America. However, it is not just an American distinctive; it is a divine one. God has given humanity the gift of freedom. This freedom gives us the ability to pursue our calling under God. Freedom releases us from illegitimate bondage so that we can become what God has created and redeemed us to become as Christians. In spite of this truth, many Christians are living oppressed lives. How can we overcome this oppression?
We need to recognize oppression when it occurs. Oppression involves an imposed domination on another person or group of people in order to control them mentally, physically, emotionally, and, most tragically of all, spiritually. It includes the intent to hinder aspirations and limit or restrict God- given human potential. The sin of oppression enables others to attempt to play the role of God in our lives. This hideous sin seeks to hold us hostage. As we all know, oppression occurs in a variety of forms. Political oppression can be experienced through an evil dictatorship. Economic oppression emerges in the form of classism as wealthy members of society seek to prevent the economic development of poorer people. Racial oppression occurs when one group of people oppresses another because of skin color. Domestic oppression occurs when a woman lives in a hostile home under the physical or emotional abuse of a husband. Even children may suffer oppression under mean-spirited and abusive parents who discipline as a means of control rather than character development. Lastly, spiritual oppression occurs when Satan and the demonic realm exert their authority over lives in a variety of forms of addiction. In our scripture passage, Israel was held hostage by the oppressive policies of Egypt and its Pharaoh (Exodus 2:23). Based on this text, we see a number of words that refer to oppression, words such as taskmasters, afflict, hard labor, and bitter. In Exodus, we learn that Pharaoh oppressed the Israelites in order to support his plans and programs. In the same way, Satan wants to oppress us in order to support his devilish program and prevent our progress toward God’s calling for our lives.
We need to seek God for deliverance through prayer. The people of Israel were experiencing a bitter life because of their maltreatment by an evil entity, the Egyptians (1:14). As a result, they hungered for deliverance as they were reminded daily of their oppressive circumstances through laborious work. Out of desperation, they cried out to God. In other words, Israel prayed to God when the pharaoh, the governmental leader of Egypt, was no longer inclined to help them. Prayer, an earthly request for heavenly interference, was the weapon used. God heard their groaning and remembered His covenant, His divine agreement of blessing, with their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The people of Israel opted for assistance beyond human solutions to resolve their earthly problems. When oppressed, we also need someone bigger and stronger than our oppressors to free us. We need to look to God. Freedom starts with Him, and He is keenly aware of our pain. Remember, Jesus came to set the captives free. Like Israel, we also have an agreement of blessing with God called the “New Covenant.” We should never acknowledge oppression as acceptable or act in any way that would oppress others. In times or seasons of oppression in our lives, we need to pray to God for deliverance.
We need to handle our freedom appropriately when God grants it to us. Exodus Chapter 2 opens with the birth story of a baby named Moses and ends with the cry of the people of Israel to God for deliverance. The arrangement of the text positions the birth of the deliverer before the prayer request for deliverance. God began working before the people began crying out. While the people of Israel were dealing with oppression, God was working on their deliverance; however, they discovered their deliverance after they cried out to God. It was only then that God began the process of delivering His people through Moses. Today, God is also working on our behalf so let us pray. As Christians, part of our legacy is freedom. We have the right to be free. We must trust God to deliver us in His time. When God grants us freedom, we are not to act foolishly, running red lights or stop signs. This type of freedom will hurt others and limit their freedom. This freedom does not give us a license to operate based on personal desires and wants. Instead, freedom means fulfilling God’s purposes for our lives. In pursuing God’s purpose for our lives, we must not allow the devil or his people to hinder us by letting them define our purpose. By virtue of creation and redemption, we are what God says we are rather than what others say we are. Only the Creator has the right to assign our value. Oppression has the tendency to create a strong hold on the mind; therefore, we must begin by thinking like a free people.
The work of Jesus Christ on Calvary and the establishment of the New Covenant grant Christians the right to experience freedom from sin, especially the sin of oppression. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, {there} is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17). If we are to overcome oppression, we must first recognize it when it occurs in our lives. Secondly, we must pray to God for deliverance. Thirdly, when God grants us freedom from the oppression, we must handle it properly. We must claim and act upon the scripture found in Galatians 5:13, “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only {do} not {turn} your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
