A July Fourth Message: The Setting Free

Freedom. In the realm of government, politics and humanity, a more precious word does not exist. The strife of a million conflicts owes its open hostilities, its blood, its cost in human lives to the sweet fragrance of freedom.

In the book of Acts, we find this scenario which unfolded in the ministry of the Apostle Paul: 24 The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him.  25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?  26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.  27 Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.  28 And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born. Acts 22:24-28

The word “free” or “freedom” to us, just means that a person can do anything he or she wants to do. We think it is the state of nobody telling us what to do. Actually, the word is much more specific than that. It literally means “not enslaved.”

Slavery of the Body

Slavery in this nation was legal until the Emancipation Proclamation was issued:

“That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.

Slavery is one of the worst blights on the human race. Shocking stories of cruelty and inhumanity anger and sadden us, but the most offensive aspect of slavery is not the torture or abuse: it is simply to lose one’s freedom. Slavery strips the dignity of personhood from mankind.

In ancient times, slaves might be acquired in the following ways:

(1) Bought.- Hebrew slavery broke into the ranks of every human relationship: a father could sell his daughter; a widow’s children might be sold to pay their father’s debt; a man could sell himself.

(2) Exchange.-Slaves might be traded for other slaves, cattle, or provisions.

(3) Surrender. -A man could offer himself as a slave to satisfy a debt.

(4) Gift.-A slave could be acquired as a gift.

(5) Inheritance.-Children could inherit non-Hebrew slaves as their own possessions.

(6) Birth.-The children of slaves, born within the master’s house of a wife given to the slave there, became slaves, and could be held, even if the father went free.

(7) Capture in war.-Thousands of men, women and children were taken in war as captives and reduced, sometimes, to most menial slavery.

Ancient times were torturous for slaves. They were beaten, deprived, starved, raped, forced to work in the most deplorable of conditions, allowed to go illiterate, treated as beasts of the field; all this in addition to being bought, sold, bartered or traded. More modern times have not been much better. In fact, there has never been a good time to be a slave.

A 20-year civil war in Sudan has pitted the Muslim majority north against the Christian majority south. An estimated two million people have been killed in the conflict. In 1986, Muslim invaders attacked the village where Francis Bok’s mother had sent him on an errand. Francis was 7 years old, and he spent the next 10 years in slavery, where he worked on a farm. He’s now telling his story in the new book, Escape from Slavery ( St. Martin ’s Press).

What happened that day you were taken, in 1986?

We went to the market, and I sat underneath the big tree where a lot of people come from all different villages, selling and buying. And while I was sitting there, I heard adults saying that they saw smoke and pointing toward the village that we came from. Some other adult said he heard guns shooting. I wasn’t really aware what happened right away after we left the village until when I saw a lot of people start leaving the markets—and then I also looked behind me and I saw all these horsemen, people who dressing differently, with machine guns. They surrounded the market and started shooting.

I stood up and tried to run, and one of the horsemen came toward me, grabbed my hand, and was speaking a strange language I couldn’t understand at that time because I didn’t speak Arabic. And I was very confused and very, very afraid. I thought maybe he was going to kill me.

They just destroyed everything in the market. And after they finished, they stole some of the stuff. They marched us all over to the north. I witnessed a 12 year-old-girl shot on the way because she was screaming. She couldn’t stop crying, and one of the militiamen told her to stop and she couldn’t. The guy just took her out of the group and he shot her in the head.

That hurt me a lot actually when I saw a little girl get shot. I said, This danger now is not only for a man or adults, this also can happen to any one of us kids. And I saw a lot of kids who were very quiet—and learned to be quiet in that moment.

What happened to the adults that were in the village?

I went to this guy’s farm, and I began seeing a lot of girls who been brought from southern Sudan and women working. I never had a chance to ask them what did [their captors] really force them to do, but I heard the story that a lot of young women were being forced for sex.

And let me just tell you this story, what happened when I first arrived on his farm. Giemma, who was my master, took me to his home. He actually called the whole family to meet me. And his three children had sticks. And they started beating me. And they were chanting to say abeed, abeed . That is Arabic is black slave—that was my welcome.

After kids got tired, Giemma told me to follow him to show me where I’m going to be sleeping. There was a little shelter close to the animals, a lot of horses and a lot camels and a lot of cows. And I had to stay there, and he sent his children to come whenever they wanted to amuse themselves by saying abeed or beating me. And I remember his wife, too, she come and stood in front of me and said that if my husband would allow me, I would shoot you.

This was a Muslim family. Was their Islam important to them?

Very, very important. When I first come there my master tried to convert me. He always said, “You need to pray with us when we pray.” I didn’t even know what to say, because you’ve got to say something when you’re praying. But they forced me to do that, and I accepted because he scared me by saying to me if I couldn’t, he would hurt me.

From the age of 7 until 17 years of age you were with this family. You worked hard everyday. You were a slave. Did you try to escape?

When I first decided to escape when I was 14, he actually saw me, and he recaptured me back. And he brought me back and beat me. And he said to me, “If you try it again, I’m going to kill you.”

But in my heart I didn’t give up. I said I’d rather die than be a slave .

I saw other slaves were treated badly. So I stayed a few days, and then I escaped again the second time. When he caught me the second time, he tied me up and beat me very hard. Then he said, “Tonight is going to be your last day on the earth.” It was a very, very scary moment to me. I wasn’t looking at his face, I just closed my eyes and I said, God, please don’t let him kill me. I love my parents and I have hope in the future.

So he changed his mind a few hours later. And he said to me, “Next time if you try to escape again, I’m not going to talk to you. I’m just going to shoot you.”

And I promised him and swore that I was not going to do it again. That’s when I realized to wait a couple more years. And I waited three more years until I was 17, then finally decided it was time to get away from this man, time to do whatever it takes to get away.

Slaves could possibly obtain their freedom in the following ways:

(1) By the lapse of time.-The seventh year of service brought release from bondage.

(2) By the law of the Jubilee year.-

(3) By injury.-A servant whose master maimed him (or her), i.e. causing the loss of an eye or even a tooth, was thereby freed (Ex 21:26 f).

(4) By indifference.-In case of a certain kind of female slave, the neglect or displeasure of her master in itself gave her the right to freedom.

(5) By restitution.-A caught thief, having become a bondsman, after making full restitution by his service as a slave, was set at liberty (Ex 22:1-4).

(6) By the master’s death

(7) By direct command of Yahweh.-“The word that came unto Jeremiah from Yahweh, …. that every man should let his man-servant, and …. his maid-servant, that is a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, go free; that none should make bondmen of them …. they obeyed, and let them go” (Jer 34:8-10).

(8) By escape

(9) By redemption.-Manumission by redemption was common among the Hebrews. The slave’s freedom might be bought, the price depending on how close it was to the Jubilee year; how much the slave cost in the first place; how old or useful they were.

Slavery of the Soul

John 8:31-36  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;  32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.  33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?  34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.  35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.  36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

The Jews knew the precise meaning Jesus implied when he said “the truth shall make you free.” That is why they answered “we were never in bondage to any man.” Economic slaves, no. Political slaves, maybe not. Spiritual slaves, yes. And they didn’t even know it! Jesus said, “If you sin, you are a slave of sin.”

Physical slavery is evil.  But spiritual slavery is just as evil.  Call it addiction, abuse, compulsory behavior, being hooked, disorders, strung out, -ism’s, whatever…

Call it alcohol, cocaine, crack, ice, meth, marijuana, heroin, nicotine, opium, uppers, downers, hallucinogens, inhalants, PCP, steroids, tranquilizers, crystal, mescaline…Call it pornography, gambling, sexual perversion, hedonism…Call it pride, intellect, money, education, good looks, elitism…

The fact is that in its clutches, whoever is caught is its slave.  The fact is that it burrows into your brain.  It spreads its treacherous tentacles into every crevice of your body.  It sinks its teeth and claws into your very soul.  It breathes its heavy, stale breath down into the center of your being.  It licks you with its slimy tongue; it rubs you with its scaly skin.  It screams profanity into your ears and burns its image into your eyes.  It makes you different, re-creating you into its own likeness.  The two black holes for eyes and a gaunt face staring back at you from the mirror is unrecognizable.  Spiritual slaves try to obtain their freedom in the same ways:

(1) By the lapse of time. Some day, it will all be better.

(2) By the law of the Jubilee. God will come and rescue me in his own time.

(3) By injury. Whenever my addiction hurts me enough, I will quit.

(4) By indifference. Whenever I no longer get any pleasure from my addiction, I will quit.

(5) By restitution. I will buy, bargain or work my way to freedom.

(6) By the master’s death. One of these days, the demons will just leave me alone.

(7) By direct command of Yahweh. God is going to work a miracle for me.

(8) By escape. And oh how you’ve tried to escape.

You’ve run away. You’ve plead, bargained, cried, screamed, beguiled and lied.  You can’t escape. You end up running toward the very thing you are running away from. Satan’s dragnet catches you every time.  You can’t serve him long enough to please him.  He mocks at the year of Jubilee.  He uses you up and discards you.  He agrees to set you free, but you always forget that he lies.  He will never die.  You’ve tortured yourself, deprived yourself, imprisoned yourself…everything short of killing yourself—-and you’ve thought of that too.

Your Emancipation Proclamation:  The Cross

David said, “Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand. Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.” Psalm 88:5-6   Suicide won’t make you free. It will only make you a dead slave, but you’ll still be a slave.  Only one sure way out of slavery exists: Redemption by blood.

(9) By redemption.-Manumission by redemption was the only sure way to escape from slavery. In the ancient days, the slave’s price of freedom depended on how close it was to the Jubilee year; how much the slave cost in the first place; how old or useful they were. But Christ redeemed us without regard to our intrinsic value to this world; without regard to IQ, wealth, credentials, education, degree, age, usefulness or pedigree.

Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

Galatians 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

1 Peter 1:18 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;

Christ was not concerned about how we would increase his wealth; he wanted to show that he was rich enough in grace to afford us, even though we added nothing to his wealth.

Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

In fact, redemption implies that Christ deliberately bought defective material!

Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

When Jesus redeemed us, he didn’t plan on giving us back!

Hebrews 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Hebrews 9:15And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

How blind were the Jews? They were slaves saying they weren’t slaves. They were wrapped up in chains and saying they weren’t. They were bound, protesting that they were free.  But Jesus reminded them that slaves don’t have the same privileges as the son of the master. And if the son says you are free, then he confers the status of freedom upon you.   There is a huge difference between a free man in slavery and a slave in freedom. This is why the Emancipation Proclamation was so important in this country 145 years ago.

“That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.

The moment this proclamation was signed, something profound happened.  That instant made thousands of slave holders criminals.  That instant made hundreds of thousands of slaves free persons.  That instant totally turned the tables.  I don’t want to draw too fine a line here, but think about this for a moment.  If a slave who is a slave breaks free, he is illegal. At the most, he is just a free slave:  His state is freedom, but his status is still a slave. He is still owned by his master.  If, on the other hand, a slave has been set free, at that very moment he is a free man.  If he is in bondage, chains or imprisoned, his captor holds him illegally.  His status is free, although he may still be enslaved.

1 Corinthians 7:22  “For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant.”

I want you to understand this today. I’m talking about the difference between status and state. I’m talking about who you are as opposed to what’s going on in your life right now.  The setting free is the only price. The setting free cost pain, (Blood, Name, Life)

Philippians 2:5-8