Freedom From Slavery

This episode of The Heartbeat of Faith Podcast delves deep into the profound message that God conveyed: the unequivocal stance against permanent ownership of human beings. In Leviticus 25:9-10, the scripture clearly proclaims the Jubilee Year, where liberty is to be proclaimed throughout the land. The host underscores the divine principle that every human, being created in God's image, deserves to be treated with dignity. This powerful message emphasizes God's commitment to freedom and the importance of recognizing that servitude was never intended to be a permanent state, but a means for the poor and desperate to find sustenance and opportunity.

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This powerful episode underscores the sacredness of every human being, as they are created in the image of God. The episode provides a deeper understanding of God's perspective on slavery, as detailed in Leviticus chapters 19-27, which outlines strict boundaries and regulations to ensure fair and just treatment of servants. The Jubilee concept is explored as a symbol of liberation from sin, as referenced by Jesus. He, like Moses for the Israelites, was sent by God to set humanity free from the bondage of sin and darkness.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Let us pray. Isn't this the fast I have chosen
to release the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps
of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and
that you break every yoke Isaiah, chapter fifty eight, verse six.
Dear Lord, I know you are a liberator and redeemer

(00:23):
of the captive and enslaved. You care for people who suffer,
and you meet me in my own suffering to comfort,
counsel and guide me. There are so many people who
are oppressed, addicted, and alone in this world. Meet them
with the loving embrace of your grace, Lord Jesus, I
depend on you to day to empower me from within

(00:45):
as your ambassador of love wherever I go in Jesus name, Amen,
thank you for praying with me today. Now discover the
profound intricacies of scripture through prey dot COM's podcast The
Heartbeat of Faith with doctor Andrew Farley. Stay tuned after

(01:06):
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Speaker 2 (02:14):
During a time in history when slavery wasn't taboo or
considered evil, God made it clear that ultimately no human
being should ever own another.

Speaker 3 (02:27):
Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth
day of the seventh month, on the day of Atonement.
You shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. You
shall make the fiftieth year holy and proclaim liberty throughout
the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a
jubilee to you, and each of you shall return to

(02:49):
his own property, and each of you shall return to
his family Leviticus twenty five nine through ten.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
Since we human were created in the image of God,
every one of us deserves to be treated with dignity. Hello.
I'm doctor Andrew Farley with today's episode of the Heartbeat
of Faith podcast. Welcome back. If you've been with us
up until now, you know we've been exploring the depths

(03:21):
of Scripture in new and exciting ways. We have seen
how innerwoven and connected the Bible really is. Each of
our stories are interwoven like threads in an elegant tapestry.
Every epic account, letter, prophecy, and poem is linked to another,

(03:43):
revealing a grand Biblical universe. Together, we've been leaning in
to hear the Heartbeat of Faith. Today we begin a
three day journey looking at biblical freedom. How does God
define free? What are we freed from? And what are
we freed too? Is the Bible as archaic and pro

(04:07):
slavery as the world's skeptics claim it to be. Let's
listen in and find out.

Speaker 3 (04:18):
The Lord spoke again, saying I have seen the oppression
of my people in Egypt. Their cries have reached my ears,
and their suffering is before my eyes. Moses listened intently.
The Lord continued, I have come to rescue my people
from the power of the Egyptians. I will lead them
out to a new land, a land flowing with milk

(04:41):
and honey. I shall wipe away their tears and deliver
them from those that abuse them. Now I am sending
you to Pharaoh. You must be the one to lead
Israel out of Egypt.

Speaker 2 (04:55):
When God looked upon the oppression of Israel, he intervened.
He didn't want his people to suffer under the brutal
rule of Egypt. The Israelites were finally freed, and God
parted the Red Sea for them to escape the clutches
of Pharaoh. But it took them a while to learn

(05:16):
how to live like free people. Slavery was embedded in them,
and they lived less like conquerors and more like slaves
looking for another master. The Era of Judges showcased Israel
repeatedly falling into slavery to other nations because of their

(05:36):
failure to obey God.

Speaker 3 (05:42):
Truth had been forsaken. The generation that fought for the
promised land had passed away. God's mighty axe had been
buried and forgotten with the past. Now Israel lived in comfort,
sinning on the graves of those who bled before them.
Israel abandoned the Lord and adopted the gods of the natives.

(06:02):
Since they forsook God, all their military exploits went without victory.
In vain, they marched to conquer new lands, but they
were left with heartache and bloodshed. Israel spiraled into a
whirlpool of defeat. They had forgotten that Israel's strength was
not in their military might, but in the sovereignty of God.

(06:24):
Weakened and distressed, Israel was vulnerable to outside attacks. Other
nations would descend upon the people and plunder them. Women
and children were stolen in the dead of night. Homes
were set ablaze, and their food and live stock was taken.
So God raised up mighty men and women of valor,
those who would save them and bring them out of oppression.

(06:46):
Yet Israel would not bow to them. They hoared themselves
to other gods and did only what seemed right in
their own eyes. Yet God would not relent in his
compassion over his people. When Israel descended into destruction and slavery.
God would send his heroes to save them.

Speaker 2 (07:06):
Each time Israel cried out for deliverance, God responded. He
often freed his people, reminding them they didn't have to
succumb to wicked and debased cultures. God takes freedom very
seriously because he created humans in his image.

Speaker 3 (07:28):
Then God said, let us make man in our own image,
in our likeness, and they will care over the world.
So God, with his own breath of life and word
of power, created mankind. He then charged them with caring
over the earth and all that is living in it.

(07:50):
His desire was to give them purpose and enjoy the
world he had created in relationship with him. For mankind
was the only created things stamped with the image of
its creator, and on that sixth day, the once void
earth was filled with life. This God knew was very good.

Speaker 2 (08:14):
Since we were designed in the image of God, every
human being deserves to be treated with dignity. Were all
valued by God. So something like slavery, when one person
takes ownership of another, was not approved by God. That's
why in Leviticus chapters nineteen to twenty seven, God put

(08:38):
strict boundaries around slavery. Some slaves were indentured servants who
needed to pay off a debt. Others were prisoners of
war who needed assimilation. There were also opportunities for servants
to be free if they chose. Every seven years, indentured

(08:59):
servants could walk free, and every fifty years during Jubilee,
every enslaved person was set free. Strict laws were also
implemented for treating servants well, and harsh punishments were given
to those who abused people. During a time in history

(09:19):
when slavery wasn't taboo or considered evil, God made it
clear that ultimately no human being should ever own another. Rather,
servitude should be a means for the poor and desperate
to work for food, shelter, and an opportunity to get ahead.
This was counter cultural and scandalous for the time. God

(09:44):
gave liberty to the people of Israel and defended every
human's right to live free in an age when brutal
slavery was commonplace. Years later, Jesus proclaimed a different type
of liberation, liberation from sin. He referenced the year of

(10:05):
Jubilee and declared that it was about his victory over sin.

Speaker 3 (10:14):
As was Jesus's habit, he went into the local synagogues
to preach. Many of his friends and family were in
attendance and watched Jesus open up the scroll of Isaiah.
Jesus read the words of the prophet. The spirit of
the Lord is with me because he has chosen and
anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He
has sent me to bring liberty to the captives and

(10:36):
cite to the blind. He has sent me to bring
liberty to all those who are oppressed. Jesus paused for
a moment and looked out at the crowd. He gave
the scroll back to the attendant. Everyone's gaze was fixed
on Jesus. The silence was so thick it could be
cut with a knife. Today, Jesus began. Today, this word

(10:57):
has been fulfilled.

Speaker 2 (11:00):
It's incredible to think about the freedom we have in Christ.
Just as Jesus referenced the year of Jubilee, when captives
were set free and debts were canceled, we too have
been set free from the bondage of sin through Jesus's
sacrifice on the cross. We've been liberated from guilt, condemnation,

(11:24):
and the power of sin. This freedom is not just
a theoretical concept, but a reality that we can experience
every day. We no longer have to live under the
weight of our past mistakes or the constant striving to
earn God's approval. Instead, we can rest in the assurance

(11:47):
that we're completely forgiven and accepted by God. This freedom
also empowers us to love others from a new obedient heart.
We're no longer slaves to the fleshly desires of sin,
but we can use our freedom to serve one another

(12:08):
in love. It's a life of amazing freedom where we
can fully embrace our new identity in Christ and live
in the joy of knowing that we're truly free. In
Galatians five one, the apostle Paul encourages believers by saying,
it is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

(12:32):
Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened
again by a yoke of slavery. This powerfully reminds us
that we're called to stand firm in our freedom in
Jesus Christ. We're not to allow ourselves to be entangled
in the bondage of legalism or the weight of trying

(12:54):
to earn status with God. Instead, we're to confidently embraces
our freedom and live in the fullness of God's grace.
In the next episode, we'll see how captive our hearts
were to sin and darkness before we met Jesus, and
we'll explore why Christ had to give us new obedient

(13:17):
hearts like his to set us free. Thank you for
listening to the Heartbeat of Faith podcast. If you enjoyed
today's episode, please leave us a review and let us
know how this series has impacted your life. Remember to
download Theprey dot com app, and for more encouragement in

(13:39):
God's grace, visit Andrewfarley dot org. That's Andrewfarley dot org.