Let Us Remain Slaves
“Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”
Exodus 14:12 (NKJV)
The people of Israel, newly freed from Egypt, faced one of the greatest challenges of their faith: the sea before them and Pharaoh’s army behind them. Fear led them to say something illogical: they preferred to remain slaves in Egypt rather than risk walking toward freedom. Fear, under pressure, makes us think irrationally and can lead us to settle for slavery instead of trusting in the power of God.
Fear paralyzes us
Israel did not want to fight or move forward because fear controlled them. In the same way, fear can stop us from making important decisions in our lives: investments, marriage, ministry, or projects God asks us to begin.
Fear distorts our vision
They saw the Egyptians as greater than God. When we allow fear to dominate, we magnify problems and minimize the presence of the Lord who is with us.
Fear makes us want to go back
Instead of trusting in the future God had promised, they wanted to return to Egypt. Fear always seeks to send us back to the zone of slavery, even if it is painful, because it feels more comfortable than the unknown.
Faith compels us to believe that God fights for us
Moses reminded them they were not alone: “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” (Exodus 14:14 NKJV). When we believe this, we can take steps of faith, even when we do not understand how God will open the sea.
We are called to leave the mentality of slavery
We are not slaves of fear or of the sins of the past. We are children of God, and if we are to be slaves, we will be slaves of Christ alone, as Paul declares in Romans 1:1.
Today God calls us to live free, to trust in His power, and not to retreat in fear but to move forward in faith.
“Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”
Exodus 14:12 (NKJV)
Think About It:
- What areas of your life are paralyzed by fear and need to be surrendered to God?
- Have you been longing to return to your “Egypt” instead of trusting in the future God promised?
- What step of faith can you take today, remembering that the Lord Himself will fight for you?