Addiction is Slavery | Studies in Exodus 3b

Exodus

Studies in Slavery & Redemption

Chapter 4

Moses answered, “But, behold, they will not believe me, nor listen to my voice; for they will say, ‘Yahweh has not appeared to you.’ ”
Yahweh said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”
He said, “Throw it on the ground.”He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake; and Moses ran away from it.
Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand, and take it by the tail.”He stretched out his hand, and took hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand.
“This is so that they may believe that Yahweh, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
Yahweh said furthermore to him, “Now put your hand inside your cloak.”He put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow.
He said, “Put your hand inside your cloak again.”He put his hand inside his cloak again, and when he took it out of his cloak, behold, it had turned again as his other flesh.
“It will happen, if they will not believe you or listen to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.
It will happen, if they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, that you shall take of the water of the river, and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take out of the river will become blood on the dry land.”
Moses said to Yahweh, “O Lord,* I am not eloquent, neither before now, nor since you have spoken to your servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.”
Yahweh said to him, “Who made man’s mouth? Or who makes one mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Isn’t it I, Yahweh?
Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall speak.”
Moses said, “Oh, Lord, please send someone else.”
Yahweh’s anger burned against Moses, and he said, “What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Also, behold, he is coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
You shall speak to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with your mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what you shall do.
He will be your spokesman to the people. It will happen that he will be to you a mouth, and you will be to him as God.
You shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”
Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.”Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return into Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.”
Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. Moses took God’s rod in his hand.
Yahweh said to Moses, “When you go back into Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your hand, but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go.
You shall tell Pharaoh, ‘Yahweh says, Israel is my son, my firstborn,
and I have said to you, “Let my son go, that he may serve me;” and you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’ ”
On the way at a lodging place, Yahweh met Moses and wanted to kill him.
Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me.”
So he let him alone. Then she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.
Yahweh said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.”He went, and met him on God’s mountain, and kissed him.
Moses told Aaron all Yahweh’s words with which he had sent him, and all the signs with which he had instructed him.
Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.
Aaron spoke all the words which Yahweh had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.
The people believed, and when they heard that Yahweh had visited the children of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

New Light 4:

Freedom from addiction may be illustrated by man (or woman) but it can only be executed by God.

Let me take this opportunity to review some applications from what we have already read:

Deliverance was preceded by a personal God (Yahweh) having seen affliction (Ex 3:7)
Deliverance was initiated by Yahweh having heard their cry (Ex 3:9)

Regardless of what your slavery consists, and no matter what the substance of the chains that bind you, Yahweh sees your affliction and requires that you only cry out for help.

A synopsis of this chapter:

God regularly uses the agency of man in the execution of His will.
God regularly uses the instruments in the hands of man in the execution of His will.
Both the man and the instruments can be badly flawed, but still useful. Moses was sent to speak to the elders of Israel and to Pharaoh, but he stuttered so badly that his brother had to "translate" and do to the stiff-necked nature of the audience, signs, wonders and even destruction was required to achieve the stated objective of freedom for Israel.

What does this all mean?

Addiction is slavery, as we've already established, and all of the visible components of slavery are applicable in understanding what you may be up against: chains, cells, hard labor, sleepless nights, the negative impact upon your family, finances and relationships.
Others have been held your cell, and bond with your chains and found freedom. Don't discount what they might offer for advice in breaking free; however,
If that individual see freedom as having been accomplished by shear willpower or effort, please remember that it takes the same to become enslaved. Slavery is entrapment, but it may come from walking into a trap.
Idolatry is as addictive as cocaine, perhaps even more so. So be careful to understand that methods, instruments, replacement drugs or supplements are not the source of delivery - only Yahweh can save.

Let me repeat that...

Yahweh has seen your:

Pain,

Suffering,

Oppression,

Sorrow,

and wants you to be saved.

It will become very important that you take careful note of verses 30 and 31.

You see, Moses and Aaron spoke the words of the coming redemption (bought out of slavery), gave the people signs of authenticity (that their message was directly from Yahweh) and it says that the people "bowed their heads and worshiped". For a brief moment, their focus was exactly where it needed to be, but unfortunately, Satan is a master of...

Distraction.

and we will speak more to that in the next chapter.

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