WHY SO LONG IN SLAVERY (2 OF 10)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: Exodus 1:5-14
This content is part of a series.
Why so Long in Slavery (2 of 10)
Series: Broken Chains
Jeff Strite
Exodus 1:5-14
(Props - 10 foot length of ¼ inch chain; a cross on stage that can handle the weight of the chain)
OPEN: I once read the story of a marketplace in northern India where people brought their wares to trade and sell. One old farmer brought in a whole covey of quail that he caught. He hoped to get the attention of passersby by tying strings to ring that fit loosely over a stick in the ground, and then attaching the ends of the strings he tied around a leg of each bird. He had taught the quail to walk in a circle.
But nobody cared. Nobody wanted them.
Then along came a devout Hindu holy man of the region. He believed in the Hindu idea of respect for all life, so his heart went out to these birds walking in monotonous circles.
He told the farmer ‘‘I want to buy them all.’’
When he’d paid for them, he said, ‘‘Now, I want you to set them all free.’’
The farmer looked at him strangely and said ‘‘What’s that sir?’’
‘‘You heard me. Cut the strings from their legs and turn them loose. Set them all free.’’
The old farmer shrugged, bent down and snipped the strings off the quail.
You’d have thought they’d have flown away… but they didn’t. They simply continued marching around and around in a circle.
A little frustrated, the Hindu man shooed them off, but they only landed some distance away and resumed their predictable march.
Freed from their bonds - they just kept going round and round in circles as if still tied.
(Charles Swindoll in his book: ‘‘The Finishing Touch’’).
Exodus.
When we hear that word, we think of the 2nd book of the Bible by that name.
But we rarely think about what the word itself really means.
Exodus means - ‘‘to leave’’.
The Book of Exodus is the story of Israel LEAVING their slavery in Egypt.
But they didn’t just leave.
God brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand and rescued them from their slavery.
Throughout the Old Testament, that’s ...
Series: Broken Chains
Jeff Strite
Exodus 1:5-14
(Props - 10 foot length of ¼ inch chain; a cross on stage that can handle the weight of the chain)
OPEN: I once read the story of a marketplace in northern India where people brought their wares to trade and sell. One old farmer brought in a whole covey of quail that he caught. He hoped to get the attention of passersby by tying strings to ring that fit loosely over a stick in the ground, and then attaching the ends of the strings he tied around a leg of each bird. He had taught the quail to walk in a circle.
But nobody cared. Nobody wanted them.
Then along came a devout Hindu holy man of the region. He believed in the Hindu idea of respect for all life, so his heart went out to these birds walking in monotonous circles.
He told the farmer ‘‘I want to buy them all.’’
When he’d paid for them, he said, ‘‘Now, I want you to set them all free.’’
The farmer looked at him strangely and said ‘‘What’s that sir?’’
‘‘You heard me. Cut the strings from their legs and turn them loose. Set them all free.’’
The old farmer shrugged, bent down and snipped the strings off the quail.
You’d have thought they’d have flown away… but they didn’t. They simply continued marching around and around in a circle.
A little frustrated, the Hindu man shooed them off, but they only landed some distance away and resumed their predictable march.
Freed from their bonds - they just kept going round and round in circles as if still tied.
(Charles Swindoll in his book: ‘‘The Finishing Touch’’).
Exodus.
When we hear that word, we think of the 2nd book of the Bible by that name.
But we rarely think about what the word itself really means.
Exodus means - ‘‘to leave’’.
The Book of Exodus is the story of Israel LEAVING their slavery in Egypt.
But they didn’t just leave.
God brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand and rescued them from their slavery.
Throughout the Old Testament, that’s ...
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