Do You Want to be Free?

Today is Martin Luther King day.  Mr. King is known for one thing, he fought for freedom for his race. His most famous quote is his “promised land” quote in Memphis TN.

“…And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land. So I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man.” Martin Luther King Jr., Speech in Memphis, April 3, 1968, the day before King was assassinated

You would think everyone would want freedom, but they don’t.  In fact King talked about the Biblical promised land that Moses was to lead the people to.  Moses was sent by God to release the people from the Egyptians who had enslaved them.  God had intended to take them all to the promised land.  Do you know how many of them made it?  TWO!  Only Joshua and Caleb.

The people rebelled numerous times against God.  Once they said,

““Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”” (Exodus 16:3 NKJV)

They preferred slavery to freedom.  Slavery had certainty, freedom uncertainty.  Freedom meant independence, they were used to being dependent on their master for food.   Freedom meant risk, slavery felt safe.

Read the book of Exodus as I am and you will find an amazing story of God trying to give an entire nation freedom but eventually they rejected it. There are so many lessons in this amazing book.  I can understand why Mr. King drew on its imagery in that speech.

God still wants to lead people to freedom but not everyone is willing to pay the price. Mr. King was.

Joe Palmer