Learning to Be Free

The Hebrew people witnessed extraordinary miracles. After generations of slavery, ten plagues had shaken Egypt, and Pharaoh had finally released them. In Broadway’s telling of the story—The Prince of Egypt—Miriam and Tzipporah lead the people in singing When You Believe as they begin their journey toward freedom.

But the miracle of deliverance was only the beginning. The Hebrews were leaving Egypt, yet they had never learned how to live as free people.

Deliverance may change where we are. But it doesn’t necessarily change how we live.

After crossing the Red Sea, the people soon found themselves in the wilderness without drinkable water. Then came hunger, fear, and memories of Egypt that were surprisingly fond. The very people who had cried out for freedom began longing for the familiar life they had left behind.

Their fears were real. They had families to feed and no certainty about tomorrow. And fear has a way of making the familiar seem safer than the unknown, even when the familiar was filled with pain or oppression.

The Hebrew people had left Egypt, but Egypt hadn’t left them.

They believed God could deliver them. Now they had to learn how to follow God in freedom. That’s what faith is. Not just belief, but belief with legs. It’s putting what we believe into practice.

And that’s what God began teaching through manna.

Each morning, the people were instructed to gather enough food for the day. Not everything they could carry or enough to stockpile for weeks. Just what they needed. Remarkably, those who gathered much had nothing left over, while those who gathered little had no shortage.

God wasn’t simply feeding hungry people. God was teaching them an entirely different way of living.

Pharaoh had ruled through fear, domination, and exploitation. God was forming a people who would practice trust, generosity, restraint, and concern for one another. They would even learn to rest after generations of forced labor.

God was teaching them freedom by inviting them to practice it.

Jesus offers the same invitation when he says, “Follow me.” Loving our neighbors, forgiving others, welcoming strangers, and serving those who cannot repay us are not simply ideas to believe. They are ways of living God’s love.

But the ways of Pharaoh don’t always look evil to us. Sometimes they look like common sense. We may call overworking faithfulness, keeping score of past hurts wisdom, or making assumptions about others understanding. But that doesn’t necessarily make those choices right.

And this raises a challenging question: What have we learned to do in order to survive that we now need to unlearn in order to live freely?

Perhaps following Jesus means resting without guilt, listening before judging, admitting when we’ve been wrong, speaking up for someone being mistreated, or finally accepting the grace we so readily extend to others.

The good news is that God doesn’t abandon us when we struggle to change. The Hebrews experienced God’s generosity before learning to be generous, God’s faithfulness before learning to trust, and God’s care before learning to care for one another.

God was teaching them to live according to the love they were already receiving.

The same God who opened the sea provided bread the next morning. And that God is still teaching us to follow, one ordinary day at a time.

Freedom isn’t merely what God brings us out of. Freedom is the life God is teaching us to live every day as we follow Jesus Christ.

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Scripture

Exodus 15:22–16:18

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Key Takeaways

Deliverance is the beginning of freedom

Our circumstances may change overnight, but learning to live differently often takes time, patience, and practice.

Fear can make the familiar seem safer than freedom

Old habits sometimes feel like wisdom or common sense, even when they keep us captive to old ways of living that God is asking us to leave behind.

Faith is belief with legs

Following God means more than holding the right beliefs. It means allowing those beliefs to shape our choices, relationships, and everyday actions.

God teaches freedom through daily practice

The manna was not simply food for hungry people. It was a daily invitation to practice trust, sufficiency, generosity, and care for the community.

God’s love makes transformation possible

God meets us before we have everything figured out, patiently teaching us to live according to the love we have already received.

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Questions for Reflection

What habits or assumptions from your past still influence how you respond to challenges today?

When has fear made something familiar feel safer than an unfamiliar but healthier possibility?

Where might you be confusing what feels responsible, wise, or faithful with what God is actually inviting you to do?

What is one specific way you could put your faith into action this week—through generosity, listening, forgiveness, rest, or compassion?

How might remembering God’s love and care for you help you approach someone else differently?

What have you learned to do to survive that you now need to unlearn in order to live freely?