Title: Freedom of the Old Testament
Old Testament freedom
Text/ Exodus 2:23-25 (Ex 21:1-6, Lev 25:8-12, Isaiah 58:6-12)
1. Introduction
Last week, while reading the Bible and meditating, I realized that the most important thing in life is freedom (Liberty=Freedom)! I thought. So, today, I would like to share grace while meditating on the problem of freedom revealed in the Old Testament.
First, let's find the dictionary meaning of freedom=Liberty=Freedom.
Freedom=Liberty=Freedom: 1. A person who is free from all restrictions, including those that lack and lack of something, sit on a cushion of thorns, acceptable oppression, or restrictions from which he is not even aware that he is being constrained. state. 2. A state in which each person can freely do what he or she wants to do without any interference from anyone, such as the state, church, family, or supernatural beings, in his or her life course, expression, and belief (freedom to). However, this freedom is freedom within the scope of not infringing on the freedom of others, and it is the freedom to take responsibility for the results.
2. The Meaning of Freedom in the Old Testament
The Old Testament is composed of the Pentateuch + Prophets + Bible Books. Among them, the core is the Pentateuch and its pupil is the Book of Exodus. Because the starting point of the existence of Israel is the Exodus. Here we see a very strange fact. All nations, peoples, and individuals in the world set out their myths, histories, genealogies, etc., and glorify their ancestors as descendants of gods, descendants of the sun, royal descendants, and noble families. However, with the very exception of the Israelites, their ancestors were lowly slaves = slaves of Pharaoh of Egypt. We confess that when our ancestors cried out desperately because of slavery, the living God heard the cry and freed our ancestors from Egypt. In the Old Testament, autobiography almost always means slavery = release from slavery and forced hard labor = liberation from servitude.
Therefore, the Old Testament tells all the people of Israel that you are no longer slaves = slaves of others, but set yourselves free. If there are weak people among you who cannot be freed by themselves, you who are already free and strong are constantly commanding them through the Mosaic Law and the Prophets to set them free. *If you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve him for six years, and in the seventh year he shall be set free without charge (Exodus 21:1-7; Deuteronomy 15:12-18) *The fiftieth year = Sanctify the Jubilee and proclaim liberty to the inhabitants of the country. (Leviticus 25:8-12) - Jubilee Law * My fasting is to untie the bonds of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free, and to break all yokes (Isa 58:6). -12, Isa 61:1-3).
3. God tells everyone to be free. Why?
first. This is because from the beginning God created all living things on this earth to be free to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:22, 28. 8:17)). Even a mere insect will squirm and die if it is suppressed. How much more would you be human!
“To deny the freedom of any one person is to deny all life itself. A denial of freedom to an individual is a denial of life itself. The very character of the life of man demands freedom.” Martin Luther King, Rev.
“Until Dawn” by Yun Dong-ju, a poet during the Japanese colonial period, “Is spring coming even in the stolen fields?” by Lee Sang-hwa, “The Blue Sky” by Kim Su-yeong, a poet in the military dictatorship era, Shin Dong-yup’s “The Shell, Go”, Poems such as “with a burning thirst” are no different than the groaning and crying of the Israelites appearing in today's text. It is a cry for freedom.
second. Because freedom is the source of happiness. Freedom of speech, freedom of physical residence and movement, freedom from poverty, freedom from disease, freedom from ignorance, freedom from absurd social institutions, false prophet = freedom from false religion, freedom from despair, Could I be happy without any one of these freedoms: freedom from political fear, freedom to devote my passion to what I like, want to do, and love? Absolutely Impossible!
Therefore, the Old Testament enacted the fourth commandment and gave them the freedom to rest on the Sabbath so that even the silent animals could enjoy happiness (Exodus 20:10).
third. Because freedom is a double-edged sword. Paul Tillich, figuratively speaking of human existence, said: “Adam misused his freedom to sin, and was punished by death. But by Adam's misused freedom, we became human." To paraphrase this, we could say, “We know what the right exercise of freedom is because Adam set a precedent for the misuse of freedom.” In this sense, freedom is a double-edged sword. If you use it like Adam, it becomes a curse, and if you use it like Jesus, it becomes a blessing.
Dr. Victor Frankl, the founder of logo therapy (semantic therapy), in his book <Death Camp>, said, “The reality of life facing each person is 搖之不moving. But it still remains with each person the freedom to decide his or her attitude toward the realities of life.” In other words, in the face of a tragic reality, “Will you despair? Or will we go beyond anguish to joy?” The freedom to choose between the two still remains with each person. So freedom is a double-edged sword.