Egypt

So in my "read through the Bible in a year" plan, I am currently in Isaiah.  I've read it before.  I've taken some classes on it.  I'm still not sure I get a lot of it.  However, a passage sort of jumped out this morning.  Here it is:

Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
who rely on horses, who trust in the multitudes of their chariots
and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
or seek help from the Lord.

Taking a brief moment to remember the context, one quickly calls to mind the fact that the Jews were once enslaved in Egypt.  This was the place they left in the great exodus.  They had been given their freedom, and now they seem to want to go back.  They want to rely on all that place represented.  Its apparent strength and status, rather than seeking the Lord.  I'm glad things are so different today.  I'm glad I never long for my place of enslavement, falsely believing that will satisfy.  I'm glad I always seek the Lord.  I'm glad I never trust in myself or the things of this world.  I'm glad there are no horses or chariots to trust today.  I'm also glad I have the gift of sarcasm. 

So interesting that we have such a hard time with true freedom.  We falsely believe in the promises of "Egypt", not realizing we are enslaved.  It's a beautiful thing that the Cross of Jesus never stops wanting to free us, even when we chase after the wrong things.  The demonstration of this freedom is perhaps our best apologetic in an increasingly post-Christian world.