07/05/2024
🇺🇸 Our Fourth of July Freedom
🇺🇸
Our Judeo-Christian heritage is apparent on our own Liberty Bell,
As it rang from the bell tower of Independence Hall,
Announcing the Declaration of Independence,
And our nation’s beginning.
Across the top of the bell is engraved a verse from the Torah:
"Proclaim Liberty Throughout All The Land Unto All Inhabitants Thereof." (Leviticus 25:10)
The idea of liberty/freedom dates back to God’s deliverance of His People from Egypt’s slavery more than 3,000 years ago.
It is an ancient idea, hearkening back to our Hebrew roots, with cities in our country named in honor of those roots - Jericho, Salem, New Canaan, Zion, and others.
Yet, when we speak of those ancient roots of liberty, we often mis-quote this God of Freedom.
He never said “Let my people go!”
At least He never said those words alone.
God said, repeatedly, “Let my people go, so that they may worship me.”
We are created to worship and if we don’t worship God, we’ll worship something…..
And whatever we worship, we also serve.
The opposite of tyranny, then, is not individual freedom to do whatever we want whenever we want.
We all worship/serve something - man-made or not.
Worshipping God gives us the freedom to live our lives on paths of life, following our God ~ the god of the Universe ~ who knows us and cares for us like no other,
Growing into the person He calls us to be,
Thus blessing others too.
Liberty,
Freedom ~
".....so that they may worship me.”
Freedom indeed!
