Reading through Leviticus I came across these words from God to His people, the nation of Israel:

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.” (Leviticus 26:13)

While the period of Egyptian slavery and the Exodus are both historical realities, the church has often referred to them in a metaphorical sense as well. In Egypt the people were slaves, forced to do the things they did not want to do. Their exit (Exodus) from Egypt under the leadership of Moses set them free and introduced them to a new life.

The Bible teaches that we are captives (slaves) to sin… forced to do things we may not want to do and/or incapable of doing the things we want to do (see Romans 7:14-20). It is through our faith in Christ that we experience our Exodus from the captivity of sin.

I love these verses from Leviticus! They speak to people who had been crushed, humiliated, dominated, and victimized. They speak to people who typically would shuffle along… broken… spiritless… liable to further abuse. They speak to people who would likely be lacking in confidence and they say, “I will enable you to walk with heads held high!”

I know this, before Christ, I could barely make eye contact with whomever I was speaking to. I was crushed by my sin and humiliated by my life. Now, after the exodus… I walk with head held high. Not because I’m anybody to you, but because I’m somebody to my Father. And that means a lot!

To all who are walking with your eyes downward… look up! Your Father, your Liberator, The One who sets you free from the chains of your past is with you and He is the One who lifts up your head (see Psalm 3:3)!