In Exodus, God shattered the power of Pharaoh and led His people out of Egypt with a mighty hand. The sea parted, the chains were broken, and a nation of slaves walked into freedom. Yet even as they journeyed into the wilderness, their hearts still longed for Egypt. “We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic” (Numbers 11:5). At no cost? They forgot the whips that scarred their backs, the bricks they molded in endless labor, and the graves of their children buried under tyranny. They called the food free, but it was bought with their bondage.
This is the great deception of every age. Slavery never begins with chains. It begins with promises. Promises of provision. Promises of safety. Promises that sound like mercy, but hide control. The meal is the bait; the leash is hidden in the hand that offers it. The master gives, but only so he may own. The cage may be golden, the rope may be velvet, but the result is the same: slavery.
The prophet Isaiah thundered, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness” (Isaiah 5:20). And is it not the same today? A culture that calls dependency “justice,” that names bondage “compassion,” and that dresses control as generosity is only rewrapping Pharaoh’s chains. What is promised as “free” always comes with a price: your freedom.
Scripture does not mince words. “You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men” (1 Corinthians 7:23). “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). To depend on man for what only God can provide is to bow to a false master. It is to step back into the prison even when the door stands open.
The lesson is clear: those who live as slaves will be ruled by masters, but those who live free under God will walk in responsibility, dignity, and strength. Slaves surrender their choices for comfort. Free people embrace responsibility and refuse to bow. Slaves live by what is handed down. Free people live by what is built up in faith.
So here is the warning: any system, any power, any promise that demands your dependence is not your friend — it is your Pharaoh. And any people who trade their freedom for provision will find themselves in chains. True freedom is not found in governments or masters. True freedom is found only in the Lord, who gives life without taking liberty, who sustains without enslaving.
Choose wisely which hand you trust. One binds. The other blesses.