Two years ago, the words popped as I was getting ready to fly down to the “Golden State” to see two of my daughters and their families. This morning, I’m sitting in the “Beaver State” — both families having moved here shortly after that visit. And reading in Exodus 9 this morning, the thought forms as it did two years ago: The people of God are saved to serve. God’s people are rescued from slavery to sin in order to serve a Sovereign in righteousness. They are led out of the darkness of Egypt to serve as light for a coming kingdom. While we are no longer subject to the power of the prince of this earth, yet we belong to and submit to Another, the King of heaven. Saved to serve. Here’s how those thoughts came together a couple of years ago.

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Flying down to the Golden State tomorrow morning to see kids and grandkids, so decided on doing a double reading in my reading plan this morning. It bore the unexpected fruit of picking up on one of those repetitive drumbeats often found in Scripture. An echo which reminds me that deliverance from one master is really for the purpose of serving another.

Ask someone who’s read Exodus (or has watched Charlton Heston in “The Ten Commandments”) what Moses’ ask was of Pharaoh and most are gonna be pretty quick to quote that famous line, “Let My people go!” And they’d be right. Mostly.

This morning, I’m chewing on the reason behind the ask.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve Me.” ‘ ”

(Exodus 9:1 ESV)

Encountered that they may serve Me three times this morning. That’s three of the six times it is spoken by Moses’ during his showdown with Pharaoh. Three times that arrested my attention and reminded me that while salvation is about freedom, that freedom is found in serving the Lord.

Let My people go isn’t just about being delivered from the tyranny of a wicked taskmaster. It’s also about being delivered unto the rule of the True Master. It’s about having ownership transferred and becoming the servant of Someone else (1Cor. 7:22, Gal. 1:10, 1Pet. 2:16). Not about being released from bondage in order to serve myself but being bought with a price so that I’m no longer my own and now belong to Another (1Cor. 6:19-20).

But at its core, the servanthood of deliverance is different. I was reminded of this too in another reading this morning.

“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” ~ Jesus

(Matthew 11:28-30 ESV)

My Deliverer is now my Master. My Redeemer, now my Lord. But my Savior is also a Shepherd.

My task is to trust Him as He leads so that I might know His rest. A rest found in taking upon myself His yoke which is easy and knowing that whatever “burden” he calls me to bear will be light, for He bears it with me. Saved from slavery in order to serve Another. Saved for my good but saved for His glory.

“Let my people go, that they may serve Me.“

That’s the cry of deliverance in its fullness. The cry of deliverance which leads to flourishing.

Deliverance by His grace. Deliverance for His glory.