The Two Sides to Liberty

Jeremiah 34:17

Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.

There are two liberty’s mentioned in this verse. Jeremiah said that he had proclaimed liberty to these people, and this liberty that he proclaimed to them was to obey God, and this liberty kept them from death, pestilence, and famine. However, there is another liberty that Jeremiah proclaimed, and that liberty was, because they did not listen to his message to obey God, on the other side of the fence of God's rules was liberty for the sword, pestilence, and famine to devour these people. These people had liberty one way or the other, but one liberty brought freedom while the other liberty resulted in bondage.

There is liberty on either side of God‘s fence of rules, boundaries, and limitations. Inside this fence is the liberty to do whatever you want, and the joy you will find inside of this fence is amazing. However, what you consider freedom outside of the fence is the freedom for the sword, pestilence, and famine to devour you. You may find the freedom you want, but that freedom won’t be what you thought it would be because that freedom is heartache and death.

I am reminded of a dog I owned years ago as a child; his name was Butch. Butch was a great dog, but he hated the fence that kept him from roaming the streets. Butch often dug holes underneath the fence and escaped that fence to enjoy his freedom for a night, and the next morning, we would find him sitting at the front door waiting for us to put him in the backyard again. However, one day, the dog catcher got him, and had it not been for my parents having enough money to pay the fine to get him released, he would have been put down. You see, his freedom was truly inside of the fence that he thought was restricting him from true freedom. Inside of that fence, he could do whatever he wanted to do. Inside of that fence was where he had food provided for him daily. Inside of that fence, he had water to drink without seeking it. Inside of that fence, he had a family that would play with him and love him. However, that fence seemed inhibitive to him, but that fence is what kept him enjoying the blessings that his human family provided.

My friend, the rules, boundaries, and limitations that God set up for the believer to live by are not there to keep you from enjoying life; they are there to help you enjoy life. Too many people look at the standards that God expects the believer to live by as inhibitive, but those standards are truly there to protect the believer from the liberty of the sword, pestilence, and famine that they will find outside of that fence. Samson thought there was freedom outside of the fence of God rules, but he found the freedom of the sword that devoured his eyes and personal freedom, which left him grinding in a dungeon like an animal.

Psalm 84:10 says, For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. Let me challenge you to trust God's Word and stay inside the fence of God's standards for living, which is found in His Word, because inside that fence is where you will find true liberty in life.