«The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread» (Isaiah 51:14, NIV).
ACCORDING TO an article published in an Argentine newspaper La Naciٖón, a man died just as he had lived: in slavery. The article addresses a man who lived no less than 1,500 years ago. His remains astonished a group of archeologists because «after intense study, it was determined he might have been an enslaved person, which would be the first scientific evidence of enslavement» in what was the ancient Roman Empire. What struck these experts was that the man had been buried wearing shackles.
In Rome, slaves were usually chained to remind them that they had no rights and were at the mercy of their master’s whims and fancies. Their masters could torment, sell, abandon, or even kill them, and none of it was considered a crime. According to Michael Marshall, a prehistoric and Roman finds specialist at the Museum of London Archaeology, the fact that the man had been buried in shackles showed «that some of the symbolic consequences of imprisonment and slavery could extend even beyond death.»
Speaking of Christ’s work, the book of Hebrews states, «Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage» (Hebrews 2:14, 15). These verses present Satan as the emperor of death and us being «all [our] lifetime subject to bondage;» in other words, subject to his shackles, in life and death.
However, the good news is that Christ set us free from that slavery, destroying «him who had the power of death.» Jesus forever broke the chains with which the enemy had kept us in oppression and slavery. Thus, we will not spend eternity clothed in the dust of everlasting death and tied with eternal shackles, no! In Christ Jesus, having been «set free from sin,» we are now «slaves to righteousness» (Romans 6:18). God’s wonderful promise to us is this: «The cowering prisoners will be set free» (Isaiah 51:14, NIV).
Let’s live as we are: free in the Lord!
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2023
“I AM WITH YOU”
From: J. VLADIMIR POLANCO
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Angelica Cuate
