Declaration of Dependence

God’s “elect” (the descendants of Abraham, Genesis 12:1-4) were born captives and slaves in a land hostile to the Creator, Triune God – hostile to their faith.  They were born in “Egypt” without representation and brutally taxed (building treasurer cities) and oppressed (John Bunyan in jail for preaching without a license from the state).

God raised up voices to appeal to the “king” – the Pharaoh.  Voices like Moses, Cotton Mather, William Bradshaw and Aaron. Those voices were augmented by calamities caused by God (plagues) but the “king” persisted in his persecution of God’s chosen and even heightened his persecution of them (Exodus 5:11, a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations).

Finally, God’s people were moved to make a Declaration of Independence from the despot ruling over them to which they were willing to sign their names.  They were willing to put their blood – their lives on the line – or blood on their doorposts thus making a statement to both one another and to the “king.”

The Declaration of commitment to Moses and Moses’ God and in opposition to the “King” was a huge statement of faith for if God did not come through that night, the blood on the doorposts would invite the “king’s” army to bring death or greater oppression.  Their faith, however, was richly rewarded.

That Declaration of Independence was really a Declaration of Dependence – a dependence on God.  [“Nature’s God”, “endowed by their Creator”, “appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World”, and “reliance on the protection from divine Providence.”].  By putting the blood on the doorposts they were making a public statement of dependence on God.  If God was not real or not honest, they were “dead”, but they believed otherwise.  Their Declaration of Dependence was blessed by God and they were ushered into a new world – one free of oppression, suppression and depression.  They were now a freed people.

And that event – that Declaration – brought on a war.  It brought death to the sons of the king and the king’s faithful – a Revolutionary War.  It resulted in a war between God and the king’s army with God totally destroying the army of the enemy – they were annihilated at the Red Sea (a surrender at Yorktown, 10/19/1781, after many sons had died).

The Declaration of Independence that broke them out of bondage also moved them into a new reality.  They were not just peoples of the 12 sons of Jacob (13 colonies), but suddenly a conglomerate of peoples needing some cohesion in order to survive.  Freed they were, not to do their individual thing, but now with a commitment to mutual support (“we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor”).

They traveled together over the coming months and eventually formulated a governing document (the Ten given by God), an army, and rules and regulations for the mutual good of all with a submission to God Almighty – “In God we trust!” and “One nation under God”.

The “Declaration of Independence” by the Israelites in Egypt and by American pioneers led to great freedoms for its people as well as to the establishment of two very influential nations richly used by God.  Their Declarations of Dependence brought blessings on the signers and their descendants – on us!  To those who signed those “Declarations”, we owe huge gratitude.