True liberty is a condition that has seldom been available in our world. I find it very interesting to read about the struggles for liberty throughout the ages.
In the past days I have been reading about the battle for liberty that was fought in Geneva in the early sixteenth century. It is truly incredible to see how ruthless those who were in a position to deny liberty asserted their powers. In one instance, the duke of Savoy had two children of his opponents beheaded and quartered; he then pickled them and hung them from a tree outside the city of Geneva. The bishop of Geneva was in league with the duke in the operation of this. These wicked men are really a good example of the true issue of liberty. They were so tightly held in the grasp of their own wickedness that their own acts led to the demise of their countries. The city of Geneva was so abashed by the acts of these wicked men that it steeled them to endure whatever battles and hardships necessary to free themselves from their grasp.
There is a simple proverb written by Solomon that reflects this same issue:
Proverbs 14:1 Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.
It is so easy for any of us to destroy the very things we love due to our own bondage to our self-interests. True liberty is liberty from our own sinful and destructive natures.
