Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a French Philosopher, said this about freedom: “I have never believed that man’s freedom consisted in doing what he wants, but rather in never doing what he does not want to do”. That is incisive. Apostle Paul wrote about his struggle in Romans 7:8-9 – “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” In effect, at this point in Paul’s life, he was not experiencing freedom. As cogent as Rousseau’s observation is, the freedom to never do what one does not want to do cannot come from the will of man. It is part of the blessing that comes with salvation in Christ.

True freedom is not in choosing whatever we want, but the power to choose what pleases God…Choosing what appeals to us without deference to God is a sure route to disaster.

It is possible to extend this notion of freedom to all our choices. True freedom is not in choosing whatever we want, but the power to choose what pleases God. In our text, God presented two opposing paths to His people – the path that leads to blessing or life and the one that leads to a curse and death. All choices will lead to one of the two ends. Choosing what appeals to us without deference to God is a sure route to disaster. Therefore, it is recommended that before any choice is made, one should find out God’s will on the subject.