No trip to the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, can be called complete without stopping by to admire one of the most honored symbols of freedom in our land, the Liberty Bell. Since it came to our country from England, where it was cast in 1752, it has been an object of great reverence to Americans because of its association with our early fight for freedom from British rule.
As the Bible was the invisible hand behind the drafting of our Declaration of Independence, (which we will explore in a future devotion) so too it should be impossible to separate this “Bell of Freedom” from the inscription it bore: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” What fitting words to describe the function of this great bell. As you might have expected, the source for these thrilling and inspiring words is from the Bible: Leviticus 25:10 (KJV).
We should never underestimate the freedoms we now have as Americans. But sadly many of our citizens, while living in a free country, are slaves to their own thoughts. Worry and stress literally keep millions of our United States countrymen in slavery to their though lives. While the Liberty Bell symbolizes the nationwide freedoms we have, only the Bible and one’s belief in its teachings can go the final mile and allow us the real freedom to experience true peace and joy.
Horace Greely, a nineteenth century U.S. editor and political leader, understood how this idea was only possible in a land where real freedoms are protected; and that means where we are free to own, read, and study our Bible; which in many countries in our world today isn’t a reality – at least not in public. He summed up this idea perfectly when he stated: “It is impossible to mentally or socially enslave a Bible-reading people. The principles of the Bible are the groundwork of human freedom.“