Not the Dueling Banjos, and definitely, not the movie. Common sense means someone offering deliverance will come with bigger guns, larger equipment, superior power and overthrow the enemy. And so, Israel imagined they’d be delivered from Roman rule through a military-type messiah. Uprisals would take place here and there, and small groups of Zelotes would eventually overrun the oppressor. The Romans would run home with their tails between their legs howling and barking in fright.
Had Jesus done that, it’d be a matter of time when Israel would be conquered again. Why? Because they’re linked to God, and as long as they disobeyed Him, He’d turn them over to their enemies. So, he sent them their long-awaited Messiah-on His terms.
Jesus ’goal was to show Israel, and the world that their oppression came from within. Sin had lassoed itself within the heart of man. And as long as we’re alive, we’re bound by it. See, one can be jailed, even placed in isolation for decades, but as long as you’re free within, there are no bars that can bind you because the cords of steel are on the outside, while Jesus is working on the inside of your heart. And so, Jesus continues to show us He’s our Deliverer-setting captives free from sin.
You can choose to listen to Deliverance from any music source, including an old, dusty boom-box, and still be bound by sin; or, you can turn your life over to the Deliverer and be free forever. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1).
God Bless!
Sam