In 17th century France, a most unusual arrest was made. Over the course of 34 years, a man known as Eustache Dauger spent the final days of his life in the most tightly guarded French prisons available, never once letting his face see the light of day.
The writer Voltaire claimed Dauger wore an iron mask to prevent anyone from seeing his face. The man known as Eustache Dauger died in 1703 and was immediately buried under the name of Marchioly. To this day no one is certain who the Man in the Iron Mask really was.
What about us? What Iron Mask do we wear? What keeps us imprisoned and hovering in the shadows? Is it something we’ve done that we fear will be exposed? Is it a chemical addiction? Do we find our desire for the world uncontrollable, even as we sing along with the choir on Sunday mornings?
In Genesis 6, the entire world was going to hell in a handbasket, literally. The wickedness of mankind was so great that God felt he had no option but to destroy the entirely of his creation. Genesis 6:6 tells us God wished he had never made man at all.
Sin had locked its Iron Mask of deception around all of humanity, and there was no escape for the human race.
Except.
In Genesis 6:8 we learn that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
What is grace? James Ryle suggests it is the presence of God allowing us to be who he created us to be.
What does that say about Noah? Of all the men living on the earth, Noah alone exhibited the lifestyle God originally intended for his creation.
Eustache Dauger never received a pardon for his crimes, and he wore his mask until his death. However, Jesus died on the cross to set us free, and in his sacrifice, the Iron Mask of sin was broken from our necks, never to be put on again.
He whom Christ has set free is free indeed.
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