These past several weeks, I’ve been reading about the Israelites- some of the most frustrating people I have ever “met” in the Bible. In Exodus, they are freed from slavery in Egypt, cross the Red Sea, and watch their enemies be destroyed. Then after only THREE DAYS in the wilderness, they start complaining against Moses because they wanted water- which the Lord then provided. (Exodus 15:25)
Then in Exodus 16:3- just 6 WEEKS after the Red Sea miracle, this is what they had to say: “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (Really?)
Within these disrespectful comments, we can observe their mindset:
•Critical view of the circumstances
•Negative view of the future
•Distorted view of the past
This unhealthy thinking continued throughout the 40 year journey to the Promised Land. (Which, by the way, should have only taken 11 DAYS!) But over and over again, they FORGET to REMEMBER God! Who He is and what He had done! They didn’t look to the Lord for help, instead they blamed Moses and wanted him to fix everything. Even though the Israelites are annoying, I see myself in them, and in reading their stories I am convicted of my own sin.
I am certain that being critical and negative could easily become the attitudes of my heart, especially as we are walking in the wilderness right now. We are lost because there is no map for our situations, and no Moses to fix our problems, but in that, we have an opportunity to pursue what the Lord desired from the Israelites.
•TO KNOW THAT HE IS THE LORD OUR GOD
•TO REMEMBER WHAT HE HAS DONE
“For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows you’re going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.” -Deuteronomy 2:7
Then in Exodus 16:3- just 6 WEEKS after the Red Sea miracle, this is what they had to say: “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (Really?)
Within these disrespectful comments, we can observe their mindset:
•Critical view of the circumstances
•Negative view of the future
•Distorted view of the past
This unhealthy thinking continued throughout the 40 year journey to the Promised Land. (Which, by the way, should have only taken 11 DAYS!) But over and over again, they FORGET to REMEMBER God! Who He is and what He had done! They didn’t look to the Lord for help, instead they blamed Moses and wanted him to fix everything. Even though the Israelites are annoying, I see myself in them, and in reading their stories I am convicted of my own sin.
I am certain that being critical and negative could easily become the attitudes of my heart, especially as we are walking in the wilderness right now. We are lost because there is no map for our situations, and no Moses to fix our problems, but in that, we have an opportunity to pursue what the Lord desired from the Israelites.
•TO KNOW THAT HE IS THE LORD OUR GOD
•TO REMEMBER WHAT HE HAS DONE
“For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows you’re going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.” -Deuteronomy 2:7
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