Scripture:
10 "As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. 11 They said to Moses, 'Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn't we say to you in Egypt, Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!'
13 Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see gain. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."
EXODUS 14: 10-13
Observation:
The Israelites lacked faith in God to follow through with His promise of delivering them out of Egypt. Had they faith, they would have known there was nothing to fear. However, they were terrified and started trying to blame Moses for their doom. They looked at the situation and measured it by their own ability. They knew they could not take on an entire Egyptian army, fully equipped and on horseback. The Israelites were doubtful and short sighted. They surely believed this was the end of them; they would all be killed. They told Moses he should have let them remain as slaves. For, as slaves at least they were safe from danger and they had food to eat. All through Exodus chapters 15-16 the Israelites continue to doubt God and complain about their circumstances:
"When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah) So the people grumbled against Moses, saying 'What are we to drink?'" EXODUS 15:23-24
"In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, 'If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to stave this entire assembly to death.'" EXODUS 16:2-3
In the middle of Exodus 16, and near the end, the Israelites continued to doubt God and His promises. They display this doubt by disobeying Moses when told not to save any extra food until the morning. The Israelites did not listen and saved some bread for the next morning. When they awoke, the extra bread they had saved was full of maggots. Later on in Chapter 16, Moses tells the Israelites to take twice as much food as was needed on Saturday so they would have enough for Sunday without having to go collect food on the Sabbath. The Israelites still tried to go collect food on the Sabbath and found none.
Application:
Oh, Israelites, how often I can relate to you! I have prayed that God deliver me from certain circumstances or sin in my life. Often times I have found myself complaining about how uncomfortable certain stages were, or how inconvenient it was to incorporate necessary changes in my life. Change is never comfortable. Change is never easy. But, change is necessary. How ridiculous is it to ask God for something and then sit back and complain each step of the way as He grants my request? Moses says in reply to the Israelites' complaints towards himself and Aaron in EXODUS 16:8 "... Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD." When I complain about other people, or circumstances, no matter who I try to blame, ultimately I am complaining against God. Ouch; that statement stings a little.
As I read through Exodus, I can't help but to think towards the Israelites "YOU MORONS! God freed you from slavery and parted the Red Sea right before your very eyes! And, aside from a song you sung after He parted the red sea, you seem to so quickly forget and go back to griping!" But, often I am the same type of moron. I so easily forget what God has promised. I so easily forget or am blinded to the amazing works God has already done for me. I doubt Him and His promises and I complain that things don't seem to be going as I would have thought or planned. How short sighted I can be at times! God never promised us that following Him and obeying His word would be easy and comfortable. Nope; it's quite the contrary. But, we have nothing to fear and should fully trust in Him to follow through with what He has promised. After all, it's impossible for Him to lie. He has said He will guide us and stick by us always. He will, and all we have to do is "be still", as Moses put it. I do not need to take matters into my own hands. All I need to do is be still, listen and obey.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for revealing to me how ridiculous it is for me to complain about anything. Thank You for pointing out that no matter where I am or how undesirable, uncomfortable, or how much I feel I am suffering that it's never appropriate to complain. Thank You for Your grace, that even when I'm ungrateful You still provide for my every need. Thank You for loving me so much that You do not want to see me stay where I am, and so You stretch me. Thank You that no amount of suffering, sacrifice or pain, caused by following Your will for my life, ever goes unrewarded. Thank You for being more concerned with my character than my comfort. Please take every complaint from my heart and replace them with only gratitude. When fear and doubt creep at my door, remind me how much bigger You are than anything I could possibly fear. Thank You Lord for Your promises. Thank You for staying constant and fully reliable. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, ~Amen
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