Scripture:
All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”
Consider:
The book of Exodus begins with God hearing the cries of the Israelites. The Israelites arrived in Egypt 400 years before under different circumstances. At that time, they were under the protection and favor of Egypt’s second-in-command leader, Joseph, the son of Jacob. However, things changed over time, and the nation who was once a friendly guest had become a threat, and the gracious hosts became slave masters with increasing demands and cruelty. It was under duress that the Israelites called out to God to be rescued.
God answers the cries of the Israelites but has a much greater plan for them. God’s plan is not just to rescue them, but to bless them with a Promised Land, a land of abundant milk and honey.
The way to the Promised Land is difficult and uncertain, not at all like the life they had in Egypt. Sure, it was difficult, but it was predictable.
Often, we find ourselves in the rut of the mundane, but we would rather complain and comply than take the risk of answering God’s call to something unknown. We seem to forget the immensity of God’s goodness, our faith falters when obstacles get in the way, and we fail to obey God’s call to abundant living.
The late Presbyterian Pastor, Tim Keller, tells the story of his son’s struggle with disobedience. In this memory, his son claimed if his dad would just explain thoroughly why his dad was asking him to do something, then he would gladly obey. Tim explains that this really isn’t obedience but agreement.
In the scripture, the Israelites are hesitant to continue obeying God’s call to the Promised Land when the going gets tough. But the thing about obedience is God may not give us full visibility of our promised future. That’s why obedience requires faith. When things got difficult, the Israelites looked back to Egypt with a faulty lens, instead of looking forward in faith to God’s promise of something good beyond their imagination.
How often do we find ourselves in similar circumstances? God will call us to take that next step of faith, and we need to trust in his goodness. Problems and struggles in our walk of faith call us to look forward and not backwards – to look up and not down.
Respond:
Is God calling you to something beyond your line of sight? Are you feeling discouraged by the bumps along that road? Look up! Lift up your eyes, as the psalmist says in Psalm 121:1-2, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
Pray:
Father God, This way of faith is full of obstacles, and we are often discouraged when we can’t see the Promised Land beyond the next turn. Fill our hearts with your goodness, open our eyes to see, feel and taste your goodness that we may persevere in answering your call. In the name of Jesus we pray.
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