Out of Egypt

Exeter Temple Message notes

Sunday 2^nd March 2013
Exodus 15&16

After a period of about 6 months when they saw the miraculous power of God at work the Israelites it felt like the miracles had dried up as the water supply ran out.

Deuteronomy 8:2 “Remember how the Lord you God led you all the way in the desert forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.”
Why would God test them? Why not anticipate their needs and give them what they needed before they asked?  God tests us so that what is in our hearts is revealed, not for his own information or to condemn us but so that our relationship with him is put on a sound basis and we know where its weaknesses are.
1. Marah         Exodus 15:22-27
After three days in the desert the Israelites are desperate to find some kind of oasis or well.  They discover a watering hole but are disappointed when the water in undrinkable. They named the place Marah, which means bitter. It is a place of disappointment. We can be sure life will bring its disappointments.
Naomi and her family hoped migration from famine in Bethlehem to Moab would improve their lives but but instead both her sons died.  On her return to Bethlehem she applied the historical experience of the Israelites to her own situation, “Don’t call me Naomi.  Call me Mara because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.” (Ruth 1:20)
The test is, “Can we still believe that God has our lives in his hands that he can either turn our disappointment to joy or lead us to fulfilment in another direction?”
The Israelites took their disappointment out on Moses and Aaron.  One response to disappointment is to lash out at easy targets and apportion blame.  Marah also revealed that the Israelites had a passion for grumbling. God does not view grumbling as inconsequential.
Elsewhere in the Bible he lists grumbling among the top seven things he detests.  In the New Testament, Paul warns believers not to grumble as the Israelite

(1 Cor 10:10) "Instead, trust that God is faithful and he will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear, but will also provide a way out when we are tempted.  Grumbling shows lack of gratitude for what God has already done and lack of trust in God’s word.

Moses was just as thirsty as the people and had the added burden of being blamed for the situation.  He doesn’t fall into self-pity or give up his commitment to God but turned to prayer. God’s answer wasn’t to stop the Israelites feeling thirsty, to provide a new spring or make it rain hard enough for the people to catch fresh water in their water jars. It was to open Moses eyes to what was already there and to a resource that he could use to transform the situation.  He showed Moses a piece of wood which when thrown it into the water, purified it.  There is scientific evidence that shows wood can be used in water purification and it may be a natural principle at work here was magnified by the Lord so that one branch could make a whole stream pure. In the NT 5 loaves and 2 fish was multiplied in the hands of Jesus to feed 5000 people.
Whatever happened when we cry out to God instead of complaining about our situation he will often open our eyes to see his provision in things and in people that were always there but we had dismissed or overlooked. Then with his power, ordinary things can be used by him to meet desperately bitter situations, bitter hearts and minds and transform them. We know that God longs to do that because he declared that that is his nature. He is Jehovah Rapha the God who heals.
 
2. Desert of Sin       Exodus 16:1-12
45 days into the desert provisions were getting scarce. The people were wishing that they had never left Egypt.
Moses didn’t exaggerate the troubles of the past or play down the difficulties of the present but turned their attention to God.
Moses reminded the people that God was listening to their lack of faith in him and ignoring his presence.  “You are not grumbling against us but against the Lord.” he says.   And that is serious.
The test here was to keep their vision alive.  Would they keep moving forward towards the Promised Land despite the fact that the route to it was tough?
The Israelites had a selective memory problem. They were forgot the seriousness of the crisis that God had just delivered them from and began to romanticize their slavery as the "glory days" of Israel.  But in truth, they were slaves to the Egyptians. These people talked freedom, but thought slavery. Canaan and Egypt were in the same valley but in extreme opposite directions. To reach one, you had to turn your back on the other.
Many times we would rather go back into the bondage of the enemy than to fight for the victory. We’d rather settle for mediocrity, than to strive for the pursuit and possession of God promises.
Aaron encouraged by Moses addresses the whole community and reminds them about what their focus should be.  They should look to God.“Come before the Lord for he has heard your grumbling.”
In verse 10 comments about the way that Aaron had the people facing whilst he spoke.
“Whilst Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they look towards the desert.”  They were looking towards the Promised Land, not back to Egypt.
And as they did that, there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud.  The Lord’s glory was really seen in his willingness to listen to the cries of his people, even grumbling and complaining and his willingness to lead them forward into a new future, with the promise that he would provide for their needs along the way.  
Will we take this as a promise for the Salvation Army as we engage as a UKT in Fit for Mission and for this Corps and we continue to review our Mission Development Plan? 

3 The Twilight Zone     Exodus 16:12-15
God said that he would provide meat at twilight and bread in the morning.
There are several tests here. 
When God answered their prayers would they acknowledge his answer and give him credit?
Now they have what they wanted would they listen to his instructions on how to use his provision?
Would they be satisfied with what had been provided?
They didn’t connect the manna with God’s promise and were suspicious of it.  They didn’t listen to God’s instructions through Moses about how to use the manna. Although they were adequately provided for with bread they complained it was boring. Numbers 11:5 we are told that what they really longed for was fish, cucumbers, melons, onions and garlic!
The people complained and disrespected him but he still fed them.
Luther: “All this he does only because he is my good and merciful Father in heaven, and not because I have earned or deserved it.”
Every time we put food in our mouths, we should remember that God loves us for Jesus’ sake and does not treat us as our sins deserve.
The Lord provided manna for the whole time they were in the desert. There was no need for hoarding.  God said he would provide every morning and every evening and he did. 
Our needs spiritually are about the same. Many of us attempt to live on yesterday’s manna.  Someone has said, “Living on yesterday’s spiritual experiences as if they are today’s adventure with Christ will starve your spirit. It will turn your service for Christ into a wormy leftover.”
The reason God gave the children manna fresh every day was so they would learn to depend on Him daily and not wander. It is the same with you and I.  Our daily dependence on Him spiritually is vital to our vitality as servants of Christ. 

Questions                                                                                                                       

1.  Why was it so difficult for the Hebrew people to trust God after he had shown his love for them and demonstrated his power to deliver them?
2. Read Exodus 2:24-25. List the verbs that describe the reaction of God to the plight of the Hebrews. What does this say about the nature of God?
3. Why does God test us?   Can you think of any examples from your own life of testing?                                                                                                                                             4. What is the difference between temptation and a test?

God bless

Alan and Carol