“And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of
Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or
of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to
drink.” (Nu 20:5 AV)
That
first generation of free Israel could never completely trust in the benevolence
and goodness of God. Any time there was adversity,
the immediately assumed the LORD brought them out of Egypt to destroy
them. It is no wonder they thought this
way. This is how their history with
Egypt stated. Egypt took Israel in as a gesture
of benevolence. Jacob and his family
came at a time of famine so Joseph could use the resources of Egypt to take
care of his family. It started out amicably. The relationship started out as one great
nation cared for a lesser one. Then it
turned. There was a generation that knew
not Joseph. They enslaved the nation of
Israel and for 430 years, used them to their own profit. Promises of kindness and provision were
flowing at first. Then came avarice and
slavery. This was ingrained in them for
ten generations. So, when Moses shows
up, promising the goodness of God, they were reluctant to trust it. One can kind of understand where Israel was
coming from. Yet, there must come a time
when we put aside our experiences and trust the word of God. It is an insult to judge the LORD by the standard
of which we judge others. Others may
have failed us. There may be a long
track record of this injustice and abuse.
But to assume that God is no different is to insult His nature. This is the cause of God’s anger with Israel.
We
deal with this problem all the time. As
pastors who wish to make a difference in the life of another, we try to assist
others in overcoming scars of the past.
There may have been failed relationships in the past that inhibit
healthy relationships in the present.
Perhaps there are injuries of the past; financial, social, emotional, etc.;
that becomes a huge obstacle to overcome in the present. A deep hurt can become a life-time
handicap. The loss of someone close to
us at an age which hindered healing can keep us at an arm's length when it
comes to committing to another. Abuse at
the hand of one would hinder us from trusting again. This is what the nation of Israel was dealing
with. The one attempting to gain the
trust of another can only do so much. At
some point in time, there has to be a leap of faith. At some point, the injury must heal and the
heart must learn to trust again. If not,
the one trying to win that trust will be offended and give up. Not that I condone the idea of Santa Claus,
but Miracle on 34th Street has such an example. The more modern version depicts this idea
pretty well. The lawyer tasked to defend
the idea of Santa Claus is in love with the main characters mother. He bends over backward to win her trust. However, because she was jilted in her college
years, she declines an offer of marriage.
She is content to remain single her whole life because the father of her
daughter never did make it right.
Rightly so, this suitor was highly offended. How dare she judge him by the actions of a
previous suitor.
But
this is what we do to the LORD. This is
what Israel did to God. No matter how
much He provided for them, or how many miracles He gave to increase their
faith, the minute a bit of adversity came, they judged God no different from
Egypt. No wonder God is upset here. No wonder He raised the possibility of destroying
them twice. If they think God rescued
them for the sole purpose of destroying them and there is nothing He can do to
vindicate Himself, may as well bring upon them their expectation. Praise the LORD that Moses stood in the gap
for his people. When we compare the LORD
with any human relationship and assume He will treat us no differently than our
fathers, our parents, our teachers, our friends, our employers, our government,
etc., then we are accusing God of being less than He is. No, Israel, God did not bring you this far to
turn around and wipe you out. No,
Christian, the LORD did not save you and bring you this far for the sole purpose
of upending your life and making you miserable.
SO, JUST STOP IT! JUST STOP IT!
I
small disclaimer – I experienced this in the recent past and it was my wife
that finally shook me hard enough that it got me out of this way of
thinking. Praise the LORD for my godly
and wise wife. I owe her my life.
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