Today’s Devotion
Topic: From Elim to Sin
Text: Exodus 16: 1- 4
1 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. 2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 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 starve this entire assembly to death.”
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. Amen
Our needs consistently change with our circumstance. At Marah, the Israelites would do anything for good drinking water. When they found twelve springs at Elim, they pitched camp there.
They however had to continue the journey and found themselves in a desert called Sin and there they grumbled against Moses. It wasn’t so much the grumbling that bothers as much as what they say and even and how they would say it when they grumble.
For a people who have seen wonders by our God, it comes very surprising that whenever they would meet a challenge on their way to freedom, they compared with their former days in captivity and declare those days better than where the Lord has brought them.
The worst part of all is when they would compare death in the two sitiations and conclude that dying under bondage in Egypt was always going to be much better than dying anywhere else the Lord would bring them to. Now that’s a very ungrateful thing to say, isn’t it?
Here at the desert of Sin, they complained that in Egypt they sat around pots of meat and ate all the food they wanted, but Moses brought them out into the desert to starve them to death. No problem! The Lord heard them and said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather ENOUGH for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.
The Lord purported to test them to prove to them that their complain was not out of need but greed. Though He was going to rain down food from heaven, the people had to go out EACH DAY and GATHER ENOUGH for that day. (We will continue on this one tomorrow and see whether their greed will let them pass this test).
But for now, kindly meditate on today’s word child of God. And begin to repent of the things we say against the Lord when we are in need. It often demonstrates how completely ungrateful we are. Once we think we need water, we complain as though He never gave us any before. Yet the moment He refreshes our thirst we begin to crave for food and complain like He had never supplied in times past. Let us repent now, ask forgiveness and set our minds to give thanks to God in every situation we find ourselves.
And to those of us who would argue that you never grumble against the Lord but only complained to your family, pastor or friends, Moses assures you that your complain is not to man but to God directly. He told all of Israel, “(God) has heard your grumbling against Him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against God” (Exodus 16: 8b). Beloved, never forget this! Instead of grumbling, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
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