March 10

Num 14:1-15:16; Mark 14:53-72; PS 53:1-6; PR 11:4

Numbers 14:1-10

This passage amazes me and stirs me to look at my life in full context of not only what is currently happening but also what HAS happened.  Here we see a group of people who not long ago were in slavery. Not figuratively but real, honest to goodness slavery. Now they find themselves out here in the desert wandering, because of their own rebelliousness. They begin to complain and actually want to find themselves a new leader that will take them back to Egypt...to slavery.  It shows me a few things.  One, it shows that when trials come we don't always think real clear. I mean if they thought it was bad before they left, doesn't it stand to reason that the Egyptians would treat them even worse when they went back, considering Pharaoh and the army was now at the bottom of the red sea?  I'm thinking were some very unhappy people back there. Remember, no matter what you're going through today it's not worth throwing everything away spiritually to go back to your old life of slavery to sin.  The second thing it shows me is that we can very quickly forget all that God has done for us when life becomes unpleasant.  Granted they are stranded in the desert but so far they have been allowed to walk out of Egypt and take a great amount of wealth with them, they have miraculously watched God part the Red Sea, they have been provided food from heaven, water from rocks and clothes that never wear out.  That's not to mentions the whole cloud by day and pillar of fire by night that represented God Himself in their midst.  God is very apparent in their lives but it's not the life they expected so they are ready to throw in the towel.  This is where we need to learn to look at life in context.  You may not see God right now, but look back.  What evidences can you draw from in your life?  That same God that delivered you, healed you, provided for you before is still with you even if you can't see Him.  Lastly, this passage shows me the danger of blaming others for our own problems.  They want to name a new leader because in their minds this is all Moses' fault. They go to the extreme that when Caleb and Joshua speak up about the promised land they are ready to stone them to death. How's that for a state of mind? "You're trying to encourage me when I'm upset...I'm gonna kill you!"  Doesn't make a whole lot of sense and yet there they are.  They were blaming everyone around them and yet lacked the understanding that they were causing so much of what was going on because of their rebellion against God.  Have you ever done that?  Gotten good and mad at everyone around you and failed to see your part in your circumstances? Come on, be honest.  We've all been there. The difference between the desert and the promised land is sometimes as simple as seeing our own faults and yielding ourselves to God.