Not Satisfied? Are You Looking Back?

Not Satisfied? Find Yourself Looking Back?

Written by Kevin A. Hall (03/21/17)

"We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted”.

The children of Israel got me thinking. How many times do we look back and wished for things we left behind? Friends, Positions, Way of life, Level of Devotion?

The Israelite nation had been under bondage for years. Maybe you too know what it means to have been bound. Your source of bondage could by physical or emotional. In their case, the Egyptian government made them slaves out of fear. They cried out to their God. He answered their prayer. Their salvation came in the form of Moses. One day, God visited Moses in the desert. Sometimes it takes a desert experience to occur before God will show up. He said “Moses, I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows” (Ex. 3:7)

You can’t tell me that God doesn’t care about His people. Please note that God’s sovereignty dictates that He does not respond to every injustice. Sometimes our pain is the result of our decisions. I think of King David who (1) Saw the woman (2) Called for the woman (3) Entered into a relationship with the woman (4) Covered it up by setting up her husband (4) Issuing a command to kill the husband…. There was a consequence for his actions. 

 David repented, but God told him “The sword shall not depart from your house”. In other words, “David, because of what you did, you will reap what you sow”.

It was time for God to respond to the cries of the Israelites. I am encouraged to pray until God answers. Pray without ceasing! To Moses God said:

“So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey--the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites” (Ex. 3:8). When God answers (finally) He answers GOOD! Is it not like God to provide an answer for His people right there in the middle of their enemies? Look at the enemies – The “Ites”: Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Hittities, Canaanites = Parasites!! Have any of those?

Anyways…the point is God answered. He delivered them from the enemy (Egyptians). Not only that, He did it in great fashion. Ready the story (The Book of Exodus). God wreaked terror on their enemies, then destroyed them. Oh, Lord, please answer the prayers of your people today. After He delivered them, He remained with them as a guide – A pillar of Fire by night and a Cloud by day. He provided everything they could possible need. Until one day, one day, the seed of looking back bore fruit. They complained against God. God became angry! God can get angry too…Yes! Righteous anger! Against Sin! They were ungrateful!

After all that God has done for you and me, we cannot afford to be ungrateful. All they had to do was to be content with what they had. Better days were coming… right? What did God say to Moses?

“So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey”

Two things – Milk and Honey represented Provision (all their needs would be met); and the land they were to received was occupied by other people (their enemies). So, God was about to give them their enemies’ stuff. Don’t bite the hand that feed you!

They say ungratefulness will kill you. Well, it did in this case. God’s presence as fire consumed some of them. His fire burned some of the people who were on the outskirts of the camp. This was Grace! He could have killed them all. But He only punished some.

When we stray from God’s will, only His Love, Grace and Mercy prevents Him from truly giving us what we deserve. Oh, by the way… watch who you hang with. This may be the source of your discontent and the reason you are looking back:

Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving… (Num. 11:4) There was a group of Egyptians that followed them out of Egypt. They were a source of the discontent. The Egyptians really missed their meat. They loved meat. What do you love that is powerful enough to pull you BACK?

What is the source of your discontent?  

                Stay the course …. The Promised Land is Ahead, not Behind.

Blessings!

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