Thought from today’s Bible reading from Exodus 16-18.
It did not take long for the Israelites who had seen the destruction of Pharaoh and his army to begin murmuring and complaining.
“The whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The sons of Israel said to them, ‘Would that we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into the wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger’” (Exodus 16:2-3).
How quickly they forgot the conditions they had endured in Egypt – forced labor, cruel beatings, and lacking the freedom to worship God according to His instructions. By this point, all they wanted to remember was the fact that they had food to eat and, though the circumstances may not have been ideal, they had sufficient security and stability to expect that those “pots of meat” would continue to be available.
God never promises His people an easy life here. We may need to sacrifice a certain level of prosperity and security in order to serve Him. At times we will suffer (1 Peter 4:16), be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12), and have others hate us (John 15:18-19). As Paul writes, “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19).
Fortunately, we have hope beyond this life. As the Israelites could have (and should have) looked forward to the promised land, we can look forward to a great reward. Peter describes our hope as “an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4).
Let us never lose sight of that goal. No level of prosperity or degree of security can ever compare with that.
Tomorrow’s reading: Exodus 19-21
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
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