Podcast Introduction

Our reading today is Exodus 13-16, and I’m calling the episode “Where Is Your Focus?”

Comments on Exodus 13-16

The Israelites wanted safety. They wanted to be taken care of, even if that meant they would stay in slavery. You cannot remain free and also be safe. If you want to be safe, you will have to give up your freedom. But you say, “Steve, aren’t we supposed to be slaves to Christ?” Yes, beloved. His is the only yoke is light, and in Him, we have freedom from slavery to sin. God is LOVE, and being a slave to Him is NOT the same as being a slave to any other person or entity or anything or anyone else. In Him is absolute freedom to be who He created you to be.

In chapter 14, verse 31 we read, “When the Israelites saw the great power with which the Lord had defeated the Egyptians, they stood in awe of the Lord; and they had faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses.”

But we read in 15:22 that they soon began complaining. When they had been in the desert for three days, and found no water, they complained to Moses and asked, “What are we going to drink?” So Moses prayed, and God showed him a piece of wood, which he threw into the water, and it became fit to drink.

Then, 2 1/2 months after they had been delivered from Egypt, they complained again (in chapter 16) about food. And that’s when the Lord provided quail and manna. Note that even though God provided, there were some that did not follow the rules about how much manna they were to gather. 

God provides, and we still grumble. We are a forgetful, ungrateful lot, aren’t we? God provides clothes, and when a new fashion comes around, we become dissatisfied with what we have. God provides a place to live, and we become dissatisfied with the neighborhood. God provides transportation, and when a new model comes out, we just have to have the newer, shinier, faster car. God provides a spouse, and we become impatient with their idiosyncrasies. God provides a church, and we soon don’t like the pastor or the people.

Why do we do that? What is it about us that makes us so ungrateful? 

I don’t think there’s an easy answer to that, but I think part of it is that we get our eyes off from God. We instead focus on our situation, instead of Him. I believe that this is one reason we are told in Hebrews 10,  “24And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, 25not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other,  and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

Our worship services are supposed to be where we encourage one another, and remind ourselves what the Lord has done. We need to develop friendships with other believers, and bear one another’s burdens. (Gal 6:2)

We are a prideful, forgetful lot. That’s why so many that fall away from regular fellowship with our brothers and sisters soon fall away. They think that they are able to stand on their own, but none of us can sustain as an island. 

This lockdown we have experienced has been so very costly. And one of the worst things has been that churches have had to close. We need to get back to church, beloved. The enemy knows how much we need each other, and he has used this pandemic to try to rip us apart. We need to pray. We need to do everything we can to hold on as tightly as we can to the hem of Jesus’ garment, and ask Him to strengthen our faith. We need to strive to stay connected in whatever ways possible to our brothers and sisters. We need to let the politicians know that they must stop their overreach and open our churches. 

You say it’s not safe? All of life has hazards. Tens of thousands die in automobile accidents every year in the US. Globally, the flu kills from 290,000 to 650,000 people per year. In 2018, in the US, over 167,000 died from accidents (unintentional injuries). Are you going to stop driving your car? Are you going to stop leaving your home so you don’t catch the flu? If you stay in your home, you can still die from one of those unintentional injuries. There is no way to eliminate danger. 

The Lord never intended us to live in a cocoon. But He does say the phrase “Fear not” more than any other phrase in the Bible. This virus did not come as a surprise to Him. And your life is in His hands. Your days are in His hands. And nothing is going to change that. He will call you home on His appointed day. Not a day sooner. Not a day later. Live the life that He has called you to, and fear not.

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 13-14 GNT, Ch. 15-16 HCSB

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