“It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert.” People of God being set free
As we continue to read through these First Testament stories I have been reminded how our God works in and through the lives of His people—in real time-in real situations-with real people. And as we go through the journey of looking back we begin to look at God and how He did things back then, how He worked back then and we can if we choose to see how He is at work now.
With eyes wide open we look back and with eyes wide open we look toward that which God will do (set all things right in the new heavens and new earth) but until then we look around and see what God is still up to.
This morning we are going to be looking at Transitions and how we relate so closely with the Israelites who were set free from Egypt 3,500 years ago.
God sends Moses to free His people—the people are freed and yet they see that which was behind them now bearing back down on top of them—and what we need to see is that this is a realistic picture of humanity—this is a realistic picture of you and me. They have been in bondage/all of them more than likely didn’t know any other way of life than what life was like in Egypt—God frees them with some amazing acts and demonstrations of His power and authority and 2 days in the dessert leads to words like those found in Exodus 14:11-12.
So, have you ever been in a place of transition? Isn’t it true that transition is always attractive for a season? Like there is this moment where you realize that you’re not were you used to be but you’re not were you’re supposed to be but for a season you’re somewhere in-between and for a while that’s adventurous/its exciting/ but then that transition begins to feel and look less like a season and more like a permanent way of life (stuck in the middle). And that can become paralyzing to us so much so that we cry out to God WHY HAVE YOU DONE THIS TO ME. And sentences such as Exodus 14:11-12 become more and more real to us and less and less ancient words from ancient people that have no impact of my life.
May our eyes, ears, and hearts be open to receive from these stories of old that still speak so much Truth into our lives today.
Blessings, Michael