Exodus 16
Exodus 16, Hebrews 4:1-11
Why would we ever want to be tested? Comfort is nice. Food to eat whenever we want is even better and quite necessary for survival. When we hear of the slave situation of Israel in ancient Egypt, we probably don’t think of the “pros,” right? These are the thoughts fueling Israel’s grumbling, which in response, God shapes them to be a nation whose sustenance is reliant on Him super-naturally for 40 years in the desert. In what other way would God remind us of His constant and continuous provision than through Sabbath rest?
Closing the end of Exodus 15, God guides His people immediately into the desert, where He will test them. This might seem unfair if we have the wrong concept of “testing” in our minds. There isn’t some fancy Hebrew here to uncover; simply, God proving His people. Conceptually though, this testing process is not so much as to see if they are the stellar, faith-studded Israel He bargained for in Egypt, no. God is attempting to refine them so much as to become those people. Israel’s first concern is food; what are they doing about not having food? Instead of asking, they just complain enough for the Lord to hear and act. Let's think about this for a second, though, if God is using these tests to refine His people; the first test must be foundational. Here we see Israel providing the Sabbath for the first time. And God’s trial is for them to take what He is providing and nothing more; specific directives for a specific attribute to be instilled. They disobey, and God responds by what initially struck me as Him not utilizing His “Slow-to-anger” card as He usually does. The book of Hebrews explains this is not merely an idiotic episode from some unobservant members of the nation; rather, “the message they heard was of no value to them because those who heard did not combine it with faith (4:8b)” or the NIV also notes this could be stated, “because they did not share in the faith of those who obeyed.”
Regardless, God is refining His people's faith, separating the faithful from the disobedient. And those who are obedient in the trust are those who enter God’s rest. Or, in this instance, delight in the Sabbath, remembering He will provide for them no matter how bleak it looks to follow Him into the desert and out of the slavery we once knew.
For some of us, if we can not refuse to serve something other than the Lord, we should ask ourselves: Do you trust He will provide for you if you trust His lead? In this sense, I reference metaphorical Egypt as a spiritual circumstance, which is not prescribed in the text. Rather the principle of having enough faith to deny your enslaved state, even when it looks better than what God has led you into, and recognizing that Jesus is, in fact, better, is what's at play. Would we be courageous enough to know Jesus is better even if we are led into the desert for a time?
Questions:
Have you sincerely asked the Lord to provide you with something lately? If so, how did He respond?
If the metaphor mentioned above does speak to you and your situation presently with sin, what does it mean to trust the Lord and lean into His grace and mercy in this season?
