Exodus 3:13 – 16; 32 – 33; Numbers 11 –13; Deuteronomy 8

The wisest people learn from the example of others. Sometimes the lessons learned show the path to life. At other times, these lessons show us which paths to avoid. This week we are going to wander the wilderness with the Israelites and learn from their victories and failures.

God kept his people in the wilderness because there were lessons they needed to learn. The wilderness doesn’t provide a lot of distractions. In the wilderness, people are a lot more apt to pay attention to God. It is a furnace where God can refine, melt, purify, and shape his people into who he wants them to be. Throughout the Old Testament, many of God’s most important people spent time in the wilderness school: Moses, David, Elijah, Daniel and the entire nation of Israel. God still invites those he loves to his wilderness school.

Eight Life Lessons:

1. A lesson about God

Map time: Today we are going on a journey into the wilderness. We are going to have to do some geography so once again it is map time. I have been practicing a little in case I ever have to fill in for the weather people on TV. I don’t think I could be any more or less accurate than the average local weather reports. All I have to do is get this map thing down and I believe I’m in!

The Israelites are in Egypt and they are going to Canaan. You can see here on our map that the shortest and simplest way was called the Way of the Sea. God says, “I’ve come to bring them out of Egypt into a good and spacious land flowing with mild and honey.”

This looks like a simple trip from Egypt to the Promised Land. The only bad thing is they have to go through the Sinai Peninsula, which was not pleasant. It is not a long trip, only about two hundred miles from Goshen in the land of Egypt to where the Israelites are heading in Canaan, and they all know the best route to get there.

Everybody knows the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. There was pretty much a straight line between these two locations in those days. It was an international trade route called the Way of the Philistines. It was a real road. In Isaiah 9:1, it’s called the Way of the Sea. It was kind of a scenic route because it went right along the Mediterranean Sea. You can see it on the map. The people of Israel knew this would be the way to go and they knew it should be a trip of a few weeks – not months, but weeks.

God decided on a different route:

17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." 18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. [a] The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle. Exodus 13: 17 –18

The desert road was heavily strategic and heavily fortified. The Egyptians had a large military presence there. God knew the hearts of his people. He knew they were timid and easily frightened. He knew that they did not have much faith. He knew that if they ran into much opposition, they would turn around and go back to Egypt and be slaves again. So he did not send them along the Way of the Sea, even though it was the fastest and most direct route.

There was another road that cut pretty much through the center of the Sinai Peninsula. It ran east and west. It would have been a little more out of the way, but much safer. However, God did not send them on that road either.

There was a third road that went almost directly south, called the Way of the Wilderness. This was the road that God led them down after they crossed the Red Sea. (Map) You will see that this road went all the way down to Mount Sinai.

Nobody knows exactly where Mount Sinai was located, but the general consensus among scholars is that it was located down somewhere in the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula as pictured on the map. Once they traveled to Mount Sinai, the Israelites were there for about a year. Look at it this way: the first leg of their journey was a two-week trip that took them one year.

Finally it was time to break camp, and the pillar of cloud and fire was going to lead them onward to the Promised Land. They took a road called the Mount Seir Road, or the Road to Kadesh Barnea. It went from the tip of the Sinai Peninsula to Canaan. We know how long this journey took because Deuteronomy 1:2 says, “It takes eleven days to go from Horeb (Mount Sinai) to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road.” This time the eleven day trip took thirty-nine years. Eleven days of worth of real-estate in 39 years.

There is a huge spiritual lesson in the travel plans God had for Israel. God is not in a hurry! God’s primary concern is not speed. Ours usually is. God knew that where the people of Israel were going was not nearly as important as who they were becoming. God knew that possessing a land flowing with love, justice, courage and faith. God’s first concern was not how fast his people would be going to the Promised Land. He deepest concern was that they would be the right kind of people once they arrived. If it took forty years to prepare their hearts, then so be it!

Anytime a family goes on vacation and they have little kids in the back seat, the little kids will ask a question. They ask it often. They ask it irritatingly. They sometimes turn it into a chant or a song. The longer the trip is, the sooner they start with the question: Are we there yet?

Parents look forward to the day when kids mature and become patient and there’s no more silly fighting over space violations, no more arguing over what radio station should get played, no more whining about where or when they’re going to stop for lunch. They wait a long time for that day to come because although most of us grow up, we never get much different.

As we grow older, we discover that our childlike chant ‘Are we there yet?’ continues with some subtle adjustments:

         “God, get me into this job and do it now.”
         “Get me into this house, I need it soon.”
         “Get me into this relationship, I can’t wait.”
         “Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there?”

God knew for the people of Israel, he still knows for us today. Having a portfolio flowing with dollars or a job flowing with power doesn’t matter nearly as much as having a character that flows with the fruit of the Spirit. God is still more concerned with who we are becoming than how quickly we get to our desired location.

From our youngest days we begin the frenzied and hurried pace. We push forward and keep crying out, “Are we there yet?” Parents are in a hurry for their little one to take the first step, speak their first word, and catch their first ball. Soon the child learns the hurry game.

“When do I start school? Am I there yet?”
“When will I be grown up? Am I there yet?”
“When will I fall in love? Am I there yet?”
“When will I get out of school? Am I there yet?”
“When can I move out? Am I there yet?”
“When will I get married? Am I there yet?”
“When will I get the perfect job? Am I there yet?”
“When will I retire? Am I there yet?”
“When will I die? Am I there yet?”

If we are not careful, we can rush from the cradle to the grave and forget that God has plans for us today!

We are going to wilderness school!

2. A lesson about remembering

We need to be very intentional about remembering what God has done and who He is! The Israelites have just been delivered from Pharaoh and his army. They have crossed the Red Sea, and God has given them miraculous redemption.

22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah. [e] ) 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?" Exodus 15:22

3. A lesson about attitude

You would think that since the mighty hand of God has been revealed in power through plagues, a pillar of fire, and deliverance from the hand of the most powerful ruler on the face of the earth, they would be in awe of God. It would seem that this manifestation of God’s presence and power would leave a lasting and indelible impression. You would think that these events would stay with them forever.

Notice how quickly they forget. In just three days they are discouraged, grumbling and angry. Three days, God is at the wheel and the kids are in the back seat whining and complaining. The have forgotten. They have missed the profound thought and fact the God is with them.

4. A lesson about perspective

God has Moses throw a stick of wood in the water and the water became drinkable. Now you would think they would be happy and content. Let’s look at Exodus 16:

1 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. 2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death." Exodus 16:1—3

These people are raising complaining to an art form. “Were not asking for much, just death! There in Egypt we sat around pots of meat an ate all the food we wanted.” What was their occupation in Egypt? They were slaves! They did not sit around having fondue all day long when they were in Egypt.

Discontent distorts our perspective and twists our view of reality. Discontent can distort our perspective and play with our mind. Discontent can rewrite our history. We will begin to exaggerate how bad our present condition is, and look with rose-colored glasses at how things used to be or how things are for somebody else.

6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, "In the evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?" 8 Moses also said, "You will know that it was the LORD when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD."

9 Then Moses told Aaron, "Say to the entire Israelite community, 'Come before the LORD, for he has heard your grumbling.' "

10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud.

11 The LORD said to Moses, 12 "I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, 'At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.' "

Do you notice any common word that flows through these verses? It is the word grumbling. The people of Israel have everything they need. They have freedom from the oppression of Egypt. They have miraculous guidance through God’s presence in the form of a pillar of cloud and fire. They have supernatural water to drink. With all of this you would expect them to be content and faithful to God but repeatedly they grumble, murmur and complain.

Grumbling is a sin! Although we don’t think it’s a very big deal God does. Grumbling causes divisions and conflict in homes and churches. It is a sin that God wants to be purged from our lives. (Attitude check)

5. A lesson about manna (provision)

13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat. 16 This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer [a] for each person you have in your tent.' "

This name ‘manna’ became an inside joke to the Israelites. In the Hebrew language, manna simply means “what is it?” They didn’t know exactly what this stuff was so they called it manna. They might say, “What do you want for breakfast?” “I’ll have a bowl of what is it?” This is like frosted flakes.

What is God trying to teach his people? Moses makes this explicit in Deuteronomy 8:3 when he looks back on this episode decades later. He says, “God humbled you, causing you to hunger and then fed you with manna.” God was teaching his people to depend on him, one day at a time. They could not rely on their own strength, their own wisdom, or their own resources. In the desert they learned that all they needed could be found in the hands of the God who had formed them.

God provided more than just food. In Deut. 8:4 we read, “Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell.” In other words, shoes and sandals were provided as well. Can you imagine wearing the same clothes for forty years? There weren’t a lot of department stores out their in the wilderness so God provided the first wash and wear and wear and wear clothes. God was repeatedly trying to say, “I’ll take care of you. I’m enough! Trust me.”

There was an important rule about manna gathering that we need to look at.

17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed.

19 Then Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it until morning." 20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.

The principle was: One day at a time. God will provide for you one day at a time. Trust God for this day right now. Some of them got greedy or afraid or anxious and they thought they would beat the system by gather enough for tomorrow as well. God wanted to teach them and us something very important.

God says, “I want you to live your life trusting me one day at a time – just this day. Learn to trust me for this day. If you start worrying about tomorrow, you are going to worry your whole life long.”

We don’t need to ask for guarantees about tomorrow. We don’t need to ask for answers to questions we are not being asked yet. We don’t need to ask for the ability to cross a bridge that we haven’t reached yet. We need to learn to pray, “God, I will trust you for this day, my daily bread today. When I wake up tomorrow morning, like manna, your mercies will be new once again.” My life will be an adventure in following you.

Jesus lived with an understanding of the Father’s daily provision and taught us in the Lord’s prayer to say, “Give us today our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11)

You know, I have a feeling that we could stop right here today and spend some time in reflection that would be very beneficial. Do you ever try to live in tomorrow by worrying about what’s going to happen next? Usually we carry around things that are foolish and preoccupying. They are silly things in the big scheme of things. You’ll be tempted this week to worry about something. You may worry about your job or your kids. You may worry about your marriage or a relationship with someone that’s going bad. You may worry about an upcoming meeting or something you think you just have to have. You get so anxious about it.

Turn to God this week and pray this prayer: God, give me manna for today, just this day. Give me enough wisdom. Give me enough patience. Give me enough courage. Give me enough love to handle this day. And as best I can, God, I’ll trust that when I wake up in the morning, you’ll be there with me and you’ll help me face tomorrow. I’m not going to try to collect more from you than I need. I want to learn to trust you for this day. I will fully live and inhabit this day.

You can live in confidence with God if you are willing to learn this principle. It will take a while because worry has a pretty good hold on most of us. Write the word manna down and remember when you see it “one day at a time.”

6. A lesson about presence

God so wanted his people to learn daily trust but they were slow learners and in Exodus 17 they are back at it again.

3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?"

"Is the LORD among us or not?" Exodus 17:3,7

Is this unbelievable to you? After all God has done – the ten plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the deliverance form Pharaoh, the destruction of the Egyptian army, the provision of manna and water – they still dare ask the question: “Is the Lord really among us.” They are such slaves to their desire for the moment.

Once more God provides. He leads them to Mount Sinai and Moses is called to meet God on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. All the people have to do is wait. That’s all they have to do – just wait. They’re not hungry, they’ve got manna. They’re not thirsty, they’ve got water. All they have to do is wait.

Look at Exodus 32: 1 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, "Come, make us gods [a] who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him."

Notice the language here. “This fellow” is kind of a distancing thing. “Where’s what’s his name They cry out to Aaron, “Make us gods who will go before us.” They just want to get out of the desert and into the land of milk and honey. They don’t understand that God has a plan for them. They are crying out, “Are we there yet?”

They want it so bad they would prefer to have a golden calf they can manipulate than a living God they have to obey. A lot of us are like that. With an idol, a golden calf, we get our way. With God, we must listen and follow his way. Amazingly Aaron gives in. He knows better, but he won’t stand up to the people.

There’s a tremendous irony in this story. Moses in on the mountaintop receiving the Ten Commandments form God and making a covenant with God. Simultaneously, the people “of the covenant,” are down below worshipping an idol and engaging in the kind of sexually abhorrent practices that God was trying to purge from the human race.

Moses comes down and he is livid. We learn an important lesson here that is not in your list. We need to take responsibility. From the story in the Garden of Eden we here these words of Adam when confronted by God, “Ask the woman that you gave me.” Moses confronts Aaron in Exodus 32:21, “He said to Aaron, "What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?"

Moses is suggesting that something terrible must have happened for the people to convince Aaron to do this.

22 "Do not be angry, my lord," Aaron answered. "You know how prone these people are to evil. 23 They said to me, 'Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him.' 24 So I told them, 'Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.' Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!"

First of all the “my lord” comment is a little strong. I have never called my brother my lord. Aaron then expects Moses to believe the story that the calf just appeared out of the fire. You will see this often in the Old Testament. It is a trait of human nature to avoid taking responsibility for sinful or wrong actions. Taking responsibility is the way to healing and hope.

In chapter 33, God is so angry with the actions of the Israelites that He tells Moses that they can go to the Promised Land without Him. The prayer of one man, Moses, changes things. In Exodus 33:15, “Then Moses said to him, ‘If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.’” In other words, Moses says, “You know, God, even though you’re offering to send us to a promised land that’s flowing with milk and honey, and even though you will give us security, peace and affluence, we need more. Even though you have given us the Ten Commandments and all the moral guidelines we could ever need, there is still something we need. We need your presence with us!

Moses is saying he would rather live in the dessert with God then in the Promised Land with abundance, affluence, security and protection, but without God’s presence.

Reflect on times and place in your life where God is not welcome. Ask God to fill these areas in new, fresh and powerful ways.

They are slow learners. Turn to Numbers chapter 11. The Israelites have left Sinai. They are on the move.

4 The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, "If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. 6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!"

10 Moses heard the people of every family wailing, each at the entrance to his tent. The LORD became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. 11 He asked the LORD, "Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their forefathers? 13 Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, 'Give us meat to eat!' 14 I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin."

God answers Moses prayer but with a little judgment mixed in:

18 "Tell the people: 'Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The LORD heard you when you wailed, "If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!" Now the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat it. 19 You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, 20 but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it—because you have rejected the LORD, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?" ' "

I’ll give you exactly what you ask for I’ll give you so much that you will see that even what you wished and longed for will not bring you contentment. Verse 20, points out their unwillingness to practice the presence of God because they have rejected Him presence.

7. A lesson about humility

Things keep on going downhill. When people get together for a long period of time that they get on each other’s nerves. This is a 40 year trip. Some of you in this church have journeyed together for close to 40 years. Look at verse 26:

Two men, Eldad and Medad began to prophesy. Up until this point, Moses was the only one who did this. All of a sudden, the Spirit of God descends on these two and they begin to speak prophetic words. Joshua tells Moses to make them stop. In Joshua’s mind, only Moses is supposed to prophecy. It is one of those things that makes Moses special. And since Joshua is Moses assistant it make him special. But if everyone is going to start prophesying then Moses and Joshua won’t be special anymore. Moses asks him a poignant question in verse 29.

26 However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the Tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp."

28 Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses' aide since youth, spoke up and said, "Moses, my lord, stop them!" 29 But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!" 30 Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

We need to get serious and intentional about celebrating the way God works in and through the lives of others. It would be a great practice for every follower of Jesus to make a regular habit of celebrating God’s work in the people around them. Speak affirmation, write an encouraging note, or even give a small gift to celebrate a specific way you see God working in the life of another person.

In chapter 13: 1,2:

1 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 "Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?" they asked. "Hasn't he also spoken through us?" And the LORD heard this.

10 When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam—leprous, [a] like snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had leprosy; 11 and he said to Moses, "Please, my lord, do not hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. 12 Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother's womb with its flesh half eaten away." 13 So Moses cried out to the LORD, "O God, please heal her!"

Jealousy comes from not trusting that God care and rewarding blessing on their life will be enough. They want to be special. Manna is not enough they want more in their life.

8. A lesson about fear and faith

1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders."

3 So at the LORD's command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites. In Numbers 13:27 they file their reports: “They gave Moses this account: ‘We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey!’” They are clear that the reports of the amazing bounty were not exaggerated. However they also go on to point out that the people are big and strong. The cities are fortified. Ten out of the twelve bring a bad report and discourage the people from even trying to go in and take the land.

Joshua and Caleb give a dissenting view in verse 30: “Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.’” The people in the wilderness school didn’t believe it and they didn’t believe in God’s protection or ability to deliver them.

Fear robs us of joy and the potential of walking with God to new and exciting places. Faith leads us on an exciting journey of daily trust in God. Verse 31—32 include a very amazing image.

31 But the men who had gone up with him said, "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are." 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."

39 When Moses reported this to all the Israelites, they mourned bitterly. 40 Early the next morning they went up toward the high hill country. "We have sinned," they said. "We will go up to the place the LORD promised."

41 But Moses said, "Why are you disobeying the LORD's command? This will not succeed! 42 Do not go up, because the LORD is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies, 43 for the Amalekites and Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the LORD, he will not be with you and you will fall by the sword."

44 Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the high hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the LORD's covenant moved from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.

Many of these people have never really recovered from the “slave mentality” they learned in their years of bondage in Egypt. As far back as they can remember, all they have been is somebody else’s slave – no dreams, no power. The tragedy this whole generation will never see themselves as anything but grasshoppers. They never allow hope and joy to fill their lives. They will not allow themselve

2006/07/30