DAY 15: THE WILDERNESEXPERIENCE 2

If Moses' wilderness experience was an introduction, the Israelites’ experience is the main body.

They are the textbook example of human nature at work in the wilderness.

The Israelites are an example of what happens when we fail the breaking and building of the wilderness.

They were a people who encountered the power of God over and over again, yet refused to let the One who encountered them change them.

Physical deliverance at last but deliverance of the mind took awhile. Unknown to these people, they had a journey of 40 years before reaching the Promised land. See, the whole thing is interesting because they didn't have to spend 40 years there. This only happened because the Lord knew that they were too weak to handle the shortcuts.

Exodus 13:17 CSB

[17] When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road to the land of the Philistines, even though it was nearby; for God said, “The people will change their minds and return to Egypt if they face war.” 

The Bible says that the Israelites left Egypt in battle formation. For the onlookers, this might look like a people ready for battle, capable of handling threats and dealing with enemies.

Exodus 13:18 CSB

[18] So he led the people around toward the Red Sea along the road of the wilderness. And the Israelites left the land of Egypt in battle formation.

They had the appearance of strength but God knew that they were weak.

The wilderness exposes inconsistencies in behavior, fake life and false narratives. Your true nature shows when you undergo testing.

The Lord reveals this not to gloat over our inadequacies but to offer renewal and healing.

The Israelites were masters of complaints and whining. I humbly assume the unbearable heat plus the hardships faced in the desert predisposed these people to constant flashbacks of Egypt. It's interesting that they barely remembered the subjugation they faced in Egypt but seem to have a sharp memory of the meat and onions they used to enjoy.

The problem with these people was not that they faltered in the face of adversity but that they did not learn to draw strength from previous experiences. 

When they faced thirst at Marah, they complained and God provided (Exodus 15:22-27). A few chapters down the line in Exodus 17, they faced the same problem. The wise thing to do in this situation is to cry out to the God who came to their rescue at Marah right??

Noo, these people complained to Moses once again(Exodus 17:1-7).

Even after God had shown Himself strong in all their obstacles, they still did not trust Him when new problems surfaced. “A stiff-necked people” is such an appropriate terminology for these ones

It is one thing to fail one test and it is another thing to keep failing the same test at different times. After numerous tests, the hearts of the Israelites lay bare - sinful and untrusting- unwilling to be changed by God.

The Lord declared that the older generation did not allow themselves to be broken and built. They did not allow God to use the wilderness to change them as intended, hence they were unfit to inherit the Promise.

A new generation not acquainted with the ways of Egypt will be the ones to inherit the land.

Numbers 14:30-31, 35 CSB

[30] I swear that none of you will enter the land I promised to settle you in, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. [31] I will bring your children whom you said would become plunder into the land you rejected, and they will enjoy it. …

[35] I, the Lord, have spoken. I swear that I will do this to the entire evil community that has conspired against me. They will come to an end in the wilderness, and there they will die.”

For us this second wilderness experience is a sober warning to us. It is a place of intense testing but be encouraged, the answer to each test is total surrender. 

A surrender of your will, your plans and strength. A humility to be taught by God, to allow Him strip the mindset of Egypt and build a Promised Land mindset.

The stripping is painful, that's a fact, but the end product is a human being that looks more like Christ.