Food, Water and Government (Feb7)

In the Desert of Sin, the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.  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 the whole community to death."

Oh, the challenges we face when we look back to the good old days.  The above statement flys in the face of our readings about the Hebrew slavery in Egypt.  Consider Pharaoh's decree:  "...let them go and gather their own straw.  But require them to make the same number of bricks as before...they are lazy."  Can you read between the lines... and see the average Hebrew sitting around pots of meat and eating all the food they wanted?  That is an unlikely vision, and is not congruent with what we read. 

One of the challenges here is the diverse group that Moses is leading out of Egypt.  Not all are Israelites, God did suggest how to allow the foreigner to partake of passover.  Certainly some of the foreigners were probably sitting around eating all they wanted in Egypt, and now that the going is tough, they are grumbling.  Their contagious grumbling infected the Israelites who then grumble to leadership...Moses.

Nonetheless, God provided manna and quail with a test;  gather no more than you need.  Some failed the test and angered Moses.

God provides water before the Amalakites are fought by Joshua.  This battle is the battle that the Isralites were winning when Moses had his arms raised and the Amalakites were winning when Moses lowered his arms.

Finally Moses brings his family, now that it is safe.  Jethro visits and observes that; the Lord is greater than all other gods and that; Moses is overworked.  Jethro comments that  Moses needs to recruit "...capable men from all the people-men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain- and appoint them as officials..."  Moses did all that Jethro said.

The above photo is of a replica of the judgement seat of Moses (where the rabbi sat to judge) from the synagogue ruins at Korazin, Israel.


"So they asked him, "what miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe in you?  What will you do?  Our forefathers ate manna in the desert; as it is written:  'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' "  Jesus said to them, " I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of heaven is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  John 6:30-33 NIV

Thoughts:

When and where do you grumble?  Do you realize how infectious, how damaging, how painful grumbling is?

Again, are you looking ahead, or back to the good old days?

We could have a one month Bible study on the relationship of Moses with God, the raising and lowering of arms, and the side winning on the battlefield.  What was going on?  Was it just Moses flailing his arms and coincidence with the "fortunes" of war?  What role did Faith and Grace play?

When you look for a leader or official, do you look to ALL PEOPLE, and look for one who is God fearing, capable, trustworthy, who hates dishonest gain, or do you look for one like you?



Pray for your daily bread.


In Christ,


David P