Happy humpday and welcome back to the journey of Moses and the Israelites. To be more accurate, Moses and the 2 million Israelites. I’ve helped run a few camps this year, one for about 75 people and one in China for about 175 people. I’ve learned some valuable information from these. In order to have a successful camp experience a few very important things need to happen for the entire group. You have to keep them watered, you have to keep them fed and you have to keep them occupied. If you can keep all three going like spinning plates, you’ll more than likely have a decent camp experience. But notice that I didn’t mention one of the factors being keeping them entertained or having fun. I’ve also learned that no matter what you do, you can’t guarantee this one. You could give some people caviar on a gold bar and they would complain.
And this is exactly what Moses is up against as soon as they miraculously cross the Red Sea. God has given him 2 million people to care for. To feed, to water, and to keep occupied in order to keep them from outright revolt. We see immediately in chapter 15 that three days into the desert they are out of water. The people grumble to Moses, Moses takes it to God and God provides for the people. Take very careful notice of this pattern because you will see it play out about a trillion times as the Israelites wander for another 40 years with Moses.
Today, chapter 5 opens up with not a water shortage but a food shortage. The people’s bellies start to grumble and that causes their mouths to grumble. You see, something happens when our bellies cry out, we tend to listen intently and cry out as well. The flesh can at times, control who we are, what we say and how we act. When we are forced into a battle between our fleshly needs and our spiritual needs, many times the spirit walks away with a black eye.
What I love about this particular exchange between Moses and the people is Moses’ sharp retort to their demands for food. You see the people were not merely asking for something to eat, like a Hot pocket or a frozen burrito, they were adding a little something to the request. They sprinkled the request with a little complaining. And folks, God does not like complaining. Listen to the seasoning they add to their food request:
“In the desert 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 this entire assembly to death.” Ex 16:2-3
Oh, the short memories of our flesh. It’s been only 2 ½ months since they have escaped from Egypt and their grumbling bellies seem to have already forgotten the cruel, harsh, brick-making slavery they lived in each day. They have forgotten all about the sweat dropping from their brows as they labored away, hour after hour in the torturous Egyptian sun. They forgot about the whips snapping at their backs as they were forced to take another few steps, their bodies in protest to the agony and pain. But in this moment of hunger what do they remember? The tasty, hot, bountiful food of slavery.
Folks, you see no matter where you are at in life, you can always reminisce about the good ol’ days. You can always look back and those days will seem sweeter, better and more fulfilling. In Egypt the Israelites were in bondage to their worldly masters and they were also in bondage to their own sin and idolatry, worshiping other gods besides the one true God. Now they find themselves walking directly before God and watching Him perform amazing miracles to save them, but what are they wishing for? As their bellies grumble in tune with their hearts, they yearn for the old pots full of boiling meat back in Egypt. But they were actually yearning for more. They were yearning for the good ol’ days of sin. Folks, we are no different. As we walk daily with Jesus, our bellies will tell us that the old days of sin were better. The devil will tell us we should turn and go back to our old land of slavery. Go back to our old ways that satisfied the belly but left the spirit parched and dying. It’s a battle that we are all constantly engaged in and there can only be one victor.
“for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” 2 Cor 10:3-5
But I love Moses’ rebuttal to these comments. I’m sure he uttered them with great frustration and even at times with great anger. (16:20) God had thrust Moses into running this summer camp of 2 million stiff-necked people and he was learning some tough lessons every minute of every day about crowd control.
“Who are we, that you should grumble against us (Moses and Aaron)? Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.” Ex 16:7b, 16:8b
Can’t you just hear the frustration in Moses’ voice? I can just hear him, “who do you think I am? I’m just a regular ol’ guy like you trying to do what God is asking me to do and you’re not making it any easier!” But the part of Moses’ reply that really cuts to the bone is the last part. Have you ever criticized your church? Have you ever talked poorly about your Pastor? What about even the people that you go to church with? Have you ever stopped to think that by doing so you’re not criticizing them but you’re criticizing God's choice of the people He has empowered? Ouch, not a pretty thought. Don’t do that.
What a mess. And we’ll see this mess play on for another 40 years as God will lead the Israelites all over this desert to continue to deal with their bellies and their hearts. You see the battle is and forever will be between our bellies and our hearts. The flesh versus the Spirit. The new creature versus the old creature. As your flesh today hungers for what it wants, you must fight. You must deny what your belly wants and look to the Lord for spiritual nourishment. For He and He alone will provide you with the Living Water of His Holy Word and with the true Bread of Life, Jesus Christ. And of these you shall never thirst or hunger again. Amen.
May your battle today be one of victory as you live with a heart focused on the provision of Jesus.
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