February 4, 2012 … And the Beat Goes On!

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Exodus, Chapters 16-18 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

Exodus 16: 1-3 … : … [Discomfort Yields Disobedience] ... 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.”
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Exodus 17: 1-4 … : … [Same Ole – Same ole!] ... 1 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?” 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?” 4 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”

My Journal for Today: If you read/meditated with me yesterday in Chapters 13-15 of Exodus, we see a pattern beginning with the recalcitrant people of Israel, having been delivered so mercifully by God from Egypt. And this pattern is going to repeat itself over and over and over again throughout the Old Testament. God gives His children His promises; … God delivers on His promises; … Got gives His children some rope to hang themselves in selfishness and sin; … and Israel, over and over again, hangs itself in selfishness and sinfulness. >>> And the beat goes on … and on … and on … and on!

I find it interesting in today’s reading that God leads Moses/Aaron and the Jewish people out of the “Desert of Sin,” which really has nothing to do the English word “sin;” but coincidentally (or maybe not) it was the actual name of the place they began to grumble (back to Chapter 15) about their discomfort. And over and over again, from today’s reading in Chapters 16-18 and onward through Exodus; and even reading onward, we see that every time the Jewish people are tested with challenges in their comfort zone where God delivers on His promises, they begin to grumble; … and then they move into disobedience, selfishness, and sinful choices.

My mother used to say, “Out of the boiling pot into the frying pan.” And here we see God’s people getting display after display of God’s wondrous deliverance and protection; and they still begin to grumble as soon as their selfish desires are not being met. To them it was out of the Desert of Sin and into the Promised Land of challenge; and these baby believers couldn’t handle any of the tests which God led them through to show them His mercy and grace.

And I’m sure you know that, as we continue to read on in the Old Testament, we’re going to see that old song title from Sonny and Cher, playing itself out over and over again: … And the Beat Goes On

But we shouldn’t point fingers of blame at these Jewish wanderers, should we? Isn’t it true that all of mankind – including you and me – begin to grumble when we’re thrown into the testing pot of discomfort and denial? It’s just human nature to want everything to stay in the warm-fuzzies of life. And as soon as the heat is turned up with denial of our comfort, or most certainly some degree of privation, we begin to grumble; … and then we seek to find our own ways to move back into the comfort zone. And this latter pattern so often leads to outright disobedience and denial of God’s promises and His plans.

Yep! Been there, done that, and I have several T-shirts to prove it!

Need I say more! … ”And the Beat Goes On!” … And on and on and on! >>>

My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me to break out of the desert of sin and into the promised land of faith. Amen