Exodus 15:22-27, 16, 17:1-7

12 March, 2019, PSC Cafe Connecting Group

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+15:22-27, 16, 17:1-7

"Depending On God In Life Through Wilderness" / "Encountering God in wilderness"

Potential Discussion Questions:-

• What do these possibly translate to today? :- (1) Israelites travelling through wilderness, (2) Bitter water made sweet (Exodus 15:22-25), (3) Bread from Heaven (Exodus 16), (4) Water from the rock (Exodus 17:1-7), (5) Israelites grumbling & complaining often

(1) We, Christians, are also travelling through wilderness. I call our journey through earth as wilderness, compared to our glorious destination - heaven! Like in the case of Israelites, the journey is temporal. Paul gives some "words" to this journey of ours through wilderness in Romans 8:19-22:- "For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now."

(2), (3), (4) to me signify that at the end of the day God sustains us (we are dependent on Him daily; God provides). We need to acknowledge that daily and strive to be like that daily. We are to continue to seek "bread from heaven", daily, as Jesus asked us to pray "Our Father in heaven ... Give us today our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11)! Now, in America today, bread is very easy to find. Even if you are homeless, you may find it easily, say in some soup kitchen around. Even in such a situation, Americans should pray "Our Father in heaven ... Give us today our daily bread"! As, we should never take for granted, even a seemingly small & trivial blessing. We should be thankful and grateful, always, for all blessings big or small (James 1:17 ".. all good gifts are from heaven ...", 1 Thessalonians 5:18 ".. Give thanks always ..." ).

(2), (3), (4) also signifies God's unfailing faithfulness to His people.

(5) I can say "Israelites grumbling & complaining often" represents broken, sinful nature of humans.

• When did you last grumble & complain? Why? Instead of grumbling & complaining what should the Israelites have done?

We will often be tempted to "wrongfully" (i.e., ones resulting from not trusting God) grumble and complain, while we are here on earth in these fallen bodies, and do not have yet the glorious bodies. Remember, Paul said we were spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1-10), before we came to Christ.

As we grow in Christ, here on earth, and as the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) blossom in our lives, we can expect to "wrongfully" grumble & complain less.

Israelites needed to know Bible verses, such as, Philippians 4:6 - "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ", James 4:2 - "... You do not have, because you do not ask.", Matthew 7:11 - "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! ".

Israelites needed to be like Paul - Philippians 4:12 :- "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ", 1 Thessalonians 5:18:- "... give thanks in all circumstances ...". Even in extreme suffering Job worshiped God (Job 1:20-21), instead of grumbling & complaining against God.

So, the Israelites needed to walk by faith, not by sight!

In the defense of Israelites, one can say that they did not have the Bible yet! Also, I am quite amazed that without a copy of Bible, Joseph was able to live such a righteous life.

• Despite having encountered so many big miracles of late, why are Israelites grumbling & complaining instead of trusting God? So, big miracles are not enough to make one's faith strong?

Yes, big miracles are not enough to build one's faith. This is because one needs God's help in building one's faith.

Remember people saw or heard about great miracles or deeds from Jesus. But that did not mean, that they all started "following" Him. The rich young ruler left when Jesus challenged him to give away all his wealth. In John 6:66 many left, because they said Jesus's teachings were hard to follow. When Peter clarified in Matthew 19:25, Jesus responded that "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:25). That is instead of leaving / running away, the rich young ruler and ones of John 6:66 should have relied on God's strength for following Jesus. They were right in thinking that it is impossible to be a follower of Jesus on one's own strength.

• In what ways did God test the Israelites? Why did God test them? Do you see God testing you in similar ways? How often?

During the testings, hearts are exposed. People have opportunity to demonstrate their faith and / or grow in their faith, and hence glorify God. God's power & glory is made known (Exodus 16:12).

You will be tested everyday in your faith (whether directly by God or by God allowing various entities, such as the devil, to test you).

• Any more spiritual lessons?
  • Apart from the daily bread from God, we also need another kind of bread from heaven - Jesus - the bread of life. He is also the additional water we need - Spring of water ...

John 6: “32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, 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. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.” 35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty ... 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world ... Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink…. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

• One often wonders if a season of wilderness is a waste. Here God was using the season of wilderness to write the Bible through these Israelites! God can use anyone, anywhere, in any situation.

MISC

• Apostle Paul notes in "1 Corinthians 10" that Jesus is the rock that sprung water (Exodus 17:6). Also Church Smith writes "during the Feast of Tabernacles, the priest would go down to the Pool of Siloam with these water jugs. They would fill them with water, and they would come back up to the steps where several hundred thousand Jews would be gathered in the Great Temple Mount area. In front of all of the people, as they were singing the Halel songs, the priest would pour the water out on the pavement there of the Temple Mount. That was to remind them how that God gave water to their fathers out of the rock in the wilderness. They"d do it for the seven days of the feast. The eighth day, the great day, they wouldn"t do it, which was symbolic of the fact that we are now in the land that God promised to our fathers. We don"t need the miraculous water out of the rock. On that day as the people were gathered, the great assembly of people there on the Temple Mount, Jesus stood and cried, "If any man thirsts let him come unto Me and drink. And he who drinks of the water that I give, out of his innermost being, there will flow rivers of living water"(John 7:38). ". So as Paul indicated in 1 Corinthians 10, Jesus was the rock that sprung water for the Israelites in Exodus 16, and Jesus is now the rock that springs forth rivers of living water that eternally quenches souls (John 7:38, John 4:14).
• I wonder how hard was the journey through this wilderness, so far (till early Exodus 16), for the Israelites (they seemed to have come to point of starvation). As they seemed to prefer to go back to Egypt where they were under severe hard labor (Exodus 16:3).