1 Soon the people began to complain about their hardship...
4 Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt... 5 “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. 6 But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!”
- Numbers 11:1,4-6
39 “But our ancestors refused to listen to Moses. They rejected him and wanted to return to Egypt. 40 They told Aaron, ‘Make us some gods who can lead us..’ 41 So they made an idol shaped like a calf, and they sacrificed to it and celebrated over this thing they had made. 42 Then God turned away from them and abandoned them to serve the stars of heaven as their gods!
- Acts 7:39-42
What happened here? Why was GOD angry at the Israelites? Weren't these the same people who cried out in anguish to GOD to set them free from the oppression and slavery of Egypt? Yes, they were slaves and were badly treated by the Eygyptians. GOD had raised up Moses to answer their cries. GOD freed them from the Egyptians' captivity through great miracles and provided for them in the desserts miraculously. But why, after all their freedom have they started to complain? In the book of Numbers it says, they complained of their hardships. Just how hard was it to be out in the wilderness led by a man Moses raised up by GOD? They certainly did not starve. GOD had miraculously provided food for them but ah! They missed the food they used to eat in Egypt. These are all fleshly cravings. They were slaves to their stomachs because they wanted to satisfy their bodies more than be grateful to a faithful GOD. And still what is harder? Travelling from one place to the other, not working but still having food? Or being pushed to work so hard and mistreated like you were just some animal doing labor force? They missed the food and their lifestyle, believe it or not they got used to the routine and the abuse that the Egyptians inflicted on them, they rebelled against GOD by wanting to go back to Egypt rather than follow the leading of a faithful GOD! There are so many people who are abused and when they are free from that abuse, they do not know how to live a free life because they have gotten so used to the abuse, the change that freedom provides for them makes them an alien to life. It is a very sad thing for a certain person to be acustomed to bondage. That is why the scriptures tell us always to renew our minds (Romans 12:2). The things we are used to doing are not always right and to be able to adjust to the changes GOD brings in our lives, we need to constantly renew our minds through reading the word of GOD reminding ourselves that what GOD offers is better than anything we could ever feel we were comfortable of doing. How do we overcome going back to the same old life? Be grateful! Be grateful everyday it keeps you from complaining. It takes a lot of effort to adopt to change, but in return, when we persevere and trust the GOD who has saved us from it, we can celebrate a lifetime of victory!
What happened here? Why was GOD angry at the Israelites? Weren't these the same people who cried out in anguish to GOD to set them free from the oppression and slavery of Egypt? Yes, they were slaves and were badly treated by the Eygyptians. GOD had raised up Moses to answer their cries. GOD freed them from the Egyptians' captivity through great miracles and provided for them in the desserts miraculously. But why, after all their freedom have they started to complain? In the book of Numbers it says, they complained of their hardships. Just how hard was it to be out in the wilderness led by a man Moses raised up by GOD? They certainly did not starve. GOD had miraculously provided food for them but ah! They missed the food they used to eat in Egypt. These are all fleshly cravings. They were slaves to their stomachs because they wanted to satisfy their bodies more than be grateful to a faithful GOD. And still what is harder? Travelling from one place to the other, not working but still having food? Or being pushed to work so hard and mistreated like you were just some animal doing labor force? They missed the food and their lifestyle, believe it or not they got used to the routine and the abuse that the Egyptians inflicted on them, they rebelled against GOD by wanting to go back to Egypt rather than follow the leading of a faithful GOD! There are so many people who are abused and when they are free from that abuse, they do not know how to live a free life because they have gotten so used to the abuse, the change that freedom provides for them makes them an alien to life. It is a very sad thing for a certain person to be acustomed to bondage. That is why the scriptures tell us always to renew our minds (Romans 12:2). The things we are used to doing are not always right and to be able to adjust to the changes GOD brings in our lives, we need to constantly renew our minds through reading the word of GOD reminding ourselves that what GOD offers is better than anything we could ever feel we were comfortable of doing. How do we overcome going back to the same old life? Be grateful! Be grateful everyday it keeps you from complaining. It takes a lot of effort to adopt to change, but in return, when we persevere and trust the GOD who has saved us from it, we can celebrate a lifetime of victory!
