Israelites

So, my inspiration for this was the Israelites.  I spent some time going through their story.  I'd like to give you an overview of the beginning of their experience from life in Egypt to wandering the desert.

Okay, Israel has been enslaved.  Life sucks.  They need God to help them.  Thing is, it seems that they have forgotten who The Lord is.  I'll get to that later, let's go back to Egypt.  So Pharaoh tries to kill all the Hebrew boys, but the Lord has favour on Israel and he doesn't succeed.  He keeps trying to stop them from increasing, but nothing seems to work, so harsh labour and poor conditions await the Hebrews.

Then comes Moses, the burning bush and all that good stuff.  Wow this really is a MAN OF GOD!!!  You would think they would be impressed right?  Well not really.  Moses tells Pharaoh to let his people go or there would be bad stuff going down.  The first few signs (stick changes to a snake, water to blood, frogs everywhere) are replicated by the pharaoh's magicians.  Then come the others (gnats, flies, death of livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, death of firstborn).  These could not be replicated by the magicians.  Many of them, including the worst ones, only effected the Egyptians.

At this point I'm thinking that if I'm Pharaoh, I beg for forgiveness and give Israel all they want.  I think that if I'm an Israelite, I follow God anywhere.  Read the story, it's not what happens.  First God doesn't tell the Israelites to take the most direct route, instead God lead them away from philistine territory because “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”  He knew the kind of people he was dealing with.

He lead them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night.  Again, I'm thinking that's pretty cool, I'll follow wherever you want...  Again, not what happens.  They get to the Red Sea and the first thing they think is that they will die!?  Really?  How's that again?  Anyway, instead of going back to Egypt, God saves them and brings them across on dry land.

I could go on and on about how God delivers the Israelites just to see them rebel, ask to go back to Egypt, make a golden calf etc.  Still He provides water to drink in the desert, food to eat (manna and quail) and protects them throughout their trip.

Finally, the last straw for this group, they hear a report about the land they are to take possession of.  The people are giants, they will never be able to beat them.  They get scared and surprise, surprise, they want to go back to Egypt, except for Caleb and Joshua.

From Numbers 14:

The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked. ²¹ Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, ²² not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times— ²³ not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. ²⁴ But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. ²⁵ Since the Amalekites and the Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.

Then, 

‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: ²⁹ In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. ³⁰ Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. ³¹ As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. ³² But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness. ³³ Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. ³⁴ For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ ³⁵ I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.

The Israelites forgot God, and they suffered because of it.  Over and over and over again.

Next time:  What about when I forget God...