Learning from the past

 

Hello and welcome to Time for Reflections.

I’ve often wondered why it took the Israelites forty years to walk from Egypt to the Promised Land. Geographically speaking it is a very short distance. Why did it take them so long and is there a lesson there for us?

You can read the story on how Moses got the Israelites out of Egypt in the book of Exodus in the Bible. And I think the lesson there is about people putting their will above the will of God.

If you were one of the Israelites in Egypt I you would have seen many signs from God. You remember Moses asked the Pharaoh to release the Israelites, and when the Pharaoh refused God sent ten different plagues on Egypt. And eventually when he released the Israelites, the Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army after them. Moses divided the Red Sea and the Israelites crossed safely to the other side; and then the waters came back together again and stopped the Egyptian army from pursuing.

But even then, when they were safely across the Israelites started moaning and arguing amongst themselves.

They wanted food and drink; God provided them with water, God provided them with manna from Heaven.

But they still continued to rebel against Moses. To rebel against God. To build a golden calf to worship. And to argue as to the way ahead.

Even when they eventually reached the Promised Land, they were not sure whether to go ahead and enter the Promised Land or not; and continued walking round in circles for forty years.

A typical example of putting man’s will above the will of God, rather than looking back at the signs that God provided them in the past that He was looking after them and caring for them.

Move forward to today and look at us right now.

I’m sure we’ve all had difficult times in our lives from time to time. When this happens, what do we do? Do we kick against God and blaming for the difficult time we’re going through? Or do we stop and think into the past when we had difficulties and God was by our side all the time and He helped us along?

Whatever the difficulties that we met, the difficulties that He allowed to happen, He saw us through those difficulties to better times.

Are we perhaps like those Israelites at the time of Moses? Do we moan about today and our difficulties right now, rather than looking at the past when God was by our side and He helped us through our difficulties?

Thank you very much for listening to Time for Reflections. This is Vic Moubarak saying bye bye for now and God bless.