Have you been sent to die in the wilderness?

“Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?” Exodus 14:11

I couldn’t help but laugh when I read that. I didn’t laugh because I was mocking the Israelites, or at their unsteadiness and doubt. But it was because I heard God speak to me through those verses;

“Oh you poor kid, have I not promised to you? Have I not told you? Have I not remind you for the umpteenth time, that with my mighty hands, I will deliver you? That I will have my way executed in your life because that’s what you chose from the beginning? Have you not already seen the things that I have done in your life? Have you forgotten the fulfilled promises in your life?“

As I lay in bed, I recalled the story of how Moses was leading the Israelites out of Egypt. What started off as 70 Israelites migrating to Egypt, ended up as 6 lakhs men (excluding women and children) after 430 year. They were slaves to Pharaoh over those years. The kind of slaves who were ill-treated, over worked, and had no rights over anything. But on the other hand, they were God’s children, whom He never forgot. One fine day, God sent Moses and Aaron along to deliver these people from the Egyptians. After a whole episode of prayers, signs and wonders, the Israelites were finally on their way out of Egypt, on their way to the promise land.

Even before leaving Egypt, the Israelites were complaining to Moses to let them be as they were, as slaves. As soon as they left, Pharaoh came chasing after them. And when they saw this, the Israelites feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “It is because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is it not that we said to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness. ” Exodus 14:10-12.

Every one of those words were pointed to towards God directly and not at Moses. These are the people who’ve had first hand experience and were privileged to see God’s miracles. Moses and Aaron performed miracles and sign through God in front of Pharaoh. When there was harmful things that was happening throughout Egypt, it had affected everyone right from the palace to the workers, but it didn’t affect anyone in Goshen, where the Israelites lived. When there were deadly plagues in Egypt, the Israelites were untouched by it. No frogs, gnats, swarms of flies, plague of the livestock, boils, hailstorm, locusts, darkness or even plague of the firstborn affected the Israelites. But they saw with their own eyes how the Egyptians suffered with these things.

We, people of today’s day and age, are all just like the Israelites of those days. The moment something looks as if it is not working for us, we immediately think it’s working against us. When there’s a vague sense of uncertainty, all the miracles become misty. All the promises are long forgotten. It may not be as verbal and real as going through slavery, wilderness etc. But that's the gist of it. 

To all those who are in such a situation, be reminded of just one thing: God is faithful.

“The Egyptian whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

Exodus 14:13,14.

I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them. I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgement. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you to the land that I swore to give Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I am the LORD.” Exodus 6:2-8

PS: This is a note to self on the 28^th of May 2015 at 1am (Malaysian time), and to all those who need it and would care to read it.