Message: In Exodus 16 the people of Israel had just left the land of Elim, where there were the 12 springs of water and the 70 date palms. They were in the wilderness between Elim and Sanai. They were only 6 weeks into their journey after leaving their captivity in Egypt and they are already questioning their freedom. The “in between” was full of too much uncertainly so it got them longing to return back to the slavery they had finally been delivered from. The very thing that they had cried out to God for deliverance from was now sounding appealing. They made assumptions and accusations toward Moses that he had brought them out to the wilderness to starve to death. Their short term amnesia caused them to forget about the suffering and now they are looking back fondly on having meat to eat and lots of bread.
Command: Don’t get disillusioned in the in-between!
Promise: God doesn’t drag us out of suffering only to leave us abandoned in the wilderness.
Warning: The in-between is a scary, vulnerable and uncertain place, but if I allow my thoughts to consume in this time I can easily talk myself right out of freedom.
Application: This is such a huge reminder to me of how dangerous the mind is, and how quickly I can favor the misery of familiarity over the freedom ahead just because of the uncertainty. The Israelites had already seen God working on their behalf and providing for them in huge ways, but the uncertainty played tricks on their minds. I see the same tendencies in myself when I feel vulnerable and exposed. I need to remind myself that God is faithful and he will not abandon me to fend for myself in the vulnerable in-between.
