They Didn't Know Him

This morning, I flipped open my Bible to Exodus 16. A few days ago, my dad shared the story of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, and the way he explained it....was...idk, just really awesome!  It made me want to go and re-read that story.  So I did.  Folks, Exodus 15 is one amazing chapter!  I read it and afterwards sat thinking, Wow, God....you're are really cool! And powerful. :P 

So this morning, I flipped back to Exodus and decided to continue reading about the Israelites.  OK, Exodus 16 - The Israelites have been slaves for over 400 years and have been waiting and waiting for God to deliver them.  Well, He does!  He shows them His power over Pharaoh, and sets them free.  He brings them to the Red Sea, where they're caught between the water and Pharaoh's army.  And again, God shows His great might and love for them by parting the Red Sea!  Then, they praise and worship Him...and God leads them to the Wilderness of Sin (verse 1). It says, "The whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron."  WHAT?! Why would they complain?  God had just done tons of miracles before their very eyes and they complain?....

I was thinking about this very thing, wondering why they all would be grumbling, and this is what God revealed to me:  In Psalm 103:7 it says, "He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the people of Israel."  There's a difference between ways and acts.  Acts means what somebody does.  Ways means the reasons why they do things - who they are. Moses knew God.  And He was fully convinced to follow God wherever He would lead. Moses was intimate with God - God has spoken to him many times, and Moses had chosen to listen.  Therefor, when God led them to the Red Sea, Moses knew His God, and trusted that He would continue to be faithful to His people. When God brought them to the Wilderness of Sin, Moses could trust that God wouldn't fail them, because He was in control - He was leading them.  Therefore, Moses could take comfort in the fact that God had a purpose for everything He was doing. 

The Israelites didn't know God.  They knew of Him; they'd heard about Him, but didn't have that relationship with Him.  Therefore, when trials came into their life -  when God "trapped" them between a huge body of water and an angry army, they freaked out and got angry at Moses!  They didn't know the ways of God - they just knew He had freed them before.  But to them (because they didn't have that trust in God's faithfulness), that didn't mean He would do it again.  They didn't know that God is faithful. 

When God led them to the Wilderness of Sin, with no food, they couldn't trust Him because they didn't know Him.  They didn't know that He uses hard circumstances in our lives to draw us to Him; to refine us; to strengthen our faith.  They couldn't take comfort in the fact that God had a purpose for making them go hungry for a little bit.  They didn't know Him.   I believe that's one reason why they complained - because they couldn't/wouldn't take their eyes off of the circumstances and look to God, trusting in His love, care and faithfulness to them. 

This was the dynamite of insight that God gave me this morning.  It was SO AWESOME to me, 'cause I couldn't have come up with that on my own - it was totally Him!  And I didn't deserve it, He chose to bless, and show me something new in His Word because He delights in me, and wants me to know Him better. 

He delights in you, too.  And He is yearning for you to draw close, and to know Him - to know God's ways. 

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The more I go on in life, the more I learn this - Life is all about knowing Jesus Christ.

"On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' "  (Matthew 7:22-23)

He's about relationship. Not religion.
He wants your love.  Not your service.