When God Brought Israel Out by Corey Darnell

When God brought Israel out of Egypt, He did so with miraculous signs and wonders. His command to Pharaoh was simple “Let my people go that they may worship me.” When Pharaoh refused, God “glorified” Himself in the midst of all the people. Plagues abounded in Egypt, but in Israel there was no plague found. God even went so far as to give Pharaoh an opportunity to choose what would befall Egypt next (you can read all of this in Exodus chaps 4,7-11). Long testimony short, Israel finally was released from Egypt and during their “pilgrimage” in the desert; God gave them amazing promises concerning their “destination,” which was the land of Canaan. God promised that He would bring them to this land and would protect them during their journey. When they finally arrived at Canaan, they did what everyone from that time period until this one believes can’t be done; they overruled God and refused to go in and position themselves to take the land. This refusal provoked God to make their pilgrimage in the desert their destination. Those who were 20 years old and up would call the wilderness home until the day they died (you can read all of this in Numbers chaps 13-14).
Now you may ask “what exactly did Israel do or say that would bring that harsh a judgment from God?” The answer to that can be found in the book of Numbers, chapter 14 verses 1-4. Here Israel says to God that He cannot do what He said He would do, because they (Israel) have seen how “big” the problem was for them and decided that God couldn’t do it. They then said to God, “It were better had we died in Egypt or in the wilderness.” The problem with this was that Israel didn’t just disobey God, they rejected Him. God had given them His word in the form of a covenant and declared before all beings present that He would do it. Now when the opportunity came for Him to make good on His promise, the people He needed to be on His side rejected Him. Based upon God’s reaction to Israel, He does not like rejection. In fact, in chapter 14 and verse 34 of the book of Numbers, God tells Israel that the reason they would remain in the wilderness, is so they will know what it’s like to reject Him. The reason why God is so strong towards Israel has to do with their interaction with Him. Remember all those chapters in the book of Exodus I asked you to look at in the beginning of this article, well God proved Himself over and over again during that time. They had no reason to believe that God couldn’t do what He had promised. So, for 40 years Israel was made to wander in the desert; able to see the land God had promised to give, but not being able to enter in and occupy it.
Many people have read the Bible and have been inspired by it one way or another. They come to understand that by reading it, it’s as if God Himself is speaking to them; which, in fact, He is. When they read in the Bible where God promises to do something for the believer, they have every right to expect God to fulfill His word. I should note that by “Believer,” I am referring to anyone who has come to hear what God has said about His son Jesus and have built their faith on His word. So what happens when God seems to have forgotten His promise? I can only answer that in light of what we have been talking about; Rejection. Not that God rejected the believer, but the believer rejected God. Earlier, I had said that when it came time for God to make good on His promise, the one group He needed on His side rejected Him. This rejection came in the form of Israel looking at what was and “believed” that it was bigger than God. They were still believers, but instead of believing God they decided to believe their situation. This prompted them to say “it would’ve been better had we died in Egypt or the wilderness” and then to make plans to go back. Why did this happen? They did not remember and meditate on what God had said and then did for them in the past. Their faith was not strengthened like it should have been and, consequently, they lost their courage when they came to Canaan. They turned back to what they were “comfortable” with; to what they believed had keep them safe, which was bondage in Egypt.
God has plans for you! I will say that again, “GOD HAS PLANS FOR YOU!” He always did. The problem maybe that when He called you to live for Him, you refused. You may ask “where did I refuse!” When God sent you His word in response to your “cry” and you politely said “I can’t do that.” Just like Israel you may have looked at your situation and felt that what was being told to you was foolishness (by the way you should look at Luke chapter 8 verses 5, 11, and 12). You do not have to be defiant about rejecting God, you just simply have to hear what He is saying and decide that it is not for you. Are you “wandering in the wilderness” right now? Does it seem as if you keep circling the “place” where you know you were destined to be? Able to see it, but not able to enter in! May I suggest to you that your obstacle maybe rejection. One way to tell is the “wandering” in life you are experiencing; constantly changing jobs, homes, decisions, churches, even relationships. How many times must you try and change your physical situation, before you realize that you have a constant spiritual problem.
Here’s the “Good News!” If you know you have rejected the Lord, He is quick to forgive for His mercy and grace are abundant towards all of us. Commit yourself to the Lord and dare to “stay” wherever He has called to you to be. Hear what God is saying to you now! Allow this word to change you spiritually and receive direction on where to go, and stop “wandering” trying to find out where to go. One last note, you may say “OK, but I had to change several times and everything seems to be going pretty good for me. I did what needed to be done to survive.” Understood, but one thing about Israel and their wandering in the wilderness that I didn’t mention was, for the 40 years they were in the wilderness, no one went hungry, no one wore out their shoes, and God still protected them. That’s pretty good for a group of people that rejected God. Here’s my point, why only allow God to maintain what you have as opposed to Him bringing you into His OVERFLOW. MAKE JESUS YOUR LORD TODAY!!

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