Wandering

5/3/2023

Written By: Stephen Cox

There is never a time when slavery is better than the wandering. And there is never a time when the wandering is better than the Promised Land. Let me explain.

You probably remember the account of the Israelites in slavery in Egypt. Moses is chosen by God to go to Pharaoh (Ramses II, Moses’ adopted brother, basically…seriously look it up in Exodus ). God made a promise to Moses that He would deliver His people out of slavery and into the Promised Land.

When God says “I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians” it is not a “wouldn’t it be nice” or “I’m going to give it the ole college try”. God is making a promise that will be fulfilled.

And when Moses and Aaron shared this news with the Elders of Israel in Egypt, the Elders were convinced that Moses and Aaron were, indeed, sent by God. They even bowed and worshiped God because of His mercy.

Fast forward to the physical exodus from Egypt. God miraculously led them with a Pillar of Cloud by Day and a Pillar of Fire by night. God told Moses who then told the people to turn back and camp on the way back toward Egypt so Pharaoh would think they were confused. And they did so.

The Israelites are at the shores of the Red Sea and they are trapped between the sea and Pharaoh’s rapidly charging army. Deliverance has been promised. Israel has been spared from the 10 plagues and have witnessed the Passover of the Angel of Death, but were untouched by it. It’s time to lean on God’s Promise. But instead…direct quote from Exodus 14:12:

‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”

Can you imagine? “It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!” That night the people were delivered by God (THROUGH THE WATER…a different devotional thought for a different time), on dry ground, with walls of water on both sides. Early the next morning the Israelites saw God’s power AGAIN as the Egyptians were swallowed up by the waters of the Red Sea the Israelites had just walked through. And they put their faith in God AGAIN.

AGAIN…not far into the future when the Israelites were hungry and without immediate food to satisfy them, they complained:

3 “If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”

God then promised manna, miraculous food that would rain down from Heaven EVERY DAY, their daily bread. And meat at night, miraculously. For the next forty years, because of complaining, and disobeying the Lord and complaining some more, and more disobeying, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness. And after the scouts returned from the Promised Land and gave their report of the beauty and splendor, and the powerful people and even some giants living in the land, the Israelites doubted that it was THEIR land for the taking! They even plotted against Moses to appoint a new leader and go BACK to Egypt!!! Doesn’t this just seem crazy? They were free and getting ready to step into the Promised Land. The land that GOD HIMSELF had PROMISED them. And they want to turn back and return to slavery!

After all we have seen! I mean…the Israelites had seen. OK. That wasn’t a mistake; it was intentional. After all we have seen God do in our lives and the lives of others, we STILL complain and grumble and build our own golden calves. We place other things in God’s place because He seems to have disappeared and we feel like we’re on our own. God may be silent. Or maybe I’m not listening. Or maybe I don’t want to listen. Or I’m listening to the wrong voices. I mean we. OK…I mean I.

It’s into this moment that God speaks to Joshua, the same promise He spoke to Moses, in Deuteronomy 1:3, 5 and that He speaks to us today:

3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

God is WITH us. And God is IN us; those who have been baptized into Him and clothed themselves with Christ. He is with us wherever we go. We were once slaves to sin, but now we are alive in Christ! He will not fail us nor will He abandon us.

It was this way for the Israelites, even in their wandering. God was with them. It was this way for Moses even in his anger. It was like this for Joshua and for David and on through the generations. We can take comfort in this period of wandering, as strangers in this strange land, that God is with us and will never fail us or abandon us.

There really is never a time when slavery is better than the wandering. And there is never a time when the wandering is better than the Promised Land.