Thankful “God Didn’t Give up on Me”!
Many of you know the historical record of when the Lord led His people out of the bondage of Egypt. How they had been in such cruel bondage for so many years, then the miraculous opening of the sea that allowed them to travel across on dry land. [as told in Numbers 21].
Then the trip across the desert that should have taken about fourteen days, yet because of the grumbling and complaining of the people it took forty years [Ex.16].
That might explain why some of the people of God have had to stay in bondage to one thing or another in this day and time.
One of the incidents was “And they journeyed from mount Hor by way of the Red Sea to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loathes this light bread” [Num.21:4-5].
Notice they spoke against God, the one who created them, and they spoke against Moses, the one God had set in leadership over them. Then they admitted, their soul= their [mind, will, and emotions], hated the provision God had given them. The I, Me, and My of their selfishness. Knowing that life itself is a gift from God.
It really doesn’t pay to bad mouth God or the man of God. As a Judgment “the Lord sent fiery serpents among them, and they bit the people; and many of Israel died”[Num. 21:6].
Maybe a Virus. Seems God gave them something to gripe about. To make a long story short, the people repented and ask Moses to pray to the Lord for them.
He did and the Lord had Moses to set up a pole with a fiery serpent made of brass on the pole. God said, all who are bitten can look on it with faith, and they would live. It was a type of the cross of Jesus.
All who look at Jesus and what He suffered on the cross, in faith, would be saved. Brass represents judgment. For those who receive what Jesus did on the cross has been redeemed from the judgment of sin and death. Jesus paid a debt He did not owe and we owed a debt we could not pay.
No amount of good deeds, no amount of money could buy it, no prayers of others could pay for our salvation from hell to heaven. Only the “Blood of Jesus” can pay for the salvation of man.
During all this transition of delivering Israel out of Egypt, from their bondage, the brick making and no choices of living conditions,the thing that angered God the most was the fact that the people did not remember what He had done for them, blamed Him for their condition and that they were unthankful. In Psalms we see “They remembered not His hand, nor the day when He delivered them from the enemy”[Ps.78:42].
Things may not be just like you would like them, if God had only had you born to different parents, only had a different wife, only had a better job, more money, on and on--- There is a Greek word for that “Hogwash.” Jesus died for us all, while we were low down no good sinners. Just think how much more we can receive now that we love Him, now that we trust and have faith in Him.
That is, those of us that have received Jesus as our Savior. If you haven’t received Him, then run to the cross, walk, crawl, look up to Jesus. Do whatever it takes. Repent for your sins invite Him into your heart. You will never be sorry and you will always “Be Thankful.”