Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness?

Exo 13:17  And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.

                                                                                                                 

God knows best. A bunch of slaves with no military training will not be able to withstand any military campaign coming towards them. We see their fear when Pharaoh came after them with his chariots: “And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?” (Exodus 14:11).

God knew Israel and chose the longer route over the other for the simple fact that the people were not prepared to go through the land of the Philistines. He knew what was in the heart of His people. He knew that, seeing the armies of the Philistines coming against them, the children of Israel would throw down their weapons and run as fast as they could back into Egypt! Their long servitude had made them timid and fearful and to them, Egypt offered them life even though life was tough: “For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness” (Exodus 14:12).

Some kids want to run even before they could even walk. What happen then? They fall. So often we think we know ourselves better than what we really are. We think we can do this and that. But God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows our limitations and how we will respond to any given situation. We think we are strong but oftentimes we are proven wrong: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

I have seen people who are so full of self-confidence they thought Satan could not touch them. Well, they are now in Satan’s camp. When people say to me, “Don’t worry, I know what I am doing”, that’s when I begin to worry. Peter thought he would never deny Christ; but he did (Matthew 26:33, 69-75 ). Take heed lest ye fall!

We don’t like the “wilderness road” but sometimes it is necessary for our growth and maturity. Of course, we love a short cut. Who doesn’t want to travel by a shorter route! But there are no short cuts to life. We have to crawl before we can walk. We have to slowly progress in our education before we can handle tertiary subjects. We have to first settle as apprentices before we can become managers. Sometimes, we hurry God; but He says: “WAIT!”

The wilderness of Sinai was a training school to the children of Israel. In the wilderness, they learned about the great God Jehovah and to trust Him. In Egypt they were slaves with no identity. The wilderness gave them identity and made them a nation. The wilderness was a “school” where their faith in the LORD grew and prepared them to inherit the Land that God promised to give to them.

God knows Israel and what they are not ready for. He knows the “breaking point” of their faith. He knows how far Israel’s trust in Him really goes, and so He directs them into a place where He knows is best for them. It is the same for us too. God knows our breaking point. The question is: Are we willing to follow where He leads us: “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake” (Psalm 23:2-3).

The shorter way may not be the best way. Let us learn to trust God more fully and follow where He is leading us. The “wilderness way” is longer but the experience will help us in our physical, mental, and spiritual growth. It’s only after we have completed the training in the wilderness, then we are ready to travel the “nearer way”. Therefore, let us patiently endure the trials that we are under with the hope that, next time, we will be ready to travel the “nearer way.” “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Jimmy Lau

Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

The song of Moses

Exo 15:1  Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 

The song of Moses is a song of gratitude, joy, and happiness. The song is a description of the power of God as Israel’s defender, as evidenced in the destruction of the Egyptian army and in the deliverance of Israel by means of the Red Sea (Exodus 15:1). Having seen the power of God when He parted the Red Sea, Israel finally “feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses” (Exodus 14:31).

Almost four hundred years of servitude and now they were free; no wonder they were joyful. Likewise, salvation should produce a heart of celebration in us because we have been set free from our sins. An Ethiopian eunuch went on his way rejoicing after his baptism (Acts 8:39). Probably he was singing praises in gratitude to God for His grace and salvation for the rest of his journey: “Is any merry? let him sing psalms” (James 5:13).

The Song of Moses has an unmistakable theme: the exaltation of the God of Israel. This is what praises should be -- glorify God. The focus of our singing session is God and not man. Why on earth do denominations invite professional singers to sing in their services? They were focusing on the singers and not God. They are giving applause to the singers who entertain them; God is missing in their service.

Every song has a message. The Song of Moses serves as a reminder that God had rescued them in the past and would do so again. The singers were reminded that their God was mighty and strong while they were wretched and in need of His mercy: “Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation” (Exodus 15:13). Singing it would have promoted faith and helped to keep them focused on their destination. It serves as a constant reminder and encouragement that God is on their side and they need not fear what men can do to them: “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). The song also provides a way to pass along the story of their deliverance to future generations.

What about us? Why do we sing in worship? There are a few reasons:

1. GLORIFY GOD - God deserves our praise. We worship God by singing: “Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven” (Psalm 148:13).

2. REMINDER – Songs keep us focus and remind us about God and what He has done for us. The Song of Moses reminded Israel of God delivering them. Some of the hymns remind us of what God and Christ had done for us: “this do in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24).

3. GRATITUDE – The song of Moses expresses gratitude. Our songs express our thanksgiving: “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Psalm 100:4).

4. ENCOURAGEMENT - Our songs serve not only to praise and honour God, but also are means of teaching, encouraging, and admonishing one another: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).

We see that singing connects us to God and to one another. Let us be like the Psalmist David who loved to sing hymns in praises to God: “Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely” (Psalm 147:1).

Jimmy Lau

Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

The Wilderness of Sin

Exo 16:2  And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

The children of Israel had finished the food they took with them when they left Egypt. They were now tired and hungry. They came to a place called the Wilderness of Sin. It was an appropriate name for here they sinned against God. They complained about their hunger. They put the blame on Moses: “Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (Exodus 16:3).

What an ungrateful people! They had forgotten they had cried to God for deliverance when they were in Egypt (Exodus 2:23). If life had been so good in Egypt, would they cry for deliverance? What is this hunger compared to the slavery in Egypt? Yet, instead of bearing the trial, and doing the best they could under the circumstances, they began to murmur and wish themselves dead. They accused Moses and Aaron for bringing them out of Egypt with the intention of killing them in this wilderness.

Was it Moses and Aaron's fault for the situation in which the Israelites found themselves? They had done nothing but obeyed God from first to last. They had forgotten how much Moses had to give up from being son of Pharaoh’s daughter to son of a slave just to be identified with them. They had forgotten how Moses and Aaron had led them out from the Egyptian bondage. Have you heard a word of thanks from them? None at all. But they were quick to blame their leaders when they met a little obstacle on the way.

Moses responded to their murmuring: “The LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD” (Exodus 16:8).

What are the implications for us?

1. God hears every complaint that is made against His servants.

2. Every complaint is towards God.

The Lord heareth your murmurings! We should always remember that God hears our murmuring made against a preacher, elder, church event organiser, and our brethren. How do you think God feels about it? Would He agree with your complaint against a preacher or an elder? Will He side with you? Do you know what happened when Aaron and Miriam complained about the leadership of Moses (Numbers 12:1-10)? Yes, God was angry (Numbers 12:9).

Every complaint is towards God! Preachers, elders, deacons, and all church workers are but God’s instruments. Murmuring against them is murmuring against God. Instead, we should take our grief straight to God. We should go to Him not with murmuring, but with prayer. “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

Yet, each time that trouble threatens, we murmur. Like Israel, we are in the Wilderness of Sin when we murmur. We forget all the good things that we have enjoyed but we wish that we had died before the trial came. We complain that the leaders shouldn’t have organised this event or they should have done it this way and not that way. “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts” (Proverbs 21:2).

Let God’s faithful servants take courage; God will vindicate them. Let us be busy in the kingdom of God so that we have no time to murmur. When you are busy with the rest in working together, what occupies your mind is to get the work done the the best possible way; you won’t be living in the Wilderness of Sin. 

Are you living in the Wilderness of Sin?

Jimmy Lau

Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.