Temptation No. 3.

Exodus 16:1-12

Again, only one month and 15 days after leaving Egypt the whole congregation of the children of Israel is murmuring against Moses and Aaron in the wildness. They charged Moses and Aaron with wanting to kill them with hunger. They argued that it would have been better to die back in Egypt where they had flesh to eat and they ate until they were full. Moses reminds them that God hears their murmurings and that their complainings were not against him and Aaron but against God himself.

We need to remind ourselves that when we murmur and complain against our God-appointed church leaders (although not all are God appointed), we are actually murmuring against God. This is serious stuff. It is not something to be treated lightly. God shows us clearly through these Scriptures that wimpy murmuring and complaining is a direct attack on Him personally.

God in His love sent them quails in the evening and manna in the morning. They were instructed not to leave the manna until the next morning but to gather it fresh each new day, apart from the sixth day when they were to gather twice as much so they would not be hungry on the seventh day. But they were blatantly disobedient. Verse 20 tells us, “Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.” To top it off, some of the wimps went out on the seventh day to gather. What flagrant disobedience! God responded with a sigh of “How long will this rebellion continue?”

There is a message here for us to gather fresh manna from God’s Word each day. The wimp thinks that what he gets on Sunday will carry him through the week. This is the reason why he is a wimp. In order to be strong, virile, victorious and courageous Christians we must feed on the fresh manna every day.

All this murmuring and disobedience tempted God to destroy them and yet in His great love and mercy He continued to demonstrate mighty miracles for them.

Temptation No. 4.

Read Exodus 17:1-7

Once again the children of Israel are murmuring against Moses.  They angrily demand water to drink. They argue with him. They accuse him of wanting to kill them with thirst. Again Moses cries out to the Lord and He gives him the answer. 

God told Moses to strike the rock and water would flow. Isn’t it amazing that God can bring water out of a dry flinty rock to satisfy the thirst of a multitude? No matter how dry your situation, God will show you the rock Christ Jesus. “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” Living water gushes from this Smitten Rock. The rock was situated in Horeb, the Mountain of God. Let us daily resort to the Mountain of God and drink from this Living Rock.  1 Corinthians 10:4 says, “For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”

What a horrible accusation they made against God when they cried, “Is the Lord among us or not?  This statement directly attacks God. His presence had been abundantly manifested when He divided the red sea, healed the bitter waters, provided them with quail and manna – and now they hurl this accusation into the face of God. Let us never question the faithfulness of God’s presence with us, but rather we ought to question our faithfulness to live in His presence.

Once again God was tempted to destroy them. Yet his love and mercy held back his anger once more.