7 * 7 - The lesser of two evils

Psalm 106: 9 - 12 "Thus He rebuked the Red Sea and it dried up, and He led them through the deeps, as through the wilderness. So He saved them from the hand of the one who hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left. Then they believed His words; they sang His praise."

I must confess, I have been very distracted in Numbers lately and was not able to bring my focus in on these verses in Psalm 106. Rather than writing something trite or uninspired to meet my little 49 days of praise project, I continued to praise God for what He was speaking through those chapters of Numbers and waited to hear Him speak again in the Psalms. In Numbers, chapters 16 and 17, the people rebel against Moses and Aaron, asking why they had exalted themselves. Jealousy - envy - pride - lust - they are wandering through a wilderness - nothing around them and they are surrounded by sin. The sin that lives within each of us and so easily entangles.

When God saved the Israelites from the Egyptians, He parted the sea, creating giant walls of water, which they passed through and then drowned the Egyptians. Exodus 15:31 says "When Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses." But this habit of believing only after they see some great sign is really a great hindrance to our faith. When Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego stand before the fiery furnace, they say to King Nebuchadnezzar, "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."

When Jesus appears to the disciples and Thomas touches His hands and side, Jesus says "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are those who did not see, and yet believed." (John 20:29) In fact, Hebrews 11:1 says "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

These Israelites beheld God's power and then believed - but then they forgot....and they grumbled....and they tested Him. They became a people wandering the wilderness asking "but what has God done for us lately?". Free from the chains of bondage in Israel, saved from the forces of Pharaoh's army, the only enemy was the attitude of malcontent dwelling deep within their hearts. Pharaoh's army may seem fierce, but God could drown them all in the sea. Their hardened hearts was a different story. When Stephen speaks about Israel's history before the High Priest,he says of Moses "This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you. Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt." (Acts 7:38-39)

While they could physically run from Egypt and Pharaoh and the slavery that was killing them there, their hearts were continually turning from God and from His chosen leaders and trying to return to the land that would have been their tomb. When Israel demands a king to rule over Samuel, he replies "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I delivered your from the hand of the Egyptians and the power of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.' But you have today rejected your God, who delivers you from all your calamities and your distresses." (1 Sam 10:18b-19a)

When we need to first see that God will deliver us, before we believe, we set a dangerous precedent of questioning God in the times we do not understand. When we forget His graciousness and kindness from the past and see only our present distress, we make choices based on what we can see and what we can control. Believing after you see limits our view to hindsight.

The real danger for Israel was not the army behind, but the enemy within. This history of doubting, disbelief and ungratefulness led to the death of a generation who had walked through the Red Sea - who had seen the first Passover with their own eyes. Their hearts were not awakened to the power of God, but rather hardened. As we learn in Hebrews 3, there was no rest for those who didn't believe.

Is it any different for us? When we refuse to take God at His word and we try to live by sight or by feelings - there is no rest for us. We are filled with anxiety and doubt. We spend our days in fear and toss and turn all night. There is no peace for the one who must first see before they can trust.

God is gracious and patient with our doubting hearts. And yet, when we live fearfully we miss the blessing He has for us. As the Psalmist says "Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence." (Psalm 42:5)

Experiencing His presence is all we need to quiet the chaos in our hearts and mind - but that experience is not one we will behold with our eyes in this lifetime. Oh to have an enemy that I could see and engage in battle. No - the enemy is within my own heart - and it wages war through fear and doubt and anger and hurt. But there is healing for my brokenness. There is rest for my soul. There is peace which He has stored up for me. "Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation." (Isaiah 12:2)

Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph 6:23)