Simply Follow the Instructions

 Exodus 16:22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23 he said to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.’” 24 So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. 25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none.” 27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 

We quickly see a pattern developing when they people head into the wilderness to worship God. They complain; God hears their complaints and provides their need and instructions for handling that provision. Two things happen next: some violated the instructions - blatantly disobeying, while others come against another issue and many complain again.  God gives clear and simple instructions. All we need to do is trust and learn to trust Him more. Then, when another need or issue arises, call out in faith to Him, and He WILL direct our paths.  We make things so complicated.

How Quickly We Forget!

Exodus 15:24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, 26 saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.” 27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.

This chapter opens with the song of Moses after the Lord's deliverance of Israel through the sea, but by the time we get to the end of the chapter the people are already complaining and doubting their great God. We have the same tendency: to forget the great faithfulness of God. God reminded them, and reminds us, of His great promises: He is our Healer. He is not out to poison us. He wants us trust. When we do, He will provide abundantly: twelve springs of water for twelve tribes, and all we need.

Vivid Reminders

 Exodus 14:26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore

God did exactly what He said he would: He got Pharaoh to beg them to leave and even paid them to do so. But he had a change of heart and sent his army after them, cornering them at the sea.  Having no way out but God's, they were able to walk through the sea safely, then turn and see God get Egypt off their backs once and for all.  Once again, He gave them visual effects - vivid memories - to help them remember their deliverance.  He still does: visual pictures, emotional triggers, even scars, to remind us that without Him we would never be where we are today.  May those reminders move us to trust Him more.

Why Do We Do This?

 

Exodus 12:24 You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. 25 And when you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. 26 And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ 27 you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

The series of plagues on Egypt finally reached their climax with the death of the firstborn. But lest we think that they were all about Egypt, we are reminded that they were first of all lessons for God's people of Israel, which were to be passed down.  Their descendants would ask: "Why?"  Much more important than how or when, we need to understand and answer the "Why?" questions the best we can.  Notice that being able to do so drew the people to worship. They were not even out of Egypt yet, but they were learning to worship. They would begin their sacrifice and worship there before they set out on their journey. Life is about learning to worship God as He deserves, wherever we are.

Righter Words Were Never Spoken

Exodus 10:24 Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord; your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.” 25 But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. 26 Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the Lord our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.” 27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. 28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.” 29 Moses said, “As you say! I will not see your face again.”

Moses really did not know everything. God had laid out the general plan: "Go, tell Pharaoh to let my people go, so they can worship me. He won't let you, but eventually he will beg you to go."  Moses did not know which animals he would need for sacrifice. God had not told him yet. But he did know this was the last time he would see Pharoah. God had used Pharaoh to give a true prophecy. He was tired of Moses and all his bad news. He did not want to hear the truth from him, so God made Pharoah speak the truth himself. If we are faithful and true, eventually the enemy will do the same, and we will be vindicated and set free indeed.

The Exceptions

Exodus 9:23 Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. 24 There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.

What becomes increasingly apparent in the curses God was bringing on Egypt was the fact that some of them were selective - experienced by everyone "except" Israel, and those close to them.  Obviously, God was presenting the facts to Pharaoh in such a way that he should be able to discern the difference. But when the heart is bent on hardness and arrogance, it takes a lot of convincing.  For any of us who have been a part of God's people, we know what it is to see God's blessing in a special way - not because we are so perfect and wonderful, but because we trust the One who is.  God is exceptional, and when we trust and worship Him, His blessings to us are exceptional too.

Progress in Negotiations?

 

Exodus 8:25 Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” 26 But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? 27 We must go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he tells us.” 28 So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.” 29 Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” 30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. 

They say: "third times a charm," but there was not even any apparent progress with Pharaoh until after the fourth plague sent by God. At that point he finally said: I will let you go... but not very far away. Of course, once again, Pharaoh cheated again, and Moses warned him not to, and did not let Israel go out. Sometimes when we are seeking progress in moving forward, it will seem like we are "getting somewhere", only to be let down again.  Do not lose heart. Take any sign as "progress," stick to the promises of God, to His timing, and to His standards.  He is still working, even on hardened hearts.