When Moses told the Israelites they were heading for the Promised Land, did the newly freed slaves of Egypt
However, I can’t believe the Israelites were that enamored with milk or honey as they stood at the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit. At that moment they probably wished they had acted on their grumbling and gone back to slavery, which at least guaranteed three square meals a day AND a the satisfaction of KNOWING what was around the bend… even if that was more brick making.
And so they came face-to-face with nautical impossibility on one hand and an angry taskmaster with a multitude of chariots on the other. Why, oh why had they followed this Bozo Moses? For a little milk and honey? For the Promised Land?
What they were about to step into was unfamiliar turf, quite literally. And that wasn’t just the crossing over the Red Sea on dry land, but the trek through the wilderness. I’m always amazed that this journey could have taken a LOT LESS time than it actually did. I like finding the most direct route. But through the years of wilderness bungling and more griping and complaining, these people, these former slaves came to understand what it meant to BE God’s people.
Sometimes the journey from slavery to true freedom of the heart takes time. It can be painful, and, as one author I read recently said, “You build a bridge while you walk on it.” For those of us who are less than fond of heights, that sounds scary and unnerving. Anything out of the status quo can be.
And yet, it is while we trek in the wilderness, that God comes especially close to take us by the hand and do a marvelous work in our hearts. So, then we are able to go from slaves of the world’s desires for us to BEING God’s people. That is not an overnight transformation. Rats! But it is a journey out of our comfort zone to experience how God will be our God and how we will BE God’s people.
Let us shove aside the status quo and experience the journey! Be blessed!
