Derek Smith
Lead Pastor
Exodus 16:2-3
And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “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.”
The Lord delivered the children of Israel from over 400 years of slavery by his own righteous right hand and miraculous means. On top of that, He parted the Red Sea so they could walk across dry land and drown Pharaoh’s army in the process. They witnessed one of the greatest miracles in the history of miracles, yet when they got to the wilderness they immediately began to complain. Now in the wilderness they were without food and water, and in a moment of spiritual short-term memory loss they grumble against the leadership. How dare Moses bring them out here to die?! Then they make one of the most nonsensical statements ever uttered by mankind. “We would rather have died in slavery in Egypt where there was bread and meat in abundance!”, they said. They were willing in the moment to trade their freedom for slavery simply to have their fleshly cravings satisfied.
This story reminds me of a cautionary fact: there is always bread and meat in Egypt. However, Egypt is the place of slavery. There is fleshly pleasure, temporal satisfaction, and momentary peace in sin, but there is great pain in sin and slavery to the flesh over a lifetime. Pleasure, leisure, material things, and busy schedules satisfy momentary cravings in us, but living for them enslaves us over a lifetime. There is comfort and convenience in the things of this world, but there is no hope for eternity in them. Child of God, don’t return to those things which used to enslave you. Don’t subjugate your identity to cheap substitutes for freedom in Christ. Money, possessions, hobbies, and man’s applause won’t satisfy. Remember your salvation and the call of God now on your life. Living for Jesus may not be easy, but it beats anything this world has to offer! Joy, peace, wisdom, and ultimate fulfillment are found in Christ and in Him alone.