As we prepare our minds to remember our Lord Jesus it can be useful to consider the lives of some of God’s other servants which are recorded for us in the Bible as an example to us, as mentioned by Paul in First Corinthians.
The tenth chapter of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians talks about the bread and wine, which represents our communion in the body of Christ. And here not once, but twice, Paul reminds the brethren at Corinth that events in the Old Testament, specifically in the life of Moses and the people under his charge, were written for our example and exhortation. The letter reads:
“But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for an examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come” (1 Cor 10:5-11).
The exhortation that Paul is delivering here is that we can learn from the temptations, trials, failures and success in the lives of Bible characters, so that we are admonished to forsake temptation to sin and put on the mind of Christ.
We will follow Paul’s advice and take a look back at some of the trials and temptations the nation of Israel and their strong leader Moses were exposed to as they left Egypt for the Promised Land. As we look back at the experiences of Israel journeyed through that great and terrible wilderness, we can find many good lessons that can serve, as Paul wrote, as examples to us as we consider life in Christ.
The Nation of Israel Leaves Egypt
All that the generations in Israel had known to the point they left Egypt was slavery. For hundreds of years they had been taught to obey their masters out of fear; if they did not do as they were told they were beaten or killed. Their lives were full of fear; fear of death. Even so, they has a great fear of leaving the land they had always known, even though it was a life of slavery. They learned to love the few simple pleasures they had each day: a roof over their heads, a place to sleep and food to fill their bellies. They had likely learned to covet Egyptian styles and fashion, and perhaps even attempted to imitate it. Many had grown up worshiping the idols of Egypt: gods they could see and touch which offered a sense of comfort and whom they controlled and made as they pleased.
“In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands: Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt” (Ezek 20:6-9).
However, along came Moses who removed them from this situation in which they had lived their whole lives. He removed them from their slavery in Egypt and marched them to freedom. They were baptized in the cloud and in the sea, and all that they had known changed.
“Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;” (1Cor 10:1-2).
After they left Egypt and had been spiritually baptized in the Red Sea, they were asked to serve an invisible God, whom they could not see or touch. They were asked to obey His commands, not out of fear of punishment or death as they served in Egypt, but out of respect, love and appreciation for what He had done for them. They were asked to leave the false Egyptian gods and idols behind. They were asked to give up their simple pleasures: the comfort of a home, and tasty food to fill their stomachs in exchange for a nomadic life of wandering in the wilderness and surviving on the simple food which God provided. God was asking them to forget their former life, to leave Egypt behind and to begin anew.
However, as we know, the people failed miserably to reach the goals that God had set for them. That generation never learned to serve God out of respect, love and appreciation for what He had done for them. Instead, they rebelled against God constantly and as a result, that generation was never allowed to enter the land God promised.
“Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:” (Num 14:22-23).
When the people did wrong, they failed to repent on their own. Only when God threatened them would they repent and obey; for example, when there was a plague or thunder or snakes. That is how it had worked in Egypt — obey or face the whip.As human beings it is understandable that we would be motivated to a certain extent by fear, however, that should not be the principle motivating factor in our decision to obey God.
The spies in the land
Let’s look at an example. After the spies returned from spying out the Promised Land the people refused to take the land because they feared making war against its mighty inhabitants — even though God had said He would protect them. So the LORD said:
“Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness” (Num 14:30-33).
And only with that threat did the Israelites respond.
“And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly. And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned” (Num 14:39-40)
Israel was not motivated by the goodness God had shown them, or the wonderful promises He offered; they were moved primarily by the fear of losing the sort of lives they were living. And so, they only repented when God threatened them. Just like in Egypt, where they were slaves moved by fear of punishment and loss.
A slave acts out of fear to preserve what little he has in this life. God called His people out of slavery into hope and He asked them to act, not out of fear of loss, but out of hope and faith that God would provide something much better in the future.
The slavery of Egypt represents a life lived without God; a live of serving sin and fearing loss without a future hope. Israel leaving Egypt and passing through the waters of the Red Sea represents a change in direction: a baptism, a washing away of sin and the old ways and leaving them behind. The journey towards the Promised Land represents a journey of faith and hope towards the kingdom and that is where we are today. Each one of us is on a journey which we hope leads to the kingdom. We begin that journey when we decide to leave behind our old worldly ways and are baptized into Christ. And just as God wanted Israel to be motivated and driven forwards in their new life by the hope of the Promised Land, even when the way ahead seemed hard, in our new lives we should not be motivated by fear or because we think we can avoid worldly hardship if we serve God.
Conclusion
Being a baptized Christian is not a guarantee that everything in life is going to be without difficulty. As we study Israel in the wilderness, we see that that they faced hunger and thirst and hard work. Of course God was always there to help them through tough times. All He asked from Israel was their trust and their faith. However, that generation of Israelites failed to please Him and we too will fail unless our service is driven by faith, hope and love.
There are many sound reasons for the Christian to base his service on these things. Sin and death may be a necessary part of our journey, but the more important reality is that in Christ’s mercy, goodness, joy and life will triumph and any struggles will be proven worthwhile. Paul wrote to the Corinthians:
“… for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor 6: 16-18).
God is calling people to ‘come out’ and form part of His holy temple which is built on Christ, and we are told that He will ‘dwell in’ that people, and they will be His sons and daughters. What a wonderful hope to motivate us as we go forward.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One