Far too often in that snubbing is the idea that the Israelites of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers we so unlike us AND completely lacking in understanding of who God is. We assume because of their mistakes that they are totally unable to teach us anything worth while.
I'd like to take a minute and hopefully change that, and maybe (hopefully) open at least one persons eyes to some worth while lessons.
When reading about all of the Israelites mistakes and short comings in these 3 books it's very easy to say "How could they do that? They had the visible miracles of God right there!" We quickly judge them as lacking in faith or for doubting God. We easily state that WE would NEVER do that, and we longingly wish that we could see God in the very real way that they did.
What if I told you that I could share 2 things that would make you change your perspective of the Israelites?
Many of us know the story of how Israel was brought out of Egypt by God, how God parted the sea, and lead His people to freedom. Yet I found 1 verse in the story that opened my eyes to more that was going on.
In Exodus 12:38 (NASB) it tells us that: "A mixed multitude also went up with them, along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock."
Did you catch that? When Israel left Egypt they weren't alone. They had others following them. Others that were not Israelites.
When they left Egypt there were people that saw the miracles that God had performed and who chased after those miracles, leaving Egypt with the Israelites. I might have passed this over many times without it actually sinking in. The Israelites left Egypt followed by miracle chasers. Followed by people who didn't believe in God or know God but wanted to cash in on what God was doing. They wanted the blessing without the relationship.
This mixed multitude didn't believe in God but they sure wanted a part of what was happening. They wanted all the benefits that God was giving His people without any investment on their part. They tagged along for the blessing but they weren't about to change who they were in the process.
They travelled with Israel out of Egypt but I'd be willing to be that wasn't all that they did.
Numbers 11:4 (NASB) tells us that "The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, 'Who will give us meat to eat?'"
Those miracle chasers had greedy desires. They were selfish, greedy, insatiable in their desire of miracles, and they were in this journey for what they could get out of it. They weren't there to get to know God. They were there to see what they could gain by tagging along. In their greed they incited the Israelites against God. They were among the Israelites whispering and egging on trouble, because the journey was all about what they could gain, not how they could grow or change, or even about getting to know God.
That leads me to the second lesson that I wanted to share in this story.
Time and again we see the Israelites questioning if God was able, and we look down on them saying that they were lacking in faith after all they had seen God do. Yet we overlook the fact that they had just come out of Egypt, followed by this mixed multitude, both of which can be assumed (based on historical facts) to have a polytheistic (many gods based) society and religion. What does this have to do with the story, right?
In these polytheistic, many gods, religions; their gods were one trick ponies. Each god was limited to 1 or maybe 2 areas that they had influence in, and power or control over. Sure, one could control water, and another could control crops, but none could do everything.
Take that culture and introduce into it our God, Who can do anything, and has everything within His hands. Our God would boggle the minds of that mixed multitude as well as the Israelites who had been influenced by the culture they had been surrounded with for the last 400 years+.
Combine this mind boggling revelation that God is able to do anything, with a greedy mixed multitude that only wants to take, take, take, and benefit by proximity to God, and you have a recipe for the problems that we see along this journey.
The Israelites weren't immune to the influence of those that they surrounded themselves with. Like us they were able to be swayed by those around them and were influenced by the culture and society that they were striving to leave behind. They were very human, and also had been indoctrinated by the propaganda of Egypt.
The biggest step for Israel in the desert wouldn't have been trusting God, but questioning everything that they thought they knew. They needed to learn that what they thought they knew, didn't agree with God and Truth. To get to that point they had to be willing to disagree with those around them, and even loose a friend (or more) in the process. They had to become above the influence of people. They had to be influenced by God alone.
In that the Israelites weren't so unlike us after all.
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