Sometimes, it is as though we are caught in a negative spiral of sin. For some of us, the spiral is for the same issue. Hebrews 12:1 refers to this as a besetting sin. I’m convinced that this might have been the collective case with the Children of Israel. It was as though they were on a cycle: Wash Rinse Repeat. I promise, we will not visit every single foible, but their approach to YHWH in their formative years ought to give us pause. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
Exodus 16:1-2 AFV
[1] And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came into the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai. And on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt,
[2] Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
Again!
I tell you, siblings, these folks did not play when it comes to grumbling! If not yet done, some solar should do a study on the murmuring Children of Israel. The Exodus is rife with references to their grumbling. So, here we are again, at the dawn of a third complaint in the Children of Israel’s exodus from Egypt. They were at the outskirts of Sin – literally and metaphorically – and had already resumed their grumbling.
Sin, the wilderness, should not be confused with human sin; although one occurred at the other. It is widely believed that Sin (pronounced as seen), was named after the moon god; others suggest that it simply references a region near Mt Sinai. Of course, if you’re like me, and you discover that the region is primarily famous for the sinful murmuring of the Children of Israel, you might understandably say that it’s the same. Maybe it is.
Point to Ponder
How about you – what’s your view on Sin and sin?
Application
The scary part is that a wilderness sounds like a place where issues are addressed over the long term, and in that case, no one should wish to be in sin for a long time. Whether it’s Sin or sin, we really ought to avoid being there. I believe that for the most part, the Children of Israel were unable to accept Moses as God’s personally chosen emissary. It’s unthinkable for us who’ve read Moses’ story and are convinced that like Jeremiah, he was chosen before birth to be God’s emissary (think of his story in Exodus 2 – 3; and of God’s assurance to Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:5), that they challenged him so frequently. What they might have seen, however, was one who hadn’t even walked a mile in their shoes, who’d run away from a murder charge for forty years, and now just returned to take over as if he was in any way ‘better’ than they were. To add insult to injury, Moses didn’t seem to know what he was doing! They doubted him and his claims to have heard from God!
For some of us, this resonates with us from Moses’ perspective. We’ve long borne the burden of others questioning our authority in Christ. Not once, but time and time again. In such cases, it truly is hard not to take it personally. Especially when you’re a woman in ordained ministry, having to deal with naysayers. To those among us facing such, I’ll say, ‘Hang in there. God hasn’t left us alone. Our vindication will come.’
If, however, we are simply caught in the spiral of the Murmurer’s team, I recommend that we heed Elohim’s warning to Cain, Be careful. Sin is crouching at our door. I also note that when a particular sin becomes ingrained, or besetting, it’s as though we give the enemy of our souls carte blanche over our lives. And, once given a pin-hold, the enemy seeks to make it a stronghold. Peter reminds and cautions us that our adversary, the devil, is like a roaring lion, on the prowl and in search of prey to be devoured (see 1 Peter 5:8). We can’t make ourselves easy prey. We must also be vigilant.
To prevent the Wash. Rinse. Repeat cycle, we must therefore be intentional. Can we try to keep the mindset of Elim for our journey?
Point to Ponder
What would stop us from bypassing the Wilderness of Sin in our lives? Let’s opt, instead, to focus once again on Christ.
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May all we seek be found in Christ
