Sometimes what we remember about a place is nothing like the reality. And, when life becomes uncertain, those ‘good old days’ somehow begin to look even better. What happens when we’re operating from selective memories? Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
Exodus 16:3 AFV
[3] And the children of Israel said to them, “O that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots, when we ate bread to the full, for you have brought us forth into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger!”
Selective Memories
They chose to remember the food, somehow forgetting about being enslaved. Perhaps my understanding of the trauma faced by the Children of Israel, but I struggle to understand how quickly they forgot about God’s graciousness. Maybe they suffered from a version of Stockholm Syndrome – you know, the condition that results when a hostage develops a bond with their captors. Whatever their reason was, the attitude of the Children of Israel presents to us as ingratitude, but perhaps it wasn’t.
Self-Check
To what extent do we practice similar coping methods?
Application
Don’t misunderstand me, folks. I’m a serious carnivore. I have an affinity toward meat. However, I’m allergic to suffering, including my own. My natural inclination says the Children of Israel were being unreasonable. Their complaint indicates that although they had lost their physical chains, their minds were still enslaved. And, from that perspective, there are lessons for our lives today from their grumbling.
So many of us have failed to be rid of the sin that enslaved us. Siblings, as long as we’re craving the ‘fleshpots of Egypt’, we are still bound to the old systems and structures of sin. In Romans 6:12, we’re cautioned about allowing sin to dominate our lives. If we have accepted Christ’s precious gift of freedom, then we must also contribute to our full freedom by ‘the renewing of our minds’ daily (see Romans 12:2), and focusing our thoughts on things that are edifying. Y’shua warns us in Luke 11:21-28, that if we don’t fill our hearts and minds with God’s Spirit, then the strongman (a besetting sin for example) will return with even stronger men. In His opinion, that leaves room for serious occupation (addiction) to set in.
So, before casting another finger at the Children of Egypt, oops, I meant Israel, we must first look within. Are we as free as we need to be? Do we need to revisit our conceptions of enslavement and address our own issues, before casting aspersions on others?
Point to Ponder
What steps have we been taking to protect ourselves from enslavement to sin?
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May all we seek be found in Christ
