What Shall We Drink (Ex. 15:22-27)

5/15/2008 7:55 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time           Focus:  “What shall we drink?”

Bible Reading & Meditation               Reference:  Exodus 15:22-27

            Message of the verses:  “22 ¶  Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.  23  When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah.  24  So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?"  25  Then he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them.  26  And He said, "If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer."   27  Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.”

            This section starts a new chapter in Dr. Wiersbe’s book on Exodus entitled “The School of Life.”  The first section goes from Exodus 15:22- 16:3, entitled “Expect trials to come.”  The sub-section that I am doing this morning is entitled “What shall we drink,” as it has to do with the complaining of Israel when God tested them by not giving them water to drink after they resumed their journey in the wilderness towards the Promised Land.  Dr. Wiersbe writes a number of things in this section that are surely worth quoting and so I will use a number of them in this SD. 

            I have wrote in earlier SD’s that what happened to Israel in Egypt was a picture of the salvation that God has provided for those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ’s work on the cross as payment for their sins.  With that being said I want to compare their circumstances that they went through with circumstances that God’s people go through today in “The School of Life.”  God had just taken care of a great need in the lives of all of Israel by giving ten plagues to Egypt to destroy their country and then drowning the Egyptian army in the Red Sea.  Now we see the first for test Israel after this great victory and the children of Israel fail this test.  In giving salvation to a person God takes care of their greatest need, and so when the storms of life come a child of God should do as the children of Israel should have done and that is trust the Lord for the smaller problems, for the greatest problem has been taken care of, and so by faith the smaller problems of life will be taken care of by God who loved us even when we were sinners, so how much more shall He want to take care of life’s problems since we are now His blood bought children. 

            “Do not pray for easy lives.  Pray to be stronger men and women.  Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers.  Pray for powers equal to your tasks.”  “Let us be as watchful after the victory as before the battle.”  “It is possible to win the battle and yet lose the victory, which is what the Jews did as they left the Red Sea and began to march towards Mt. Sinai.”  “God wasn’t testing His people because He didn’t know their heart’s, He was testing them because they didn’t know their hearts.”  The Lord tests us to encourage spiritual growth and bring out the best in us, but the devil tempts us to brings out the worst in us and to encourage spiritual immaturity.”  “The heart of every problem is the problem with the heart.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have been praying for many days and even weeks on what it is that I want to talk to Andrew about when I see him, and after reading this lesson for today I think that God has truly answered that prayer and I am very thankful for that.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord with all of my heart and lean not upon my own understanding, in all of my ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct my path.  Yoke up with the Lord Jesus Christ this day, allow the Lord to teach me contentment through the storms of life, and trust the Lord with 1 Cor. 10:13.

Memory verses for the week:                                  Matthew 11:28-30

28.    Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

29.    Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

30.    For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.