exodus 17

lately i feel like i don't have much time for anything. i had a couple of minutes tonite to relax so i thought i'd doodle. i might as well continue with hope. fighting for hope. fighting to affirm the good God of romans 8:28. I look at exodus 17 and there are 2 passages. two contrasting images of heart attitudes. one an image of despair and the other of hope. one an image of defeat and the other of victory. one an image of wandering without focus and the other of what it means to go to war.

In the desert the israelites complained about lack of water. this wasn't their first complaint. They get so upset i guess they even threaten to stone Moses. God, being too patient, provides. It says the israelites quarreled and tested the Lord there. the israelites are understandable. they're uncomfortable and unappreciative of their present situation. things aren't working out the way they had hoped.

it says they tested God. they grumbled, complained, quarreled. seems almost like a progression. when we don't like our present condition we may grumble. then we complain as we give more voice to our inconvenience and discomfort. and sometimes we even need someone to blame. poor Moses and poor family members and friends and whoever else is around when we get this way. isn't it odd. they had no water so they wanted to stone Moses. sometimes we're not sure who to blame yet know that "God is sovereign". now here is the heart attitude. it's in v. 3 and at the end in v. 7.

v3"why did u bring us up out of egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?" Moses just saved them from slavery thru signs and wonders. he's sacrificed his life and energy to care for them and bring them this far. not only do they complain but they say his intent was evil. to kill them in the desert. v7"is the Lord among us or not?" God performed miracles and humbled pharoah. they came out of egypt having basically looted them. they just came thru the red sea which God parted for them and where their enemies were drowned as they came in pursuit. they've been fed manna and quail literally falling out of heaven from God. they have a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by nite with angels leading them and God in a cloud coming to commune with them and they've witnessed how God lovingly brought them out of egypt to himself. then they say "is the Lord among ur or not?" now its all understandable. when we're in pain we lash out. but this is more than grumbling. this is more than complaining. this is more than pointing a finger. this is saying... not only is God sovereignly allowing all this. not only is God causing us pain. but that his intention and purpose was to do evil towards me.  

we do this. sometimes its outright. "don't you care, God?"mark 4:38 or "God hates me". sometimes its passive aggressive. we use sentimentality or nostalgia to think of better times when God was for us and not against us or before he interrupted our lives with his gospel. it's the "it would have been better for us if we stayed in egypt and served the egyptians" attitude. we go thruout the day as if he's out to get us and expect the worst from him or we expect the other shoe to drop or our situation to progress and we get to play the self made martyr or victim of God. Job 2:9 soon this is more than lashing out. it is how we view God. That he is not good. That he is unfaithful and untrustworthy. he becomes the adversary and obstacle to our happiness instead of the one who walks beside us and upholds our right hand to lead us into joy and eternal pleasures. we'll still give him praise but we won't bet on him any time soon. and then... we lose hope. what else can happen when "God is no longer for us"? we'll either decide to grow apathetic and cold or even worse we'll make our own golden calf. a safe manageable God of our own creation. this results in a direct conflict with hebrews 11:6. and our faith is compromised. i'll write about that sometime too.

the heart is deceitful and we need to battle this attitude. the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 1 John 5:19 if we are not fighting for hope then we're buying into despair. there is no middle ground because we are in enemy territory. next time i'll write about the other half of exodus 17. tonite i'm beat.  

what is so funny?