Exodus -- God's Wrath and Mercy

Exodus #07 What will you do if God takes you from the beach into the wilderness, to walk after a frail old leader who does not have a strategy, nor sufficient resources to feed you and your loved ones? Nothing is as we think it will be with God. He gives way more than we think we need, expects way more than we think we can do, and loves us way more than we think we deserve to be loved. So, unable to walk like a saint, we rebel like sinners. No sooner than the last Israelite had set foot on the Red sea shore opposite Egypt that the first crisis erupts: how shall we drink? How shall we eat? On the psychological plane, these chapters of Scripture are a stern warning to all of us: without the grace of God and proper training in the virtues, man's inclination is to forget the daily goodness of the Lord and remember only the prayers gone unanswered, the disappointment and tragedies in life. Joy is not a feeling; it is a theological virtue that requires training. Joy is work and to work for the Lord is a joyful spirit. Then, when things seemed to level, war is at hand. We can see that God is walking Israel through two of the four classic plagues of the covenantal curse: famine and war, to test their hearts. Will these people remember all the signs He performed in Egypt? Will they trust him and learn to distrust their hearts? Will they understand his plan and live by his will? Will you? Do you?