KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Monday, February 04, 2019
Chapters: Exodus 16-18
Message: Faith And Faithfulness
Hello My Friend,
I use to think that impatience was the reason so many people walk away from God through hardships, but as I read through the Book of Exodus I am realizing that this is not the reason at all. Then I thought, they lack faith, and while that may be part of it, I do not think that it is the reason either, as they do have faith in God. Then it just hit me as I was reading the chapters today, this is all about the flesh, they want what they want, when they want it, and do not care how they get it, as long as they get fed. And God forbid you give them rules, they rather be homeless on the streets begging for food than obey one rule. “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” – James 4:2-4.
“that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” Remember when Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of soup? And when David caused a war within his own family because he sinned with Bathsheba? And when Judas sold his soul for thirty pieces of silver? These are all examples lust, and how it brings unnecessary suffering. Yes, we need faith, for without it we cannot please God, and yes, we need patience, for without it we have no faith, but if we cannot control the lusts of our flesh then we only have ourselves to blame for the unnecessary suffering we go through. Israel saw the power of God in Egypt as they watched in get destroyed by the plagues while they remained safe, they saw Him in the very pillar that guided them through the desert, and they saw Him part the Red Sea, but that was not good enough for them, every time the faced a hardship they were whining and complaining about not having what they needed. Now, it has been about six weeks since they left Egypt, and they were running out of food, instead of just going to God about it they began chiding with Moses and Aaron.
“And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger. Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.” – Exodus 16:1-4.
“that I may prove them,” Did it ever occur to those who are saved, and not living by the Word of God that God has afflicted them to see if they are going to obey Him? Of course not. There is a difference between God trying our faith and our faithfulness, faith brings obedience, but faithfulness brings faith. Has God ever failed in supplying us with the things we need, we may be eating ramen, but He supplies, and those who say He has failed them are simply not faithful to Him because when we are faithful to Him He takes care of our every need, and then some. God heard their murmuring and complaining, to prove their obedience He provided food for them.
“And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God. And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.” – Exodus 16:8,11-14.
“but against the LORD.” People who attack others about how God has not showed up in their lives are not attacking the Christian, they are attacking God. And let me tell you, these are people who only came to feed their flesh, and nine times out of ten, they are not saved. So, how was God going to prove their faithfulness? He instructed them to only gather enough manna for each person for that day, they were not to keep any for the next day, and on Friday’s they were to gather enough for two days as the Sabbath was a rest day, and there would be none to gather that day. And, they listened to nothing.
“This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations. As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.” – Exodus 16,20,23,27-29,33-34.
“so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony,” Jesus is our Testimony, if we have truly accepted Him as our Saviour then He is our witness that we belong to Him, and when He is our Testimony our faith in God supplying our every need increases, and when our faith increases so does our faithfulness. We need more than food to feed our flesh, we need food to feed our soul, and spirit, which is why we are to feed off the fruits of the Spirit, and not our flesh. “Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” – Galatians 5:21-23.
You know, unless they are reprobates, God never stops trying to get a soul to trust Him completely, He will afflict until they either accept or reject Him completely. As Israel continues their journey to the promised land God placed one trial of faith after another. Why? To test their faith and their faithfulness to Him. This time, God takes them to a spot with no water, and yet as soon as they realized there was no water, they attacked Moses.
“And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD? And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?” – Exodus 17:1-2,5-7.
“I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb;” God always stands before us with the very things we need, we just have to have reach out by faith and take them. Massah means temptation, Meribah means strife, they were questioning whether God was with them or not. Let me tell you, just because someone says they are a Christian and walks with You that does not mean they are, many people walked with Jesus, but He knew which ones were true. The rock represents Christ, and their drinking of it is represented as their being made partakers of the grace and mercy of God through their faith in Him alone to save them. “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” – John 7:38.
Now, some time had passed, perhaps if the miracles have not been getting them to turn to Him a war would. While camping out in Rephidim, Amalek started a war with Israel, Moses instructs Joshua, one of his faithful followers, who would actually be their leader after Moses, to put an army together.
“Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.” – Exodus 17:8-13.
“and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands,” You know, Jesus keeps our hands up that we may be able to prevail against the enemy. Sometimes even faithful Christians can feel as though we are being put to the test of our faith and faithfulness constantly, especially when we see one obstacle after another, and perhaps He is. Think about it, are you lacking something, struggling with something, wearing yourself out trying to do so many things at one time? Even when serving God we can become weary in well doing, and God does not want that because if we do we can get so overburdened that we quit all together. “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” – Galatians 6:8-10.
“especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” I have to address this because God just placed it upon my heart. We are not here to take care of everybody, while we are to be a presence in the world as it brings people to Christ, we are not to neglect our brothers and sisters in Christ, if we take care of one another then we will not become weary, and we will be able to reach more people because we would be fed body, soul, and spirit. “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” – James 5:13-15.
Jesus Christ Magnified: “And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.” – Exodus 16:15.
Today’s Prayer: God, I know that you are always with me and always provide for me. When faced with trials I admit that I am not always reminded of with what You have already blessed me with. Forgive me, You have proved me time and time again, You take care of every need and also give me the strength to face every trial that comes my way through my faith and faithfulness to You. I also know that I cannot do everything by myself all the time, I need family, friends, and those You send my way to help me through, and without them I will become weary. Lord, give me Your power and strength to endure every battle, let me not be too proud to seek the help of others, fill me with Your mercy and grace, and also let me be a helping hand to someone who may need my help. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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