Chapter 6: Reflection

Wandering

At the end of Chapter 5, we read that “God taught them who he was and what he required of them,” (pg. 70) yet a number of times in chapter 6, God calls the Israelites a “stiff-necked people.”  

Why?  Because they believed…and then they didn’t….and then they did….and then they didn’t….(you get the picture!)  

God guided them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  He rescued them from slavery.  He performed miracles in their presence.  He was with them on their journey.

So they worshiped and celebrated all the time because God was with them, right?  NOT!  

Instead, they complained about their hardships.  They were hungry; they were thirsty.  They wanted food, so God gave them manna to eat. Were they grateful for that gift?  Sure, for like a minute!  Then they got sick of it and wanted meat to eat.  Don’t ya just love God’s response:  “Now the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat it.  You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, but for a whole month – until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it.”  That ought to fix them!

No wonder God called them “stiff-necked” people.  

I (Tina) got to thinking about what God might call us today.  How about “wishy-washy”?  We are all about being grateful for what God is doing in our lives….until we, or someone in our family, get sick.  “Why me, God?”  We are all about singing praises to God and worshiping Him….and then we leave church and get back to “the real world.”  

Our culture has taken prayer out of schools, God out of our justice system and Jesus out of the center of our lives.  Do you stand up for your faith in the midst of these circumstances? 

Well, do you?  

Many times it’s much easier to go with the flow, isn’t it?  It’s much easier not to rock the boat, isn’t it?  Go ahead, be honest. 

Wishy-washy. 

We know what we’re supposed to do and not do.  We know what God expects of us.  And yet when we ask ourselves the question:  “Why do we still do those stupid things?”  we respond like Aaron in the cartoon above:  “I dunno.” 

Friends, let’s take from this chapter the challenge to step up our Christian game.  I challenge you to think of 3 ways that you can stand up for your faith this week; ways that you can take a stand for Jesus.  

I know you can do it!