Wonderings About Wanderings

Exodus 15 begins with a song of victory over God's deliverance of Israel from Egypt, but the song soon turns bitter in the desert. The victorious Israelites on the bank of the Rea Sea become a mob of grumbling and complaining malcontents in the desert:

• They complained about bitter water (15:22-24).
• They complained because there is a lack of food (16:2,3).
• And they complained that there is a lack of water (17:1-3).

Israel was tasting freedom for the first time, but God led them into a desert of difficulty. In their grumbling, they asked Moses, "Why have you led us here to die?" (Ex. 27:3). Why did God lead them into the desert? Well, they were headed to Sinai to receive the Law. And they were not yet ready for war, so their route in the desert skirted their enemies (Exo. 13:17,18). But there was another reason-- it was in the desert that Israel could learn to rely on God. Later prophets will refer back to this time as the formative years for Israel (Jer. 2:1-3, Hos. 2:14-15). The desert taught Israel to trust in God (Deut. 8:2-3).

It is always wrong to grumble and complain. Grumbling seeks to transfer our unhappiness to someone else, and thus sows discord. So grumbling and complaining is labeled as "wicked" (see Num. 14:27). But while grumbling is bad, we need to face the difficulties of the desert. It is in the wilderness that we face hardships and grow through them... if we can resist the temptation to grumble! James tells us to count our troubles as joy because they strengthen our faith (James 1:2ff). In fact, there are lessons we can't learn anywhere else other than in the wilderness. Brain McLaren suggests that, sometimes, this is the whole point of being in a church. We are here as fellow wanderers in the wilderness learning to trust in God. He says--

The church as we know it, so far from 'ideal,' does in fact turn out to provide the ideal environment in which these virtues can be cultivated. How could I learn patience or forbearance without Brother Sam, who talks too much and demands just a little more attention than I am ever ready to give? How could I develop kindness if the Reynolds family didn't bring their autistic child to our small group – where little Mikey's autism elicits from me a kindness I never experienced before? How could I develop self-giving if I didn't follow through on my commitment to attend that meeting last night, even though I had a long hard day and was so tempted to make an excuse and stay home to 'save' myself rather than give myself? How could I develop forgiveness if I had not been misjudged and gossiped about by the faction in our church led by Mary Ellen Graves? How could I learn courage unless I had to confront Mary Ellen for her divisive attitude – with all due gentleness and humility? Where else would I be stretched in my compassion and generosity if I weren't part of this community of flawed, needy, broken people – who, I must realize, include me in their list of flawed, needy, broken fellows?"