Wanderlust and disobedience

So, in light of the busy week I have (Father’s Day, graduation this Saturday, my stepmom’s birthday and planning for immunizations, paper searching, organizations and such), this blog is to the point. 

It pains me to tell you all that I have no internet access and internet and cable costs to much, so this library time I put aside each week might be all you see of me, and the time is brief.  Oh well.  You have better things to do, right?  Like spend time in God’s word.

And with that in mind, a not-so-subtle segue into the lesson I learned in my quiet time this morning. 

I am currently reading from sections of the Old and New Testament every day to finish the Bible in a year.  This morning, part of my reading was in Numbers 14-15.  Pardon my paraphrasing, by the way…this blog is on the fly and I did not bring my Bible with me.

In this chapter, Moses struggles with the groans of the Israelites against him and against their circumstances.  Their main gripe?  Life sucks in the desert.  Manna is, although a miracle, tedious food.  They want to reach the promised land already.  Time after time, miracles cease to satisfy them, and although they have rebelled against God in idolatory (in Exodus) and faithlessness, God forgives them per the intercession of Moses, who is a true man of the Lord and has a deeply intimate relationship with Him.

Toward the end of Nu. 15, the Lord tells Moses that he will “cut off” from the Israelites any man who is over the age of 20 (basically, anyone who served in the army or was capable) who grumbled against the Lord, and that the new generation (the children of these people) will live to see their deliverance to the promised land.  Their time slot?  The next 40 years.  The old generation will basically die in battle or in hardship in the desert while the young generation will live to see the promise fulfilled. 

At first glance, this seems kind of harsh.  You have a complaint and you get sentenced to death.  But the context of this passage requires consideration: how many “second chances” has God given His people?  From day one they whined about their circumstances (which were, by today’s standards, pretty grueling), they idolized a golden calf (Exodus Chapter 30, I believe), and Miriam and Aaron disagreed with Moses and Miriam was stricken with leprosy.  These are three main cases that I remember…seeing as I have novice knowledge of the Bible, I am probably leaving a few out.  Remember, Moses continually pleaded with the Lord for his people’s forgiveness.  And the Lord was continually just.

Think about it…would you rather have a parent that let you screw up time after time and continually forgave you?  The answer is obviously no.  You’d have no respect for that parent.  The same is true with God.  He is “slow to anger” and “quick to forgive” (gosh, I wish I had where that was in Exodus), which means that, as per his unconditional love, he forgives us, but we need to understand the consequences of our actions. 

Even as, yes, Christians.  We have been given the ultimate forgiveness, but we are still held accountable (courtesy the Holy Spirit). 

This reminds me — how many times do I continually struggle in the same issues (patience, distraction, lack of trust) and then fall on my face before God, only to do it again 24 hours (well, maybe more) later?  How many times do I wander (or wonder) without seeking God?  Am I the first generation or second generation in this Israelite story?

This consideration makes the Israelites look less foolish now.  Our way of life nowadays is much the same. 

How many second chances have you been given, by God or by the ones you love?  Think about that.  Praise the Lord that He loves so much that he forgives continually!