Dear Friend,
Greetings to you in Jesus name. How are you doing? I trust that your faith is unwavering knowing that God loves you so much that He will not allow you to perish, and that He has heard your cry and your Deliverer is nigh.
During the early stages of the Israelites’ sojourning, they obeyed God and Moses but that is not true for the rest of their journey. What happened and why is it so? Read on and find out
HEBREWS 3: 7-12
7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years.
10 Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.’
11 So I swore in My wrath,‘ They shall not enter My rest.
12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;
God had given Israel so much and was able and willing to give them much more but they often exhibited some attitudes that didn’t please God. We’ll go through these attitudes later but a study on the regions they passed by has some insight to their behaviour.
MOUNT SINAI
This is the mount where Moses had his “burning bush” experience with God. It is also where God gave Israel His laws. It is a place of God’s presence. Sinai is that place where you remember, memorise, meditate, speak, believe and obey the Word of God because you’ve just received it and it’s fresh. At Sinai, you are full of faith, you’re not easily swayed or distracted. Stay with me, I’m going somewhere with this.
The LORD came from Mount Sinai. From Edom, he gave light to his people, and his glory was shining from Mount Paran. Thousands of his warriors were with him, and fire was at his right hand. Deuteronomy 33:2
THE WILDERNESS
This is a dry and wild region where the Israelite’s’ spent most of their time. This is a place where you begin to slack and become weak in faith, double-minded, doubtful and eventually a complainer.
Then Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are confused. They are trapped in the wilderness!’ Exodus 14:3
Holding onto the Word you received at the Mount will strengthen you during your wilderness journey because unlike the mount where you are sure about God’s presence with you, the wilderness is lonely and deserted and only that Word you heard will sustain and help you survive it’s dry and wild nature.
Whereas Sinai is a place of revelation and clarification, the Wilderness is a place of decision and action. Remember, God had already promised His people an inheritance but because they were faint-hearted, their journey was prolonged and many’ s were terminated. They wandered while they could have conquered nations and plundered loots.
In summary, I encourage you who are on the mount to hold fast to the Word you’ve received, do not let it depart from your mouth nor your heart, recollect what you saw, rehearse what has been described to you .If you’re in the wilderness believe, speak and obey the Word you heard; decide and act on what you need to do before it becomes a reality. These little steps will help you focus on your expected end rather than your present bend which will sooner or later be made manifest. You will conquer and plunder; you will not wander in Jesus Name! Amen.
More in this series:
Conquer and plunder 2
Conquer and plunder 3