Today I was reflecting on the journey Moses took with thousands of Israelites as they escaped the tyranny of slavery under a Pharaoh who only wanted more. More buildings. More power. More prestige. More worship.
Along comes Moses, who was miraculously raised in the Pharaoh’s household, who grew up knowing he was an Israelite, who had a heart for his people despite being raised in the rich house on the block.
In Moses’ passion for relieving the oppression of his people he murders an Egyptian taskmaster and runs out into the desert to save himself. It turns out God had other plans for him. One of the traits God looks for in us as his followers is a passion to lift the oppression of others. To right the wrongs of a fallen world. Moses had this for a moment, totally messes up and sins while using his passion, but God still chooses to grow Moses to his full potential.
God told Moses through the burning bush that he was going to go back there, where he was wanted for murder, and set all of God’s people free.
Moses was the ultimate reluctant leader. “Are you sure God, I’m really not good at that?” God allowed him to have help in the form of his brother Aaron and later his sister Miriam was instrumental in helping lead God’s people away from oppression to live fully grown lives.
But I get ahead of myself, Moses does go back to Egypt and to Pharaoh. He’s a thorn in Pharaoh’s side until Pharaoh finally says go. Go and take the livestock you need. Go and take the gold and jewelry. Go and take whatever people you need. Just go.
And the people went, rejoicing! Why not, they were free! Freedom feels good. Freedom feels exhilarating. Freedom in God is true freedom.
So off this people go- out into the desert and it isn’t long before the people realize life isn’t going to be peaceful for long. They had already forgotten they lived in a fallen world. A world that gets jealous when they see God’s people in peace, love and joy that they want but can’t find. And if they can’t find it, they’ll extinguish your peace, love and joy. Pharaoh sends his army of men and chariots after God’s newly-oppression released people.
God’s masses start to panic. They start to remember, or mis-remember, their lives back in Egypt. God miraculously rescues them that day despite their grumbling. But this scenario plays itself out many times on the Israelites journey through the desert. So many times Moses finally rails up at God one day “why have you given me these people?”
We don’t get it. We experience freedom in God and then life happens and we grumble and complain. We forget that we’re still living in a fallen world that wants what we have but want it by force and will try to take it by force – they’ll oppress. They don’t understand this freedom is freely given to everyone.
God is patient with us, rescues us, we say, “oh, yeah, God, I remember you – you gave me freedom”. And then we forget again. And grumble, grumble, grumble, we start the cycle all over again.
Am I grumbling today? or am I letting God’s Holy Spirit fill me with a strength that passes this world’s understanding of life?
Am I frustrating a leader or mentor in my life, who is trying to show me the way through the desert/the oppression, by grumbling and complaining?
Am I the leader leading someone else, showing them a path away from whatever is oppressing them, but they’ve tuned out and began grumbling that the path they were on before was just fine thank you very much? And now I’m grumbling about the people God’s given me?
Whatever pathway we’re on, and we’re often on both paths as leaders and followers, let’s take a moment today to self-evaluate. Am I grumbling today even though I’m a child of God who is fully promised Heaven and peace, love, and joy beyond this world?
God is passionate about leading us out of oppression. He uses others with that same passion to show us the way. Sometimes it’s our own passion to relieve oppression that God says, “I’m using you today to free all my people”.
Either way, my grumbling, our grumbling, while God understands our frustrations, should not turn us around back to our former oppressed lives.
Today, in this journey of striving to become fully grown, Lord, help me evaluate my grumbling and to trust in the path through the desert that you are taking me on. Lord, thank you for caring enough about me to relieve my oppression. And Father, show me where I can help show another that they too can have true Freedom, peace, love and joy when they trust in you, so that all your people are free.
A Word from the Word
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