A Lack of Faith

Exodus 14:11-12

Then they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

Numbers 32:13

“So the LORD’S anger burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the entire generation of those who had done evil in the sight of the LORD was destroyed.”

When the Israelites fled from Egypt they witnessed first hand many miracles that the Lord had performed such as the ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea. But shortly thereafter they began to fret and complain that they had been led out of Egypt only to die in the wilderness. 

And because of their lack of faith the Lord rebuked them and they had to wander in the wilderness for forty years before entering the Promised Land.

The Israelites are a metaphor for the believer - a picture of you and me.

How many times have we seen the Lord perform some miracle in our lives but shortly thereafter we are fretting and complaining that He has abandoned us to “die in the wilderness”?

And because of our lack of faith how many times has the Lord rebuked us and we had to wander in the wilderness?

Matthew 16:6-10

And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” They began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “He said that because we did not bring any bread.” But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread? Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up? Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets full you picked up?”

The Disciples witnessed first hand many miracles that Jesus had performed. But shortly thereafter they did not understand or remember the wonder of those miracles. And Jesus rebuked them for it.

The Disciples are a metaphor for the believer - a picture of you and me.

How many times have we seen Jesus perform some miracle in our lives but shortly thereafter we do not understand or remember the wonder of those miracles?

And because of our lack of faith how many times has Jesus rebuked us for it and we had to wander in the wilderness?

So…

Do you have a lack of faith?

Have you had to wander in the wilderness?