Reason

Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’” [Exodus 14.12]

Reason is a funny thing. Reason is only as good as the facts it depends upon.

Israel was using reason to conclude that they had it better in Egypt. Here were the facts they were using to draw their conclusion: they were physically trapped and they were obviously ill-equipped to fight Egypt. Thus, they concluded that their circumstances would be their demise AND that their demise (death) was the ultimate finality. They reasoned that being alive, albeit as slaves, was better than death.

Does anyone other than me notice anything missing from the list above? Of course! They left out God!

Israel feared because they were trapped and Egypt had come for war! Never mind that multiple and magnificent displays of God's miraculous power on their behalf had just been demonstrated in Egypt!

The lessons for us in this are numerous. But mostly, if we leave God out of our reasoning, then we can only fret and fear. Likewise, if we are fretting and fearing, we have left God out of our reasoning. This is what Israel had done.

Also, and this is important, Israel left heaven out of their reasoning. They, for whatever reason, had no hope beyond the grave. They said, "It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!" which is only true if this life is all there is.

For the person who genuinely trusts in God and believes he will spend eternity with Him, the Bible gives nothing but testimony that that person will either "win" or "win." That person will win as God's power over nature and man gives him victory. Or, that person will win if he is advanced to eternity in God's presence. In other words, whether God's people live or die, they win.

But the Israelites did not see it that way. Thank God though, their stubborn and faithless actions only prove to us (who will learn from them) that God our Father cares for His own even when we don't have the sense to realize it. 

I suppose it was necessary for Israel to be God's "Chosen People" - otherwise we might not have the Bible with Its testimonies of God's power on behalf of His own.

So, what are the lessons in practice for us?

1. No circumstance separates us from God's power to overcome it
2. Even if we die, we win

What then, are the lessons in purpose for us?

1. Our purpose is to do God's will
2. Circumstances are God's to deal with

If we really believed the lessons above, our lives would be much simpler and certainly more pleasant.

If we really believed the lessons above, we would understand that it is not up to us to "live," but only to do His will. Life is not all there is!

Father, these early lessons in the life of Israel are too great to overlook. Help me to take them to heart and live by them. Help me to "reason" only as it includes You.