Picture: Israel Meets With Difficulties 1TC 188.1
This chapter is based on Exodus 15:22-27; 16 to 18.
From the Red Sea the people of Israel again set out on their journey under the guidance of the pillar of cloud. They were full of joy in their new sense of freedom, and every unhappy, complaining thought was hushed. 1TC 188.2
But as they journeyed for three days, they could find no water. The supply which they had taken with them was gone. There was nothing to quench their burning thirst as they dragged wearily over the sun-burnt plains. Moses, who was familiar with this region, knew what the others did not: at Marah, where springs were found, the water was unfit for use. With a sinking heart he heard the glad shout, “Water! water!” echo along the line. Men, women, and children joyfully hurried and crowded around the oasis, when suddenly a cry of anguish erupted—the water was bitter! 1TC 188.3
In their despair the people blamed Moses, not remembering that God’s presence in that mysterious cloud had been leading him as well as them. Moses did what they had forgotten to do; he called earnestly to God for help. “And the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.” Here God gave the promise to Israel: “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.” 1TC 189.1
The people journeyed from Marah to Elim, where they found “twelve wells of water,” and they stayed there for several days. 1TC 189.2
When they had been gone from Egypt for a month, their stock of food began to run out. How could such a large number of people be fed? Even the rulers and elders joined in complaining against the leaders God had appointed: “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” 1TC 189.3
They had not yet actually gone hungry, but they feared for the future. In imagination they saw their children starving. The Lord permitted difficulties to surround them and their supply of food to be cut short, so that their hearts might turn to Him who had been their Deliverer. If they would call on Him in their need, He would still give them evidence of His love and care. It was sinful unbelief on their part to think that they or their children might die of hunger. 1TC 189.4
They needed to encounter difficulties and endure hardships. God was bringing them from corruption and shame to have an honorable place among the nations and to receive sacred trusts. If they had had faith in Him, remembering all that He had done for them, they would have cheerfully accepted inconvenience, lack of food, and even real suffering. But they forgot the goodness and power of God in delivering them from slavery. They forgot how their children had been spared when the destroying angel killed all the firstborn of Egypt. They forgot the grand display of divine power at the Red Sea. They forgot that their enemies, in trying to follow them, had been overwhelmed by the waters of the sea. 1TC 189.5
Instead of saying, “God has done great things for us—we were slaves, but He is making us into a great nation,” they talked of how hard the journey was and wondered when their weary journey would end. 1TC 190.1
God wants His people in these days to review the trials through which ancient Israel passed, in order to learn how to prepare for the heavenly Canaan. Many look back to the Israelites and are amazed at their unbelief. They feel that they themselves would not have been so ungrateful. But when their faith is tested even by little trials, they reveal no more faith or patience than ancient Israel did. They complain about the way in which God has chosen to purify them. Though their present needs are supplied, many constantly fear that poverty will come on them, and their children will be left to suffer. Obstacles, instead of leading them to seek help from God, separate them from Him because they bring out unrest and discontent. 1TC 190.2
Why should we be ungrateful and distrusting? Jesus is our friend. All heaven is interested in our welfare. Anxiety and fear grieve the Holy Spirit of God—it is not God’s will for His people to be weighed down with care. 1TC 190.3
Our Lord does not tell us there are no dangers in our path, but He points us to a never-failing place of safety. He invites the weary and care-burdened, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Take off the yoke of anxiety and care that you have placed on your own neck, and “take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28, 29). Instead of grumbling and complaining, the language of our hearts should be, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (Psalm 103:2). 1TC 190.4
God knew all about Israel’s needs. He said to their leader, “I will rain bread from heaven for you.” God directed that the people gather a daily supply, with a double amount on the sixth day, to maintain the sacred observance of the Sabbath. 1TC 191.1
Moses assured the congregation that their needs would be supplied, that the Lord would give them “meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full.” And he added, “What are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.” They must learn that the Most High, not merely Moses, was their leader. 1TC 191.2
At nightfall the camp was surrounded by massive flocks of quails, enough to supply the entire company. In the morning there lay upon the ground “a small round substance, ... like white coriander seed.” The people called it “Manna.” Moses said, “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.” The people found that there was an abundant supply for all. They “ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, cooked it in pans, and made cakes of it.” “And the taste of it was like wafers made with honey” (Numbers 11:8; Exodus 16:31). 1TC 191.3
They were directed to gather an omer? each day for every person and not to leave any of it until the morning. The amount for the day must be gathered in the morning, because all of it that remained on the ground was melted by the sun. “He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.” 1TC 191.4
On the sixth day the people gathered two omers for every person. The leaders quickly told Moses what had been done. His answer was, “This is what the Lord has said, ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath unto the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until the morning.’” They did this, and found that the manna did not spoil. And Moses said, “Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.” 1TC 191.5
God requires that His holy day be kept as sacredly now as in the time of Israel. We should make the day before the Sabbath a day of preparation, so that everything may be ready for its sacred hours. In no case should our own business be allowed to infringe on holy time. God has directed that the sick should be cared for—the labor required to make them comfortable is a work of mercy and not a violation of the Sabbath, but all unnecessary work should be avoided. Work that is neglected until the beginning of the Sabbath should remain undone until after sundown at its close. 1TC 192.1
The Israelites witnessed a three-part miracle to impress their minds with the sacredness of the Sabbath: a double quantity of manna fell on the sixth day, none on the seventh, and the portion needed for the Sabbath stayed sweet and pure. 1TC 192.2
In the way God gave the manna, we have undeniable evidence that the Sabbath did not originate when the law was given at Sinai. Before the Israelites came to Sinai they understood that God expected them to keep the Sabbath. When every Friday they had to gather a double portion of manna in preparation for the Sabbath, the sacred nature of the day of rest was continually impressed upon them. And when some of the people went out on the Sabbath to gather manna, the Lord asked, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws?” 1TC 192.3
“The children of Israel ate manna forty years ... until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.” For forty years they were reminded daily of God’s unfailing care and tender love. God gave them “of the bread of heaven. Men ate angels’ food” (Psalm 78:24, 25)—that is, food provided for them by the angels. They were taught each day that they were as secure from being deprived as if they were surrounded by fields of waving grain on the fertile plains of Canaan. 1TC 192.4
The manna was a symbol of Him who came from God to give life to the world. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven. ... If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (John 6:48-51). 1TC 193.1
After leaving the Wilderness of Sin, the Israelites set up camp in Rephidim. Here there was no water, and again they distrusted the providence of God. The people came to Moses with the demand, “Give us water, that we may drink.” They shouted in anger, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” When they had been so abundantly supplied with food, they remembered with shame their unbelief and promised to trust the Lord in the future, but they failed at the first test of their faith. The pillar of cloud that was leading them seemed to conceal a frightening mystery. And Moses—who was he? What could be his purpose in bringing them from Egypt? Suspicion and distrust filled their hearts, and in the storm of rage they were about to stone him. 1TC 193.2
In distress Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people?” He was directed to take the elders of Israel and the rod with which he had worked wonders in Egypt, and to go on ahead of the people. And the Lord said to him, “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” He obeyed, and the waters gushed out in a living stream that abundantly supplied the entire camp. In His mercy, the Lord made the rod His instrument to bring about their deliverance. 1TC 193.3
It was the Son of God who, veiled in the cloudy pillar, stood beside Moses and caused the life-giving water to flow. All the congregation saw the glory of the Lord; but if the cloud had been removed, they would have been killed by the terrible brightness of Him who was hidden in it. 1TC 193.4
The people’s unbelief was wicked, and Moses feared that the judgment of God would fall on them. He called the name of the place Massah, “tempted,” and Meribah, “contention,” as a memorial of their sin. 1TC 194.1
A new danger now threatened them. Because of their complaining against Him, the Lord permitted them to be attacked by their enemies. The Amalekites came out against them and struck those who, faint and weary, had fallen behind. Moses directed Joshua to choose a body of soldiers from the different tribes and lead them against the enemy, while he himself would stand on a hill nearby with the rod of God in his hand. So the next day Joshua and his company attacked the enemy, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur were on a hill overlooking the battlefield. With arms outstretched toward heaven and holding the rod of God in his right hand, Moses prayed for the success of the armies of Israel. It was observed that as long as his hands were reaching upward, Israel was winning; but when they were lowered, the enemy was victorious. As Moses became tired, Aaron and Hur held up his hands until sunset, when the enemy was defeated. 1TC 194.2
The act of Moses was significant, showing that God held their destiny in His hands. While they put their trust in Him, He would fight for them and conquer their enemies. But whenever they let go their hold on Him and trusted in their own power, they would be weak and their foes would prevail against them. 1TC 194.3
Divine strength is to be combined with human effort. Moses did not believe that God would overcome their enemies while Israel did nothing. While the great leader was pleading with the Lord, Joshua and his brave followers were using all their strength to defeat the enemies of Israel and of God. 1TC 194.4
Just before his death Moses delivered to his people the solemn charge: “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God. ... You will blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. You shall not forget” (Deuteronomy 25:17-19). Concerning this wicked people the Lord declared, “The hand of Amalek is against the throne of Jehovah” (Exodus 17:16, KJV margin). 1TC 194.5
The Amalekites were not ignorant of God’s character or of His supreme authority, but they had set themselves to go against His power. They made fun of the miracles performed by Moses before the Egyptians, and they had taken an oath by their gods that they would destroy the Hebrews, boasting that Israel’s God would be powerless to resist them. The Israelites had not threatened them—their assault was unprovoked. To show their defiance of God they tried to destroy His people. The Amalekites had been bold sinners for a long time, yet God’s mercy had still called them to repentance. But when the men of Amalek attacked the tired and defenseless ranks of Israel, they sealed their nation’s doom. God’s hand extends as a shield over all who love and fear Him—let all beware that they not strike that hand, for it wields the sword of justice. 1TC 195.1
Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, now set out to visit the Hebrews and restore to Moses his wife and two sons. Moses, the great leader, went out with joy to meet them and brought them to his tent. 1TC 195.2
As Jethro remained in the camp, he soon saw what heavy burdens rested on Moses. Not only were the general interests and duties of the people referred to him, but the controversies that arose among them as well. He said, “I make known the statutes of God and His laws.” But Jethro protested, saying, “This thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself.” He counseled Moses to appoint proper persons as rulers of thousands, others as rulers of hundreds, and others of tens. These were to judge in all minor matters, while the most difficult and important cases should still be brought to Moses. This counsel was accepted, and it not only brought relief to Moses, but it also brought better order among the people. 1TC 195.3
The fact that he had been chosen to instruct others did not lead Moses to think that he himself needed no instruction. The chosen leader of Israel listened gladly to the suggestions of the godly priest of Midian, and adopted his plan. 1TC 196.1
The people continued their journey from Rephidim, following the movement of the cloudy pillar. Their route had led across barren plains, over steep slopes, and through rocky gorges. Now Mount Sinai lifted its massive front before them in solemn majesty. The cloudy pillar rested on its summit, and the people spread their tents on the plain beneath. This was to be their home for nearly a year. At night the pillar of fire assured them of divine protection, and while they were deep in sleep, the bread of heaven fell gently on the camp. 1TC 196.2
Here Israel was to receive the most wonderful revelation ever made by God to humanity. The Lord had gathered His people here so that He might impress them with the sacredness of His requirements by declaring His holy law with His own voice. They were to go through radical changes, because the degrading influences of slavery and idolatry had left their mark on the people’s habits and character. God was working to lift them to a higher moral level by giving them a knowledge of Himself. 1TC 196.3
