by Paulette Phiri
And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt. 2 Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 And the children of Israel said to them, “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.”
Exodus 16:1-3 (NKJV)
The year is 1914, and Europe is divided into two heavily armed camps. Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy in one camp with Britain, France and Russia in the other. The murder of the heir to the Austrian empire by a Bosnian Serb started a chain of events, never seen until that day. This was the start of World War 1, ‘the war to end all wars’. However yet again in 1935, Germany declared war on Russia. World War II had begun. How easily we forget!
Just like the children of Israel, after the triumphant and glorious events of the Red Sea crossing, extermination of the Egyptian army and miraculous deliverance from Pharaoh’s army in Exodus 14 and the joyous celebrations in Exodus 15, we are dismayed to read in Exodus 16 that the children of Israel, on their way to the Promised Land, again complained against Moses and Aaron.
Since the end of the Great Wars, the term ‘Lest we forget’ is used in remembrance of the soldiers that died in these and yes, later wars. Rudyard Kipling quoted Deuteronomy 6:12 ‘then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage’ in his 1887 poem entitled Recessional to remind us to call out to God, the Lord that is mighty in battle.
May we recall how we wandered into the wilderness of sin, remember where God has taken us from and where God is leading us to. May we never forget!
God of our fathers, known of old,
Lord of our far-flung battle-line,
Beneath whose awful Hand we hold
Dominion over palm and pine
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!
Rudyard Kipling’s poem can be found by clicking this link.
Ask - What lessons can we teach our children from Israel’s jubilation in Exodus 15 and their complaint in Exodus 16:1-3
Seek - Memorise Philippians 2:14-15
Knock - Consider if my first response in times of despair is to complain, rather than to pray
(Inner Photo by David Clode on Unsplash)
(Main Photo by Kaboompics .com from Pexels)
