| The Christian Life | September 1942 |
The Sin of Forgetfulness
“Bless the Lord, O my soul: … and forget not all His benefits.”—Psalms 103:2
THE experiences of Israel in the wilderness are not recorded in the Bible to furnish spiritual Israelites of this age with an excuse to yield to the desires of the flesh. The Apostle Paul explained the real value of Israel’s failures to us saying, “Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.” (I Cor. 10:6) By noting Israel’s mistakes and the reasons for them the Christian thereby should be guarded against falling into the same errors. Spiritual Israelites should not feel that it is inevitable that they must experience all the failures of typical Israel.
In our last article, it will be recalled, the Israelites rested under the seventy palm trees and drank from the twelve wells of water. However, not a word of praise or thanksgiving seems to have been offered to God for all His kindness and benefits toward them. Only once since they started on their pilgrimage is it recorded that they lifted up their voices in praise to God. In Exodus 15:1 we read, “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord.” This might indicate that even on this occasion the children of Israel were not disposed to sing these praises until Moses himself had started the song. But even so, apparently on this occasion they sang with great enthusiasm. And how they must have been blessed by God for this display of their appreciation of His grace.
But they murmured at Pi-hahiroth, and again at Marah. (Exodus 14:10-12; 15:23,24) What a portrayal of the fallen tendencies of the flesh and of the corrupt human heart! In some respects it resembles a garden wherein if beautiful, fragrant flowers are to grow, much cultivation, care and attention are necessary. If we think of the weeds in a garden as representing the murmurings of the fallen human heart, how true it is that they grow profusely without any effort being made to cultivate them.
In the present lesson, the Scriptural basis of which is Exodus 16:1-35 and Numbers 33:10,11, we find Israel coming into the Wilderness of Sin, lying between Elim and Sinai. They had traveled for just one month since departing out of the land of Egypt. (Exodus 16:1) The account reads: “And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured, … would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, where we sat at the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into the wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”—Exodus 16:2,3
There is no doubt but what the Israelites were hungry, yet this did not give them an excuse to murmur. They should have realized that the great God of their deliverance was able to supply their needs and then to have gone to Him in faith, believing that when they asked Him for food they would receive it. Apparently, however, they had already forgotten the real significance of the manner in which they had been delivered from their Egyptian taskmasters. They failed to realize that the miracle-working God who opened up the Red Sea for them was now able to provide them with food if they asked Him. Forgetting thus, their only alternative was to murmur against Moses as God’s representative in bringing them out of the land of Egypt. In Acts 7:39 we read about this and are told that they “in their hearts turned back again into Egypt.”
In Hebrews 3:10,11, we read that God “was grieved with that generation,” because “they do always err in their heart; and they have not known My ways.” No wonder God was grieved After He had bestowed such miracle-working grace on them, their affections were still set on the flesh pots of Egypt rather than upon the things He had promised to them and which they should have realized He was abundantly able to give them. Not only did the Israelites fail to appreciate God’s marvelous grace in delivering them from the oppression of Egypt, but, looking back to the flesh pots when hungry, they seemed to overlook the hardships from which they had been delivered. Their afflictions, their cries, the cruelties of their Egyptian taskmasters, were all forgotten and they could think of nothing else but that now they were hungry, while in Egypt they had food.
It was not wrong for Israel to be hungry, nor to desire food, nor did God condemn them for this. It was their failure to appreciate and to remember His past benefits and favors which grieved God. It was this sin of forgetfulness which, in the long run, proved their undoing. Had they forgotten the advantages of Egypt as well as they seemed to have forgotten its afflictions, and remembered instead God’s wonderful grace to them and His ability further to preserve and lead them on to the promised land, they would have proved themselves worthy of God’s further grace and of finally entering into the Canaan of promise.
Should we not learn a lesson from them? The Apostle Paul speaks of forgetting those things which are behind—not the many wonderful ways in which God has lead us, but the advantages which may have been ours while in the world. Paul was determined to forget all of these, not merely a part of them. So it should be with us. If we continue to remember God’s blessings our faith will thereby be strengthened to lay such firm hold upon His promises for the future that we can press on in the narrow way regardless of the hardships involved, knowing that His grace will be sufficient for us and that our every need will be supplied.
Surely God knew the Israelites’ needs so far as food was concerned and was abundantly able to supply them. Why did He then permit them to go hungry? It was because He was thus desirous of seeing them develop complete faith and confidence in Him—a faith like Abraham’s. God was desirous that they be true, faithful children of Abraham—not merely because they were his natural descendants, but because they believed in God’s purpose concerning them.
God did permit trials to come upon the Israelites, and each of these furnished them an opportunity for murmuring, if they chose. But these trials could just as well have been utilized as a demonstration of their faith, a faith that could have enabled them to rejoice in spite of their hardships, and to continue to sing praises to God for the great deliverance which He had wrought for them.
What a lesson is here for us! God permitted the trials to come upon the Israelites, and they should have recognized His overruling providence in their affairs, but they did not. Their usual custom was to complain against Moses. From this we should learn not to consider the secondary causes of our trials, but to seek the Lord’s leadings in them. We should endeavor to find out the lessons which God has designed for us to learn through the experiences which He permits. If we do that, we will not find ourselves complaining against each other but giving thanks to God for supplying all of our needs, even the trials which we need and through which we are prepared for glory. If we lean too heavily on the arm of flesh, frequently we may find ourselves murmuring and repining, but if we use our trials as stepping stones to higher planes of divine grace, then we will find ourselves counting them as among our blessings; and, numbering them one by one, we will be surprised to realize the wonderful manner in which God is dealing with us day by day.
If our faith were strong enough we should be able to take our eyes away from the visible and put them upon the invisible, the eternal things, and realize that “our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” (II Cor. 4:17) Such a faith will enable us to view our trials, as Peter suggests that we should, when he says, “Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings.” (I Peter 4:12,13) Such a faith will enable us to offer the “sacrifices of thanksgiving,” for the bitter trials are purposed to bring us nearer to God and to our Canaan rest.—Psalms 107:22
“… E’en though it be a cross
That raiseth me.
Still all my song shall be,
Nearer, my God to Thee!”
There is no indication that on the occasion of this lesson Moses interceded on behalf of the people, but quite to the contrary, any intercession seems to have been anticipated by God for it says: “Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law, or no. … I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God.”—Exodus 16:4,12
What a wonderful display of the outpouring of God’s unmerited grace and favor! Even before Moses could petition God for the needs of Israel He gives them the assurance that it will be supplied. So, too, God also now deals with us, the antitypical Israelites of this age. So, too, it will be in connection with God’s dealings with the world of mankind in the next age. Concerning this the prophet says, “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” (Isa. 65:24) It should be remembered, however, that it is not because we murmur that God deals with us so graciously, but in spite of our murmuring and because, as His chosen people, He is supplying all our needs—sometimes even before we realize what those needs may be. And when we are thus blessed, despite our unfaithfulness, we can be fully assured that it is truly the Lord that is dealing with us and bearing with us, in His longsuffering and kindness.
In supplying the Israelites with manna it was necessary for them to gather their supply every morning, and the supply gathered that day would not carry over to the next day, the exception being the sixth day in which sufficient was gathered to carry them through the seventh day, which was their sabbath of rest. This meant that what they gathered would have to be used that very day. What a lesson there is here for us, indicating that we cannot feed upon the antitypical bread from heaven sufficiently in one day or one week to carry us over for the remainder of our Christian lives.
We know we must feed daily upon the Lord. Daily we must appropriate to ourselves the life and righteousness of Jesus. Daily we must feed upon the good Word of God. Daily we must avail ourselves of all the means of divine grace whereby we are furnished with the necessary strength to journey along toward our heavenly Canaan. Thus our faithfulness to the divine arrangements and appreciation of divine grace are daily put to the test; and, by exercising ourselves therein, we continue to grow strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.