A while ago Paulette and I watched a PBS special on the life of Mark Twain, and I was struck by one of the many humorous quotes attributed to Twain. He said that the Pony Express could have made the Israelites forty-year desert trek to the Promised Land in 36 hours. This prompted me to reread the account of Moses and the Israelites in the desert that is given in Exodus and Numbers.

The Israelites were great whiners and complainers, who often forgot how God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt by the miraculous parting of the waters of the Red Sea. They complained about possibly dying in the desert, saying that there were plenty of good graves back in Egypt. After God provided manna for them to eat they complained that there were melons, cucumbers, onions and garlic back in Egypt. Maybe we should sympathize some about the boring diet, though, since we all get tired of eating the same thing over and over; we even complain about leftovers. My father, who didn’t talk much about his European service in WWII, did mention how overjoyed he was when a local resident gave him an onion. The Israelites even whined about the lack of wine, once again noting that there were vineyards back in good old Egypt. I didn’t find this in the Bible, but I bet Moses got tired of hearing, “Are we there yet?”
I’ve heard several women, probably including Paulette, say that the reason they wandered for forty years was that Moses was a man, and he refused to ask for directions. I think that this is unfair to Moses. He did ask for direction, and he talked with God “face to face.” He even took notes! Admittedly, they were a little hard to carry. And God did give them directions; physically, he gave them a pillar of smoke by day and a pillar of fire by night. More importantly, He gave them a guide for living – the Ten Commandments and their 603 relatives. Finally, we should note that under His guidance they reached the Promised Land.

Sometimes when we face confusion, uncertainty, or adversity it can seem as though we’re wandering in the desert. Other times it can seem as though we’re only making snail-like progress on solving our problems. The story in Exodus should help us realize that whining and complaining does no good, and that neither does dwelling on embellished memories of the past. We should follow the lead of Moses and look to God for guidance, and then be patient as he guides us. We are helped by remembering His unconditional love for YOU and me.

Jim