DID WE LEARN?
Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze´
"...Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Heribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did." Psalm 95:7b,8
The Bible is filled with examples, both good and bad, of people who made choices. The question is: Did we learn from them?
Little did the Israelites know that when they wandered in the wilderness for forty years that they would be held up as an example for thousands of years. Throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament, those forty years are held up as an example of what not to do. And even though we live in the age of grace, this outward manifestation of disobedience before the cross represents what we battle on the inside.
Every prophet of both Testaments, including the Psalmist, reminds us of the terrible years in the desert. We hear about it more than anyone else who hardened their heart against God because this group belonged to God. It's expected that someone like Pharaoh would have a hard heart, but when it's God's very own peculiar people, the consequences are devastating. As David said in Psalm 95:7b and 8 "...Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Heribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me, though they had seen what I did."Not only did God's people harden their heart, but they did it after they had seen all of the wonderful miracles that He displayed in front of them, such as the plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, and the provision of manna.
Let's not be guilty of the same thing. May we always recognize what God is doing, even on a small scale. May our hearts stay soft and repentant so that our descendants do not have to suffer because of our choices in the wilderness.
Heavenly Father, Help me to see Your work that I have been blind to. Keep my heart soft so that I will not be an example of bad choices to my children. And redeem the mistakes I have already made for use and glory. In Jesus Precious Name, Amen
Journal:
Whose mistakes do you relate to in the Bible?
What were the consequences?
What did Jesus tell people when He healed and forgave them?
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
Originally published Monday, 11 July 2016.
SHARE
