The
Israelites’ journey to the Promised Land wasn’t as happy a one as God had
intended it to be. They were supposed to travel only a few days in the
wilderness, but it turned into forty years. Their stubborn and unthankful
hearts caused them lots of misery along the way. The more they resisted God,
the more He resisted them.
While
they lived under the dictatorship of Pharaoh, they had to obey no matter what. Pharaoh
cared only about building his empire on the backs of the Hebrew people. Unlike
Pharaoh, God wasn’t a dictator. He also wasn’t running a democracy. He couldn’t
be voted in one day and out the next, although the people certainly tried to do
this. He refused to be just a passing fancy. They were stuck with Him whether
they liked it or not.
You
see, God had a plan for them - a plan meant for good and not for evil. That
plan was to establish a new nation under Him, a theocracy. They were to experience His protection, demonstrate His love, and carry
His name to the nations. What He wanted was their full devotion and loyalty
as He was fully devoted and loyal to them. They would then be granted victory
after victory over their enemies.
