The word “test” or “exam” causes most people to get an uneasy feeling in the pit of their stomachs. However, tests are a normal part of our lives. We take tests in school, to get our driver license and often they are given to determine the best candidate for a job. The purpose of a test is to see if we have command of the necessary knowledge that is needed for a particular task. The dreaded essay question is the best way to see if someone has command of particular area of knowledge. The essay question digs beyond the routine regurgitation of facts and figures and shows if our command of the knowledge includes knowing how to use the information. Knowledge is worthless without application. God often takes us into the wilderness testing room to determine if we truly have command of the knowledge that He desires us to have. The spiritual tests are extremely grueling and difficult but they are necessary for God to craft our character and to develop us into the person that He desires us to be. In our text this truth will become clearly evident when the Hebrew people will begin a series of exams in the desert. The interesting fact that we will see is that the Hebrew people responded to God’s tests much like we do. We need to approach this text with an open mind so that we can clearly see the lessons that God desires us to learn. These lessons are much like a study guide for a mid-term exam because if we use them properly we will be able to pass our spiritual tests on a consistent basis.
I. Getting a picture of what’s happening with the Hebrews.
A. Witnessing God’s ultimate victory over the Egyptians has lead to an extended time of worship.
1. Chapter 15 of Exodus opens up with a victory song by Moses known as the “Song of the Sea.” This is more than likely the earliest written part of the book.
2. The song is a deep confession of faith in Yahweh praising Him for His great victory over the Egyptians.
3. The people not only focus on what has happened but they look forward toward the future implications of God’s victory at the Red Sea.
4. God because of His mercy and love for His people He would now continue to lead them so He can deliver them into the land that He has promised.
5. The Hebrews have learned through this experience that God’s power is sufficient to handle every problem that may arise.
B. Getting geographical fix on the Hebrews’ position.
1. The people have begun their journey from the Red Sea to Sinai.
2. They find themselves in the wilderness of Shur which is a very desolate place which borders the eastern edge of Egyptian territory.
3. Shur is part of what is now known as the Sinai Peninsula. It stretches from the eastern side of the Suez Canal to the Negev of Israel.
4. As we continue to journey with the Hebrew people to the Promised Land we will discover that Sinai was never an easy place to survive.
II. The five common responses to God’s tests.
A. Enjoyment of God’s abundant blessing.
1. Up to this point the Hebrew people have witnessed God’s abundant blessing as He has led them to freedom by defeating the Egyptians with His mighty power.
2. They have celebrated God’s victories and are obviously expecting more of the same as the journey continues.
3. The question is: did the enjoyment of God’s blessing set the Hebrew people up for failure?
B. An abundant blessing causes the expectation of more.
1. When you are living constantly under God’s hand of blessing it is easy to grow accustomed to that being the way things should be.
2. This will lead us to assume that we will never have any difficulties, God will simply keep blessing continuously in the same manner that we have grown accustomed to.
3. When the blessings begin to far short of our expectations it will often cause questions to arise in our mind.
4. These expectations will continuously cause major problems for the Hebrews throughout this journey.
C. When expectations are not met, disappointment surfaces.
1. When our expectations are not met, we will inevitably become disappointed.
2. Our disappointment will eventually lead us to question God about what is going on.
3. This will surface for the Hebrews as they journey three days through the wilderness of Shur without finding any water.
D. Disappointment will inevitably lead to complaints.
1. When we become disappointed with the fact that our expectations have not been met, our natural tendency is to complain.
2. We have learned throughout this series that the Hebrew people are complainers by nature, much like we are.
3. We often lash out and complain to the first person that crosses our path and in our text Moses catches the brunt of the complaints.
E. God often responds to our complaints and disappointments with His provision.
1. Fortunately for us, God often responds to our complaints with His provision.
2. God uses these opportunities as teaching moments. He promises that He will continue to provide and protect His people if they will remain obedient to Him.
3. God’s goal is to satisfy the needs of His people not the greed of His people.
III. The specific exams that the Hebrew people were given.
A. Exam 1: The waters of Marah.
1. The people have journeyed three days through this vast desert without finding any drinkable water.
2. It is not real hard to imagine why this lack of water proved to be a great concern for the people. They needed to drink as did their livestock.
3. When they finally find water at Marah (which means bitter in Hebrew) and it turns out to be undrinkable is it any wonder the Hebrews press the panic button?
4. Bitter water is often clear and looks very drinkable but dissolved minerals and salt make it unfit for consumption.
5. God gives another miraculous display of His power to reassure His complaining people. God shows Moses a piece of wood and instructs him to throw it into the water resulting in the water becoming drinkable.
B. Exam 2: The food supply begins to dwindle.
1. The water situation is far behind them as they arrive at Elim which has an abundant supply of water.
2. They have been on the road for a month and the meager food supply that they had brought out of Egypt is probably dwindling.
3. The people begin to complain about the lack of food and God promises to rain bread down from Heaven but there are some conditions.
a. Gather each day only what you need, do not gather a surplus.
b. Gather on the sixth day enough for the Sabbath as well because there would be no bread provided on the Sabbath.
4. The people were required to place their trust completely in Yahweh which would require complete obedience.
5. God will also provide them with one special evening meal of quail to satisfy their hunger until the manna begins coming the next morning.
6. God’s goal was for the people to begin to realize that He was their ultimate provider.
C. Exam 3: We are thirsty again.
1. The people arrive at Rephidim and once again the water supply is dwindling.
2. However, this time the complaints turn into a full blown argument with Moses.
3. Three months have now passed since they had left Egypt and tensions are naturally running high.
4. The Lord instructs Moses to take the elders of the people with him to witness God’s next miracle. It seems like the constant complaining has caused the people not to be allowed to witness God’s next miracle.
5. God instructs Moses to strike a rock with his staff by which God Himself would be standing. Moses strikes the rock and water gushes out.
6. In essence when the people would start to complain it was a way of testing whether or not God was with them. It was a sign of shrinking faith.
IV. Three principles to help us when taking God’s exams.
A. Humility is essential for learning from the many spiritual tests we take during our lifetimes.
1. It is not God’s will for us to just simply make it through the exams that He gives.
2. Each exam is designed to bring about the maximum benefit for our lives.
3. Each exam is intended to grow and mold us into the person that God desires us to be.
4. To respond to God’s exams in this way requires humility and a teachable spirit. There is no room for pride.
B. Nothing is more challenging than trying to unlearn ungodly habits.
1. We know this old saying, “Old habits die hard!” This is true in our spiritual lives.
2. During the course of our lives we pick up different habits that have the ability to hinder our growth and these things may not necessarily be bad things but they can be attitudes and behaviors that keep us from becoming who God desires us to be.
3. God will often keep putting pressure on these areas of our lives in order that these habits may be broken once and for all.
4. Once these habits are gone we will experience our relationship with Him beginning to reach new depths.
C. A strong spiritual appetite is necessary for learning to enjoy a spiritual diet.
1. The natural response of our earthly appetite is to grumble when things do not go as we believe they ought to.
2. God desires that our appetite will be for doing His will and accomplishing it in the way that He desires.
3. God will always supply us with the necessary resources to do exactly this.
4. God’s goal is for us to be able to accomplish more than we could ever imagine through His power.
Conclusion:
Joel C. Gregory writes:
"How many times have we had to reach the end of our own resources before we remembered to trust in God, the one steadfast resource of our lives? We're all in need of a spiritual exodus day by day. When our faith causes difficulties, our first response is to fall back on our familiar resources--people, things, self --and only when these do not help can we truly lean only upon God for our needs.
"I like what Dwight l. Moody said about Moses in this connection. Moody, not a very erudite man, had an unusual insight into Scripture. He said that Moses spent forty years in the king's palace thinking that he was somebody; then he lived forty years in the wilderness finding out that without God he was a nobody; finally he spent forty more years discovering how a nobody with God can be a somebody.
"And he was right. When Moses and the people found out they were nobodies without the resource of God, that's when the exodus began."
