Hearts Still in Egypt

“And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?” Exodus 17:3

Could you imagine being in a leadership position where you led a group through trials and troubles and even extricated them from slavery, but they did not want to follow your lead any longer? And as a slap in the face, they want to GO BACK to their former slave owners.

This was what the Israelite people declared to Moses.

Why? Why would someone choose to live in bondage? Because their hearts were still in Egypt.

Moving toward Mount Sinai, they were guided by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Daily they beheld the glory of God but had grown apathetic to it. All they thought about was their thirst even though God had provided with a previous demand (Exodus 15:23-25).

This pilgrimage turned too difficult for them because of where their heart resided. The Lord was trying to challenge them by stretching and growing them into a godly nation, but they continued to fail the testing.

Why did they argue with Moses and not trust the God who had rescued them from bondage 430 years after His promise to the day (Exodus 12:41)? The God who had given them dry ground to cross the Jordan River while being pursued by their enemies (Exodus 14:16)? The God who had provided manna in the morning and quail in the evening for sustenance (Exodus 16:4-8)? The God who had kept EVERY PROMISE despite their continual complaining? This loving God was faithful every. step. of. the. way.

“It took one night to take Israel out of Egypt, but forty years to take Egypt out of Israel.”

George Morrison

Leading the children of Israel to arrive in Rephidim, in the Wilderness of Sinai, Moses once again proved God’s faithfulness to provide. Moses suitably named this place Massah – to test – and Meribah – contention or quarreling (Exodus 17:7). Do we have any pinpoints on the maps of our life dubbed “Testing and Arguing” because of the way we journeyed through that part of lives?

As life rushes by and the more I trust God with my day-to-day, I see how I have my own inward battles with sin just as the Israelites. As you go on reading of their exodus, Israel continues to lapse in their trust of God as they journey through the Wilderness. They complain about water from the beginning to the end of their pilgrimage (Numbers 20:1-13)!

Where are our hearts? Before we criticize the Israelites, maybe we should examine ourselves. How much discomfort and disappointments does it take to make us discontent and leave us feeling unhappy with the Lord’s will so we stop trusting His promises? We may not be complaining aloud, but is there murmuring in our hearts?

I don’t know where your heart resides today, but our hearts dwell in Egypt when we forget God’s promises and let unbelief creep into our thoughts. This lack of trust has a way of erasing our memories of all the demonstrations of God’s power, faithfulness, and goodness – His blessings – in our lives.

Maybe you are longing for what used to be – your old life – because you knew what to expect or you had more freedom or whatever the reason. Every difficult thing God allows us to encounter gives us a choice of trusting Him through the wilderness or turning away from Him in unbelief. When our relationship with the Lord is inconsistent, we react unreasonably to life often making things more difficult. Our reaction could be as simple as living in fear or worry instead of trusting.

Final Thoughts

So back to the crux of this post. Where are our hearts? In Egypt? Or maybe even trying to journey back there as it longs for what was? Or have we fully given our hearts to the Lord to do with as He will no matter what we encounter?

As Moses led the Israelites, God is leading us – if we let Him – in our own pilgrimage on this earth. He is always the safe place to keep our hearts. Do you have him first in your life?

Have you completely trusted God with your heart? 💕