12 He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
13 He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand up like a wall.
14 He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night.
15 He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
16 he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers.
17 But they continued to sin against him, rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.
18 They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved.
19 They spoke against God; they said, “Can God really spread a table in the wilderness?
20 True, he struck the rock, and water gushed out, streams flowed abundantly,
but can he also give us bread? Can he supply meat for his people?”
21 When the Lord heard them, he was furious; his fire broke out against Jacob,
and his wrath rose against Israel,
22 for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance.
23 Yet he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens;
24 he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat.
26 He let loose the east wind from the heavens and by his power made the south wind blow.
27 He rained meat down on them like dust, birds like sand on the seashore.
28 He made them come down inside their camp, all around their tents.
29 They ate till they were gorged— he had given them what they craved.
30 But before they turned from what they craved, even while the food was still in their mouths,
31 God’s anger rose against them; he put to death the sturdiest among them,
cutting down the young men of Israel.
32 In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.
33 So he ended their days in futility and their years in terror.
This morning, I got up early because of a book club I have been attending for a couple of years. I read a book, titled 'a man who gives presenrs of thinking', by a young googler who works at the Google company. I think that thinking is playing a very important role in life, regardless of thinking different or differently.
The original sin on earth came from the thought of 'We can be as wise as God if we eat the fruit of wisdom, ' by Adam and Eve, not to mention of the temptation of a Satan. I think that my thought has been working like a key of my car. With the key, I can move my life here or there, or I can be swayed to the right or left or stay not moving at all. It often works to blame or condemn others, making me feel perfect or frustrated.
The thought of worries and doubt, and the hardened minds of the Israelite in the wilderness made God who had been the leader and the provider disappointed and angry, so God made them die in futility and their years in terror, not in peace. That looks like they deserve their destiny. Then how about me? With my mouth full of food coming down from the sky, I seek more and starts to complain about why not more, something like that. What a sinful nature I still have in heart! I think again and again that I will have to stop my thought from moving to the place of doubt, worries, and hardened heart from now on. Instead, I will let it go in the good and faithful way of God leading for His own and others' sake! Amen.
