What Do You Do With Your Needs?

by Bonnie Scasta, Women's Ministry Director

They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Exodus 16:1-3 (ESV)

Many of us cannot help but be shocked and disgusted with the accusations our spiritual ancestors bring against God in this passage. How could they utter such shortsighted charges against a God, who just before this encounter, rescued His people from 400 years of bitter slavery? Not only did he ensure their freedom by opening the Red Sea, but he also swallowed up their life long enemies in the wake of that same body of water, completely crushing their former oppressors.  They were absolutely safe, utterly free.  The Israelite’s initial response, and rightly so, was to worship and praise Him for His great works.  This rejoicing, however, was short-lived.  A mere 45 days into their journey, God’s people exchange their rejoicing for grumbling over their unmet needs. 

Despite the obvious absurdity of the Israelite complaint, many of us find ourselves practicing the same logic found in this passage.  We have seen the Lord do mighty works to save us and bring us to himself.  We have experienced significant redemption and are now walking in a new life in Christ with great rejoicing.  We have tasted his goodness and know that it cannot compare to our sin. Yet, when we encounter a need along our journey, we quickly dismiss what we know to be true about God and instead submit to the fear associated with scarcity, a tyranny of necessity. 

Some may assert that my charge against the Israelites overlooks the desperation and reality of their plight. After all, they were indeed hungry and in need of food, a legitimate necessity for life.  So, how should they have responded?  Having just witnessed God’s great power on display—a miraculous depiction of His faithfulness to rescue—one would think they would simply bring their need to the Lord and trust him to save them from their hunger, turning to His faithfulness in the past as evidence to support their supposition.

However, like many of us, they responded by looking back longingly on their slavery and accusing the Lord of leaving them to die in need. They forgot the bitterness of their former bondage and the years of pleading with God for freedom. They looked back with rose-tinted glasses and desired to return to slavery so they could die with their hunger met.  Worst of all, they blamed God and even accused him of trying to kill them because of their need.

What needs have you encountered on your journey?  Maybe you need healthy connection and intimacy with other believers?  Or a safe place to share and be vulnerable?  Maybe you need affirmation, attention, and affection in your femininity or masculinity?  Or stability in the midst of great uncertainty? Comfort through the pain?  Maybe your needs are tangible and physical like the Israelites?  You need financial help, a place to live, food to eat. Will you allow the reality of who God says he is and your experience of his past provision to guide your response to these legitimate needs, or will you let your fear of necessity fuel your doubt of him?

Fortunately, we know how God met the Israelite’s temporal need for food by reading the following chapters which describe God raining down manna from heaven. Even after their grumbling, God provides for their needs, a daily reminder of their dependence on Him. 

Unlike the book of Exodus, we cannot quickly turn the page to discover how God will confirm his identity as provider and liberator in our future. We do not know exactly what tomorrow holds. Yet, we must ask the question, “How will I respond to the needs in my life?”  Will I grumble and look back to my former bondage, like the Israelites, when I have unmet needs? Will I accuse the Lord of not caring and seeking to end me?  Will I trust the Lord to provide for my needs, believing that dependence on Him is the best and most peace-filled way to live?

Blinded by Sin

By Bonnie Scasta, Women’s Ministry Director

Sin is blinding and deceptive, a reality that impacts both those new to the faith and those who have walked with the Lord for many years. Even mature Christians admit if they respond honestly, that they can sometimes run full force into sin without the batting of an eye.  The story of King David’s adulterous relationship with Bathsheba—as depicted in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12—perfectly depicts how we can wonder deeper into sin without yielding to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. 

Although David possessed a keen knowledge of God’s law, he bypassed all he knew to pursue the sin that tantalized him, ultimately committing adultery and then murder. This progressive sequence of deepening sin begins when he sees Bathsheba bathing on a roof, desires her, and then takes her for himself.  Consequences of his sinful actions come when she sends word that she is pregnant.  In an attempt to cover his sin, David calls Bathsheba’s husband back from war so that he will sleep with her, making her pregnancy look like a natural part of their marital relations. When this plan is unsuccessful, the King sends this innocent man to his death by placing him in the heat of battle, legally freeing the King to claim Bathsheba as his own. One choice led to another; one action required more action; one sin led to more sins.  Although Samuel’s account lacks some detail, it appears as if David, who is called elsewhere in scripture “a man after God’s own heart,” did all of this without any conviction, pause, or thought. He, like many of us, was deceived by the allure and false promises of his sin.

You and I can do the same with our own sin.  We can be blinded by our own desires and go to great lengths to cover and hide our indiscretions.  If left alone in our sin, we will often remain in binding darkness.  Thankfully, we can rely on the Holy Spirit—manifested through our conscience, the voice of other believers, and the word of God—to convict our hearts and reveal this deception. In David’s case, God used the prophet, Nathan, to help the King see his sin as the destructive affront to God that it truly was.  Using a parable, Nathan helped the spiritually blinded David see once more:

“[Samuel said,] ‘There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb… and he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him… [the rich man]  took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for [a guest].” Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die.’”

“Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man!’”

“David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’” (2 Sam 12:1-6, 7, 13)

When Nathan called out the King’s sin, he could finally see it as detestable.  David’s response was to confess his sin against the Lord,  no longer trying to hide or cover it up.  He did not minimize what he had done or throw accusations back on Nathan. Instead, his reaction was to receive correction and take his sin before the Lord. Nathan assures David that God forgave him his sin, though the consequences of his actions would still follow: “And Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.’” Despite experiencing the consequence of his sin, David still thanked God for his mercy, praising him for his unending goodness (see Psalm 51). I believe this response is, in part, what makes David a man after God’s own heart.  It is not because he does everything perfectly or always sees his sin clearly, but because he is quick to repent of his sin when he becomes aware of it.

Are you deceived by the sin in your life?  How do you respond when the Holy Spirit or people in your life point out your sin? Are you tempted to hide, minimize, or bring accusations back on those pointing out your deception? 

Ask the Lord to use people in your life to reveal your sin and for help to respond as David did with humility and repentance.