Day 38, Chronological Bible Study Timeline. Map. Go to today's Bible reading (use your browser arrow to return): Exodus 16–18
Learning to Live by Faith
Whenever we learn a new skill or face a new challenge, we struggle at first. We may fall down a lot. Yet, we have faith that eventually, we will learn by experience.
What happens if the economy sours, we lose our jobs or health, and we are not independently wealthy? Will we sink in despair, gripe, and complain, or will we trust God? We have to learn to live by faith. How do we do that?
How to learn to live by faith
Remember what God has done
The LORD recently freed the Israelites through ten miraculous plagues against the Egyptians. His people marched out of Egypt boldly, carrying as much of her wealth as they could. The Egyptians regretted letting them go, and their soldiers pursued Israel. The Israelites were trapped between the soldiers and the Red Sea. Then the LORD fought for Israel again. He walled up the sea and made a dry path through it for them all to cross. When the soldiers followed, God hindered them and let the walled water return crashing down and destroying Pharaoh’s army.
Has God rescued us from our bondage to sin? Has he fought for us against challenging circumstances? We need to remember what the LORD has done (more...).
Facing New Challenges
Food
In today’s Bible reading, the Israelites march through a barren wilderness, and they are unhappy. How can they feed their families and animals? There were few places in the desert wilderness where two million Israelites could find food and water. Furthermore, they were exposed like sitting ducks to their enemies, and they were not trained for fighting.
Is there some situation which we are experiencing with no natural solution? God specializes in doing the impossible.
God can supply all our needs. The LORD says to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God’” (Exodus 16:12, NIV).
From then on, every morning of their wilderness journey, except the Sabbath days when no one was to work, dew appeared on the ground. When it dried, small wafers remained. These they collected and fried or cooked in various ways. They called it “manna” since they didn’t know what it was (manna in the Hebrew language means “what is it?”).
In the evening, they had quail to eat for meat. God provided their needs, even in the desert. By doing so, the Israelites came to know that the LORD is their provider. When he met their needs in a way only he could do, they learned to live by faith. The same is true for us.
Jesus describes himself as the Bread of Life from heaven. The Apostle John writes, “... Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty’” (John 6:35, NIV). Have we received Jesus? Only he can satisfy the hunger and thirst of our souls. Only he can bring us peace and spiritual life that will never end.
Christians, are we depending on him for our needs? God cares for us. He will provide for us, even when it seems impossible (Matthew 6:25-34; Philippians 4:19)Water
Soon after the incident with the manna and quail, the people again complain to Moses. There is not enough water to drink. This time they quarrel with Moses and threaten to stone him. The LORD instructs Moses to have some of the elders accompany him. They will testify to God’s miraculous power when Moses does the unthinkable—striking a rock to produce water!
A person might ask, “How could striking a rock provide water? We don’t know. Even if Moses loosened an underground spring, how could he know which rock held back water capable of quenching the thirst of 600,000 men, women, children, and livestock?” What a gusher that must have been! What a miracle!
God is the one who can quench our thirst. He is our provider and sustainer in challenging times.
Attacks
Following the miraculous provision of water, the Amalekites attack Israel. Moses says to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands” (Exodus 17:9, NIV). The staff Moses holds becomes a symbol of God’s power. When Moses raises the staff like a banner, Israel is winning, but the Amalekites win when he lowers it. Seeing this, Aaron and Hur prop his arms up. The Israelites win a great victory that day. God is their banner, and he helps them succeed. They are learning to trust in the Almighty. When the LORD helps us win victories, we also come to trust him.
Feeling overwhelmed
Following the victory, Moses is seen trying to administer justice to the masses. He needs help—he can’t bear the burden of all the Israelite people alone! Under Moses’ father-in-law’s advice, he divides up his responsibilities to better serve his countrymen and himself.
Moses is now God’s representative before the people. The severe cases are brought before him, and he addresses them before the LORD. Moses trains the elders to make less crucial decisions with justice. The division of the responsibilities gives the elders opportunities to learn to live by faith as they help settle cases brought before them.
Helping Others
Faith in God is a simple childlike trust. Some people have it, but most must learn it. How do we help others learn to live by faith?
First, help them remember what God has already done and the victories he has won.
Second, like the Israelites, they must experience some problems with no natural solutions. God specializes in doing the impossible.
Third, we must learn that God can supply all our needs. Whether we need the basics like food, water, shelter, or protection from attacks, or we are overwhelmed, God is ready to help. We need to ask him and wait for him to direct us.
If we trust and obey God right away, learning to live by faith comes naturally. Unfortunately, like the Israelites, many of us are slow learners. We will experience more anxieties and difficulties until we finally learn to trust God, our Savior and provider. Peace comes through trust in our LORD (Isaiah 26:3).Discussion
How can we learn to live by faith?
How can we help others learn to live by faith?
Focus Verse
Psalm 119:71 (NIV) “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.”
You can watch a video of today's lesson here. It does use artistic license but seeks to capture the spirit of the story. Start 36.34 and end at
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Looking Ahead: Now that the LORD is our God, what does he require of us? Our Next Lesson is Living in the Fear of God. Find out what that means and how we should do it.
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