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Playpen Believers
Many people spend a lot of time living
their lives in a play pen situation. If you've ever watched a
little child in a play pen, you've noticed how quickly they become
bored with their toys, and if they aren't being entertained or
receiving the attention they think they should have, they may
throw a tantrum in order to get it.
Some adults never outgrow their childish
ways, and many Christians spend precious time that the Lord has
given them just spinning their wheels and getting nowhere as far
as spiritual growth is concerned.
Self pity is a very deadly distraction to
God's plan and purpose for our lives. It can easily lead to anger,
tantrums, jealousy, treachery, cruelty, and even murder if those
thoughts and actions remain unchecked over a period of time. A
Biblical illustration of this can be seen in the lives of the
Exodus generation when seventy people who were identified with the
patriarch Jacob went into Egypt while Joseph was Prime Minister
over that nation. As long as Joseph was alive, their families
multiplied and prospered until a new Pharaoh came into power and
made slaves of them, and for 400 years the Children of Israel were
in Egyptian bondage... exactly as God had promised Abraham they
would be. (Genesis 15:13) |
Exodus 12:41 records how the Children of Israel were
delivered from Egyptian slavery on the exact day God said that event
would take place. (in eternity past, God decreed everything that ever
has or ever will happen to be absolutely certain) In the fourth
generation of Abraham's descendants, God raised up a man called Moses
to deliver the people from bondage. About two million men, plus women,
children and their animals, followed Moses into the wilderness. Even
though they had seen many great miracles performed by the Lord before
Pharaoh agreed to let them go, when they reached the Red Sea and were
boxed in on all sides, they panicked, because they saw the Egyptian
army coming after them. Those play pen believers cried out to Moses,
and when he asked the Lord to deliver them, the Lord parted the waters
of the Red Sea, and the people walked on dry land to the opposite
shore. After the Children of Israel had all passed dryshod and
unharmed through the sea and were safely on the opposite shore, God
closed the waters of the Red Sea, and all the Egyptians who were
pursuing them were drowned. When the people saw the dead bodies of the
Egyptians on the shore the next morning, they rejoiced and had respect
for the Lord and for Moses. However, three days later they threw a
tantrum, because there was no water for them to drink. Again, Moses
prayed, and the Lord provided water. Another thirty days went by, and
once more the people complained bitterly, because they had no food. In
answer to Moses' prayer, the Lord provided quail for them every
evening and bread every morning. Still they were not satisfied with
the bread that come down from heaven. In fact, they loathed the
bread-and said, "Manna", which means, 'what is it?' Moses replied,
"This is the bread which the Lord has given for you to eat." (Exodus
16:15) Soon after that incident they came to another 'no water'
situation, but instead of remembering how the Lord had provided for
them the last time, they became angry and emotional. Just as little
children in their play pen might become frustrated and start throwing
their toys, those irrational, emotional people began picking up rocks
to throw at Moses and Aaron. Moses prayed, and in grace the Lord
provided water, but the people still refused to trust the Lord for
their daily needs. Then Korah, a cousin of
Moses, became very jealous of Moses and Aaron, and decided to start a
rebellion. He was able to persuade 250 men who were also leaders among
the people to join him in his attempt to gain more power and a higher
position in the assembly. Moses tried to reason with the rebels, but
they refused to listen, so the Lord opened the earth under their feet
and swallowed them up alive. When the rest of the people saw how God
destroyed the rebels, they accused Moses of killing the Lord's people.
Then the Lord became very angry, and this time He sent a deadly plaque
that destroyed 15,000 of them (Numbers Chap 16)
In Numbers 20:3 we have another example of
rebellion which took place after the plague. The people became bitter
and irrational, and said they wished they had died in Egypt instead of
having to starve in the wilderness ... they completely forgot how the
lord had provided all their needs on every other occasion, but
instead, they accused Moses of bringing them out to an evil place for
the purpose of killing them.
Finally, the lord told Moses to turn the people around from the
direction in which they were going, and because of their refusal to
trust Him, they would have to wander in the desert for forty years ...
until all of the adults died... and their children would enter the
Promised Land.
REBELLION AGAINST GOD'S AUTHORITY BY PLAY PEN
BELIEVERS
CARRIES A VERY HIGH PRICE TAG.
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