A Longing For Supplies

Don’t Look Back by Lori Singh

‬‬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 ‭16:2‭-‬3‬ ‭ESV

As we go further into the story of the children of Israel in the wilderness, we can see how much their heart was rooted in the bondage of Egypt. It is incredible how much food plays a huge part in any culture. In New York, one highlight of the city is the many restaurants and the diversity of culinary cuisines. Food can comfort us on a cold night, it is the highlight of every party and what has always puzzled me is going to the theater to see your favorite movie yet that experience is never complete without something to munch on. I guess what I’m trying to say is that food seems to infiltrate most aspects of our lives and Jesus was acutely aware of the tendency to lean on food as a substitute for God. In one of the recorded temptations of Jesus in his wilderness experience, the devil challenged him to turn the stone into bread, and Jesus response was, “It is written: man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4 NIV)

I know you might be wondering what food must do with looking back. Well, let us look at what happened to the children of Israel. After they left Egypt; they crossed the red sea and started their journey in the wilderness, God was with them through it all. God was their shade and cool in the daytime in a cloud, and He was their warmth and protector by night in a pillar of fire. God moved with them, and He became their source, but their flesh was so attached to Egypt for the supplies they had in abundance they could not see the many provisions in the present by the very hand of God.

But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭17:3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

This looking back mentality caused them to grumble and complain rather than be thankful. It is a dangerous thing to live desiring for what was and making light of what is. Many good relationships end when a partner cannot let go of the past. While this reference is about the food there is other material stuff and conveniences we can keep looking back for. 

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:13‭-‬14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Perhaps you were in an abusive relationship, but your partner would overcompensate in material supplies to keep you in bondage, and now that you are out of the abuse your heart still longs for the stuff. Perhaps you complain about the provisions you have now even though the situation is far safer for you. I want to encourage you to keep your eyes on the Lord as he leads you through the process of detoxing your soul of the past. The Bible tells us that the past was so deeply rooted in the hearts of the Israelites they lusted for the supplies of Egypt.

Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

‭‭Numbers‬ ‭11:4‭-‬6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

God wants to set you free from the bondage of the past. Won’t you take his help today?

Holy Spirit, help me to let go of the lust of fleshly things in my past and help me to have an attitude of gratitude for all that you provide me with daily.