13 Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done! They wouldn’t wait for his counsel!
14 In the wilderness their desires ran wild, testing God’s patience in that dry wasteland.
15 So he gave them what they asked for, but he sent a plague along with it.
16 The people in the camp were jealous of Moses and envious of Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest.
17 Because of this, the earth opened up; it swallowed Dathan and buried Abiram and the other rebels.
18 Fire fell upon their followers; a flame consumed the wicked.
19 The people made a calf at Mount Sinai[a]; they bowed before an image made of gold.
20 They traded their glorious God for a statue of a grass-eating bull.
21 They forgot God, their savior, who had done such great things in Egypt—
22 such wonderful things in the land of Ham, such awesome deeds at the Red Sea.
23 So he declared he would destroy them. But Moses, his chosen one, stepped between the Lord and the people. He begged him to turn from his anger and not destroy them.
24 The people refused to enter the pleasant land, for they wouldn’t believe his promise to care for them.
25 Instead, they grumbled in their tents and refused to obey the Lord.
26 Therefore, he solemnly swore that he would kill them in the wilderness,
27 that he would scatter their descendants among the nations, exiling them to distant lands.
28 Then our ancestors joined in the worship of Baal at Peor; they even ate sacrifices offered to the dead!
29 They angered the Lord with all these things, so a plague broke out among them.
30 But Phinehas had the courage to intervene, and the plague was stopped.
31 So he has been regarded as a righteous man ever since that time.
I remember when I was twelve...my dad got a new power lawnmower. Since the lawn was my responsibility, I was overjoyed. "You'll never have to ask me to mow the lawn again!" I exclaimed. I was deeply offended when my dad replied "that should last about a week!" Well, my dad was right. Within a couple of weeks, even with a new lawnmower, I was back to forgetting (or ignoring) the lawn.
And I'd been absolutely sincere. It's just who we are...
So, after reminding us "we should never quit praising Him," because of His forbearance, David turns around and says "Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done! They wouldn’t wait for his counsel! "
It's just plain embarrassing.
The Lord made it clear...no more "Mr. Nice Guy!" Every time Israel sinned in the desert, God disciplined her. Eventually, it got so bad that God changed His mind (about the forbearance thing). He'd had enough and determined to kill them all...regardless of the stain on His holy name. But...He let Moses talk Him out of it. Even so, this makes me very nervous...
I wonder...what are God's limits?
I should point out...typology teaches us that just as Israel is in an everlasting covenant with God, so is the church. This desert wandering...and even actual death in some instances...is not understood as "separation from God" but as separation from the promise of peace and rest that comes only after entering the promised land.
It seemed like God reached His limits then they "forgot God...so he declared he would destroy them." It's difficult to imagine how anybody could "forget" God. Then again...how many times have you laid your head on your pillow at night and realized you hadn't said a word to God all day?
We need to pay attention.
You know what happens when we "forget" God? Our "desires run wild." Our lives spin out of control as we chase false gods to satisfy our insecurities. We forget to live the disciplined life that God commands. Would you describe your life as filled with "peace and rest?" or is your life characterized by a frenetic search for something meaningful? Remember...it all begins to unravel when we forget. Today's section of Psalm 106 is a reminder to keep God "front and center" in our lives every day. Failure to do so will lead to serious trouble.
Live boldly out there today...
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