Wandering in the Wilderness

*Why did the Israelites wander so long in the wilderness? (Why did they travel nowhere in an unfruitful, barren place) *God made this promise to them: Ex 6:6 ... I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: 7 And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD. *He gave them commandments to follow, summed up in Deut. 6:5,6 > 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: *His commandments are not hard to obey...they are all about love! It shouldn’t be hard for us to live a life showing love. If we have His Spirit & His Word in our heart, then He lives through us if we will let Him. *Every time the Israelites failed to obey, they suffered the consequences, then they would cry out to God for mercy & forgiveness & He would deliver them. They murmured & complained & rebelled. How quickly they had forgotten their life of slavery...they only remembered the satisfaction of the flesh: “We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:” (Nu. 11:5) *If we are still under the bondage of sin, we are living in the flesh & not the spirit. If we are not victorious in our daily walk with Christ, we must take inventory of our heart. If you love someone, you want to show them that you love them. Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. *I have searched the scriptures pertaining to the Israelites journey & did not find one place where they professed their LOVE for God. They didn’t see Him as Lord & Savior; they saw Him as another taskmaster to obey in order to receive. *If we don’t love Him, we will not obey Him, we will not enjoy what He has for us, we will not walk in victory. We will not please Him. Instead, we will grieve the Spirit of God.

...If any man love God, the same is known of him. 1 Cor. 8:3