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Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.
Deuteronomy8:2-4

The word of the Lord came to me: "Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem:

"This is what the Lord says:

"'I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the wilderness, through a land not sown. Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his harvest; all who devoured her were held guilty, and disaster overtook them,'" declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 2:1-3

So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?" Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. 26 He said, "If you listen carefully to theLord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you."
Exodus 15:24--26



REFLECT
1. Deut. 8:3--4 speaks of how God provided for the Israelites during their 40 years in the desert. God sustained Israel during their time of testing in the desert, even when they failed to trust in Him. Are there ways you struggle to trust in God's provision? What needs do you see God providing in your life right now?

2. God first caused the Hebrews to hunger, and then He gave them the food they needed, to teach them to depend on Him rather than on food (Deut. 8:3). Is there something in your life that you tend to rely on more than God? In what ways are you learning to depend on God alone?

3. We usually see the "desert" as a time of problems, challenges, and failures. In Jeremiah 2:1--3, God redefines the idea of the desert as a time of devotion and love. Israel had to depend on God in a way they hadn't before, which resulted in deeper intimacy with Him. Have you had "desert" times in your life that have led to deeper intimacy and trust in God? What is your desert right now?

4. God led the Israelites to Mara two to three days after they crossed the Red Sea. They were probably running out of water, and the water there was bitter (Ex. 15:24--27). God had just led them out of slavery, and then it seemed that things got worse. Have you had times in your life when it seemed God led you out of something bad or into something new, only for things to go wrong? How did you respond? How did God respond?

5. Moses' staff was just a stick, but in the hands of God, it was used to accomplish miracles. It's the same with our gifts/talents -- your gift is just a stick. But God can use that stick to accomplish His purposes. What is your stick? What is your ordinary gift or talent that God can use?

6. In all of the Israelites' grumbling, we see that they usually wanted the gift more than the giver -- they wanted what God could do for them more than they wanted God. Are there gifts from God that you tend to value more than God Himself? What gets in the way of you wanting God Himself? What is one way you can try to pursue God for who He is?