Scott Tibbs
Exodus in a nutshell and the need to be thankful.
By Scott Tibbs, July 20, 2022
This is a book of Exodus in a nutshell, after Israel is delivered from slavery in Egypt:
1. The people whine and despair when faced with a problem.
2. God miraculously delivers.
3. The people forget.
And then we repeat the cycle over and over again.
It is easy for us to look down on and sneer at the Israelites, but this is our habit as Christians many times. For me personally, I become easily discouraged when I am sick. But God has given us His only Son, who died to save us from the punishment that we deserve.
As Americans, we are incredibly blessed. There have been issues with religious liberty, and there are certainly dark clouds on the horizon, but for the most part we have been free of persecution and government restrictions on our liberty. We certainly have it much better than Christians elsewhere around the world. We do not need to worry about being exterminated by government-backed Muslim terrorists, as Armenian Christians were during World War I.
We are also incredibly wealthy, both in comparison to the rest of the world and especially compared to how most people have lived hand-to-mouth over all of human history. Think about how much easier life is today than it was even 37 years ago. Look up the cost of computers, televisions and microwave ovens in 1985 compared to today, and how each of those things has improved. When you go back to the 1950's, think of how even basic household items are much more common than they were for our grandparents.
Yes, Israel saw many direct miracles, and it is easy for us to argue that if we saw God act directly in such spectacular ways - such as parting the Red Sea, annihilating the mighty Egyptian army, having water come from a rock or having food miraculously appear each morning - that we would not lose faith every time we faced a new hardship. But I do not believe that is the case. If Americans ever did truly fall upon hard times, I am convinced many Christians would despair. I know this because I have done it myself.
That is why it is so important to be thankful for the blessings God has given us, especially the little things He blesses us with every day. When someone blesses you, be thankful not just to that person, but to God. Scripture is very clear that He expects us to be thankful. That guards against depression when things go badly, and also protects against envy when others are blessed in ways we are not. God has given us far more than we ever deserved.
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