Be-Shallakh, Exodus 13:17-17:16

Is your attitude towards G-d, “What have you done for me lately?” It was our ancestors' attitude in this Torah portion!

The process of leaving Egypt was easy for the Jewish people. All they had to do was wait upon G-d and watch. As slaves, they had no concept of the responsibilities that went along with freedom.

Once they walked out the gates, they immediately faced difficult challenges, which were designed to show them that G-d is indeed trustworthy. After just a little while, the people realized that freedom wasn't as easy as they had thought.

When faced with the advancing Egyptian army, they forgot how G-d had already brought the entire nation of Egypt to submission. When dealing with hunger and thirst, they forgot that G-d is the maker of everything that is good to eat and drink.

We are like that too, aren't we? In an instant of fear we forget about the years during which G-d proved himself not only able, but also willing to intervene in our lives.

Notice also that G-d could have miraculously transported them, via “Elijah style chariot,” or by “Philip style whisking (Acts 8:39-40)” directly to the promised land, where they could have found steaming pots of meat awaiting them in a country devoid of inhabitants.

He didn't.

So too, in our lives, he doesn't whisk us out of bad situations, but delivers us from the midst of them by his great power together with our faith in him. We learn to lean on him as he proves himself faithful in our lives. Unlike worldly things, where dependence makes us weaker, as we lean on him, we grow stronger.

Will you not lean on him more heavily today? Throw away your “plan B,” which involves backtracking from the difficult road to blessing and leads back to bondage?

Maybe you need to lean on the Messiah Yeshua for the first time. His shoulders are quite wide enough to bear you up, and his way leads to true freedom.

Questions for further thought and discussion:

• In Exodus 13, G-d takes the people along a roundabout way to the promised land rather than the direct route. What does that say about the character of G-d? What does that also say about the level of difficulty he allows in your life today?
• What good came out of the pursuit of Israel by the Egyptian army in Chapter 14-15? Not even Moses expected how they would escape. What should it teach us about the struggles we experience day to day?
• In the matter of the quail in chapter 16, how did G-d answer their selfish prayers yet teach them a lesson at the same time? Are there any examples in you life that illustrate the adage “be careful what you ask for?”
• How does Manna vividly illustrate the portion of Yeshua's prayer in Matthew 5:11? What principles can we derive from the way Manna was provided in chapter 16?
• What are the similarities and differences between the incident at Marah in chapter 15 and the incident at Massah Meribah in chapter 17? What were the lessons taught in each case?
• In the last part of Exodus 17, what did G-d teach the people about military victory? What should that say to us about our success in whatever venture we attempt?